narenmusic

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Over the past couple of weeks, this blogger experienced two aspects of Kolkata-based tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh's musical personality. One was his new age studio album Glorious India: The New Sound Of Tradition , featuring some of the best contemporary Indian instrumentalists. The other was his March 22 show at Mumbai's NMACC Studio theatre, appropriately titled the Bickram Ghosh Rhythm Experience. One has, of course, followed Bickram since he played with sitar maestro Pt Ravi Shankar at the Shanmukhananda Hall, Mumbai, some 22 years ago, along with Anoushka Shankar and the other talented tabla player Tanmoy Bose. Albums like Rhythmscape , Transformation , Ishq: Songs Of Love (with singer Hariharan) and Paperboats (with violinist Kala Ramnath) have been regular on airplay. The son of tabla maestro Pt Shankar Ghosh, Bickram has been trained in both Hindustani and Carnatic percussion idioms. Here are brief notes on both projects; Album : Glorious India: The...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Tayc & Shreya Ghoshal/ Yimmy Yimmy Label: Virgin Music/ Play DMF Rating: *** 1/2 French rhythm n' blues musician Tayc teams up with Shreya Ghoshal on the new dance-pop number 'Yimmy Yimmy'. Who cares what that means, as the bonus comes in the form of a Bollywood-styled video featuring Jacqueline Fernandez. "Ab bhi chahoon, ishq nibhaoon, dil na maanein kaise bhulaoon", go Shreya's lines written by Rana Sotal. Tayc has written the French and English lyrics himself, and the music by Rajat Nagpal, Tayc and Nyadjiko has a club vibe. The video by Piyush and Shazia has silver screen-style choreography. Jacqueline's dance moves match Shreya's voice, and the 'Yimmy Yimmy' line sticks in one's mind. Amrita Chatterjee/ Tez Toofan Mein Label: Self-released  Rating: *** 1/2 On her latest single 'Tez Tufaan Mein', ghazal singer Amrita Chatterjee begins, "Tez toofan mein udti hui patte jaisa; zindagi bhi tera muqaddar ...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Nitin Sawhney feat. Ankita Joshi/ Insaan (Home) Label: Positiv LLP/ Warner UK Rating: ***** UK-based musician and producer Nitin Sawhney released his latest album Identity in October 2023, using various voices from Joss Stone and Natacha Atlas to footballer Gary Linekar. The themes revolve around origin, identity and self-esteem. There are also two outstanding tracks by singer Ankita Joshi, which have somehow been unnoticed so far. A discicple of Pandit Jasraj, Ankita's mellifluous and trained voice fits in perfectly with Nitin's electronic base. 'Insaan (Home)' is a loopworthy masterpiece, which begins, "Ehsaan kiya insaan banaake, anupam aur mahaan banaake, pooran hoon anmol hoon main, bemisaal meri hasti hai'. The taans and sargams are rendered brilliantly. On the other track 'Nocturnal', Ankita uses wordless syllables with elan. While both these tunes deserve some push here in India, there's another beauty by Bangladeshi si...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Artiste : Demetria Taylor Event : NCPA Soulful Blues  Genre : Blues  Details : Tata Theatre, March 16 Rating : **** 1/2 Those who attended British star Ed Sheeran's show at the Mahalakshmi Race Course on Saturday were raving about it, even though the terrible traffic made many attendees miss half of it. A much smaller chunk - probably just 1.2 per cent of Ed's estimated 50,000 turnout - would have no regrets. What they saw at the Tata Theatre at the same time was something unbelievable, as Chicago blues singer Demetria Taylor provided the kind of entertainment that kept people on their toes. As far as Mumbai auditorium concerts go, very few shows have perhaps matched up in terms of sheer energy and crowd interactivity. At the same venue, one can only think of gigs by African singer Angelique Kidjo and Brit sensation Jacob Collier. But they had their subtle and slower moments, whereas this one was an out-and-out party. Taylor was playing on the opening day of...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Aanchal Bordoloi/ Ruins (from the EP Letters To Bombay) Label: Self-released  Rating: **** With songs like 'Whiskey Blues' and 'Anyway/ Eitherway', singer-songwriter Aanchal Bordoloi showed a maturity beyond her early-20s age. The musician, who hails from Assam and started her career in Bengaluru, has now released a three-song EP Letters To Bombay inspired by a series of e-mails she wrote to a pen pal. All the songs - 'Energy', 'Ruse' and 'Ruins' - are characterised by expressive vocals, strong lyrics and acoustic guitar layers. To shortlist one song for a longer description, we'd go for 'Ruins', with its hard-hitting words. "I'm still stuck in the ruins of the castles you left behind, all those promises and the playlists consume my mind, you piece of dirt, you'll be getting what you deserve". The song tells a story of betrayal and Aanchal's vocals have the sting, even on the wordless stret...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Prithvi Gandharv & Paras Nath/ Chamba Label: Sufiscore  Rating: **** The Himachali folk tune 'Chamba' has been sung by various singers from Mohit Chauhan and Harshdeep Kaur to Armaan Malik and Jonita Gandhi. What sets this new version apart is the flute-dominated arrangements by Paras Nath. Prithvi Gandharv once again sings beautifully, as he begins, "Maaye ni meriye, Shimla di raahein, Chamba kitni door". Santosh Mulekar's grand piano and Swaranjay Dhumal's percussions add to the charm. And yes, there's the scenic video directed by Pratham Chourasiya and featuring Prithvi and Reena Aggarwal. It's a breath of fresh mountain air. Sanjoy Das/ Kesariya Label: Self-released  Rating: **** Another tune that's been recorded often is the Rajasthani folk melody 'Kesariya'. Popular versions are by Mehdi Hassan, Mame Khan and by Karsan Sagathiya in Nagesh Kukunoor's film  Dor . Now, we have an acoustic guitar version by San...