Gig review/ L. Shankar

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Artiste: L Shankar & Group

Concert: Aditya Birla Group Masters of Music 

Genre: Fusion/ Carnatic 

Details: June 16, Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, Mumbai 

Rating: *****

The sudden excitement was palpable when violinist L. Shankar announced that he and his group would play many Shakti tunes at Sunday's concert in Mumbai. He had already opened the evening with a dazzling rendition of Carnatic composer Muthuswamy Dikshitar's 'Vathapi Ganapathim', and if one thought he would focus on classical fare, that was not to be.

Five of the remaining six pieces belonged to the repertoire of the original Shakti line-up, comprising him, guitarist John McLaughlin, tabla genius Zakir Hussain and ghatam maestro Vikku Vinayakram. Together, they had pioneered the Indo-jazz fusion sound in the 1970s, before going different paths over a decade later.

Playing those old Shakti classics had a major issue though, at least for fans. They had originally been written for two melody instruments - guitar and violin. With no guitar in this line-up, they had to be rearranged. Also, Shankar had originally recorded these tunes on a regular violin, before later moving on to his own invention, the stereophonic double-necked violin. So a listener with a fixed mindset, or those boasting of seeing the band in its heyday, may have found it difficult to adjust.

But for a wizard like Shankar, these challenges wouldn't be too tough to tackle. He chose songs which had catchy and recognisable violin melodies, and substituted the guitar parts with either his own improvisations or by adding rhythm solos in complex cycles. He had four ace percussionists accompanying him after all - old friend Vikku, who came in only on the last two pieces, Fazal Qureshi on tabla, V. Selvaganesh who played more mridangam than his own speciality kanjira, and his son Swaminathan on kanjira.

The 100-minute show, held at the NCPA's Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, was part of the Aditya Birla Group Masters of Music series. Curated and promoted by Hyperlink and PayTM Insider, it clearly took many listeners on a magic nostalgia ride. A certain section of the audience has grown up on the three albums released by the original line-up - Shakti, A Handful Of Beauty and Natural Elements. So naturally, they were delighted to hear the energetic 'Joy' and an extended version of the catchy 'Come On Baby Dance With Me'.

These tunes were played with a charm of their own, retaining the hook-lines. It would be unfair to say whether or not they matched the original renditions which had McLaughlin's stamp of virtuosity. But one definitely missed the uniqueness of the classic guitar stretch on the next number 'Isis', though it retained the subtlety of the main melody line. Another brisk number 'La Danse Du Bonheur' boasted of some intricate rhythm parts.

Vikku was invited on stage at this point, and the set went back into traditional mode with a ragam-tanam-pallavi in raag Aberi, set to nine and a half beats. The interaction between Shankar and Vikku was delightful, but one had to get back to Shakti on the next piece 'Get Down And Sruti' to hear Vikku's legendary ghatam solo.

Fans would recall the concert by the latest Shakti line-up at the Dome, Mumbai, last year when Vikku had dazzled as a guest, playing a 17-minute solo on 'Bridge Of Sighs'. The solo at Shankar's concert was only four minutes long, but yet he had the crowd clapping along.

'Get Down And Sruti', which also had a fabulous tabla section by Fazal and a kanjira duet by Selva and Son, concluded a magical concert. This was musicianship at its best, in terms of individual skill, Shankar's adaptations and the collective improvisation. The last time this blogger saw Shankar in Mumbai was about two decades ago, and one remembers going back with mixed feelings. This one was in another league.

The only thing missing was a completely packed hall, as one saw some empty spots here and there. One also heard some people remark that they didn't book because they didn't expect too much. Their loss. Also, though it was slotted an 8 p.m. time and started around 8.10, one could still see some people sauntering in after 8.30. Maybe it took them some time to figure out what was going on. Maybe they thought they'd hear the other Shankar in Shakti.

SET LIST

Vathapi Ganapathim

Joy

C’mon Baby Dance With Me

Isis

La Danse du Bonheur

Raag Aberi - Ragam Tanam Pallavi

Get Down And Sruti