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BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Sanjay Divecha/ Leela (album) Label: Self-released  Rating; **** At the International Jazz Day show held at the St Andrew's Auditorium, Bandra, on April 30, guitarist Sanjay Divecha had played a beautifully melodious piece called 'Afrika'. It appears as the fifth tune of his new album Leela , and it's something that sticks to you. The writing credits are shared by him and Cameroonian jazz composer Andre Manga. 'Afrika' is one of the highlights of Leela , a collection of marvellous pieces driven by his guitar. It's a showcase of Sanjay's immense talent, and it's played with a lot of soul. The other tunes are composed solely by Sanjay himself. Beginning with a gorgeous instrumental 'When Mountains Meet The Sky', it moves on to a tribute to guitar great John McLaughlin on 'Song For John Ji', where Apoorv Petkar has some intricate sargams . The album has a mix of instrumental and vocal tracks, with appearances by singer...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Pooja Gaitonde & Cosmic Yatra/ Sanson Ki Mala Label: Self-released  Rating: **** Powerful-voiced singer Pooja Gaitonde has been active on the ghazal and Sufi circuit for over a decade. She's also been open to experimentation, even collaborating with jazz maestro Louiz Banks and his band on the Sufi-Jazz project. Pooja now tries her hand at Sufi-rock with her new project Cosmic Yatra, coming out with a new version of the spiritual song 'Sanson Ki Mala', popularised by the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Sticking to a shorter rendition with two verses, this one has a keyboard intro, tight drums, heavy distortion guitars and a neat guitar solo by Soumil Pandit. The choruses to give it a classical flavour. The video, directed by Alqama Ansari, has Pooja rocking in a red saree. Way to go. Of course, one wonders why except the drummer, different people appear in the video as musicians. Musically, it's a good variation of a classic. Mekaal Hasan Band/ ...

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Jesus Molina/ Live in Mumbai 2025 Genre : Latin jazz Details : Tata Theatre, June 5 Rating : **** When Colombian jazz pianist Jesus Molina played at the Tata Theatre two years ago, he was accompanied by two drummers who sat facing each other and majestically operated a jumbo kit. He himself played a grand piano along with a Nord Stage 3 keyboards, while the bassist provided company. For his latest show, held at the same venue on June 5, he obviously wanted to provide something different  He had three Nord keyboards, and also played saxophone and keytar, besides singing a couple of tunes. Like last time, he also did a short burst on timbales. But the band was different, with electric guitar by Rock Choi, bass by Alex Polydoroff and drums by Cain Daniel. He also had some wonderfully chosen visuals in the backdrop, enhancing the overall effect. The part at the end where the Indian flag fluttered on screen to a 'Tunak Tunak Tun' chant was a stunner. It waa pro...