narenmusic

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Sonam Kalra/ Chaleya Momin Label: Self-released Rating; **** Delhi singer Sonam Kalra and the Sufi Gospel Project are known for songs that blend many voices through poetry, prayer and music to create a universal language of faith. On her latest song 'Chaleya Momin', she reiterates that God is in every being, and that kindness and compassion are the only true religion. Sonam has herself written the song in Punjabi, besides composing the piece. Saptak Chatterjee provides backing vocals and arranges the song, with Deepak.Ramola writing additional lyrics. The word 'momin' means 'believer', and the main line is 'Chaleya momin chaleya, chaleya momin Makke'. Later, she sings, "Na main Hindu na Musalmaan, main te rab da banda", which is like a summary of what the song conveys. For the visualiser, Sonam has teamed up with Iranian visual artist Faezeh Sepehrsadeghian and Indian artist Gopika Chowfla. There's some very creative anim...

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Raghav & Arjun feat. Amira Gill/ Khasma Nu Khaniye Label: Self-released  Rating: *** Raghav & Arjun are joined by Amira Gill in the rendition of the Punjabi heartbreak song 'Khasma Nu Khaniye'. It starts on a happy note, but the love falls apart eventually, with one person seeing it coming and the other in shock. Lyrics are shared by Arjun and Manreet Khara. Though it's a routine song with a synth-pop sound, what works is the well-shot video filmed by Akshay Nair and featuring Aditi Sandhya Sharma and Anuj Rampal. Good pairing, and something that youngsters will identify with. Five YearsFromNow/ Alvida Label: Robach Music Rating: *** Hyderabad trio Five YearsFromNow earlier made news with the tracks 'Khwahish Ke Boondein' and 'Kya Hai Tu'. Their sound is a blend of electronic music with other flavours. 'Alvida' talks of the difficulty of saying goodbye. It's a simple tune written and sung by Kai Gurung, with producer ...

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Listening session/ Pt Nikhil Banerjee Conducted by ; Pt Nayan Ghosh  Genre : Hindustani classical  Details : Experimental Theatre, September 12 On January 27, 1986, the Hindustani classical world received a huge shock with the death of sitar maestro Pandit Nikhil Banerjee. He was only 54, and had been suffering health issues for a while, before having to stop mid-way during a concert in Calcutta after feeling uneasy. He was rushed to hospital where he passed away. Banerjee, known as Nikhil-da, was best known for creating his own mark in a scenario where sitar music was already dominated by two legends Pt Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan. He left behind many recordings, including some rare ones which visitors at the Experimental Theatre got to hear at a guided listening session hosted by sitar and tabla veteran Pt Nayan Ghosh on Friday. For 90 minutes, the audience was spellbound as they heard Nikhil-da's rendition of various raags, with Ghosh talk...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Salim-Sulaiman feat. Shankar Mahadevan/ Shringaar  Label: Salim-Sulaiman Music Rating: **** 1/2 Salim, Sulaiman and Shankar Mahedevan are joined by top musicians on this heartfelt tribute to tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain. 'Shringaar' is a track from the Salim-Sulaiman project Bhoomi 2025 , and even features voice and video clips of Zakir. "Without love, without music, without harmony, we are nothing," he says. How true. The prolific Shraddha Pandit writes the lyrics which begin, "Kaahe kare shringaar sajaniya, jaga tope jaaye vaar sajaniya, sab se sundar naar sajaniya, kaahe kare shringaar sajaniya". Shankar's voice flows smoothly and effortlessly. While the composition and lyrics have traditional flavours, the orchestration uses modern elements. The musicians include Salim on piano and synth, Sulaiman on Zen drums, Raj Purohit on keyboards, Purbayan Chatterjee on sitar, Rhythm Shaw on guitar, Ralph Menezes on bass, Ojas Adhiya on...

⁴ BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Matt Bianco/ Live in Mumbai Genre : Pop-jazz Details : Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, September 7 Rating : **** From their discography of 15 studio albums, one would imagine British group Matt Bianco would have a tough time choosing its set list. But then, frontman and founding member Mark Reilly has done hundreds of concerts, obviously having a clear idea of what would work at their maiden India appearance. The Sunday crowd at the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre was obviously more familiar with the first two albums Whose Side Are You On? and Matt Bianco , which were hits in the mid-1980s. Reilly spaced the popular songs judiciously, and whether the folks knew them or not, the band made a huge impression with its energy and virtuosity. The sound was an ever-changing mix of pop, jazz, funk and Latino flavours. Most songs were filled with surprises. One never knew which direction the arrangements would take, and listeners had to be constantly attentive to enjoy the twists. Som...

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Jazbaat/ Pratibha Singh Baghel Genre : Ghazals, Sufi, Hindi film Event by : W&M, Vivikta Details : Nehru Centre, September 5 Rating : **** 1/2 ( Photograph taken by: Mehul Mehta) Despite the festival traffic and rainy spells, it was heartening to see a near-packed house at singer Pratibha Singh Baghel's concert Jazbaat at Nehru Centre, Worli, on Friday. What was even more welcome that many knew the songs, and stayed till the end, asking for more. For two and a half hours without an intermission, Pratibha had the audience humming along to a carefully chosen selection of ghazals, geet, film classics and Sufiana numbers. The accompanying band was tight, and the interaction between songs alternated anecdotes and descriptions with impromptu humour. Though this blogger has seen Pratibha perform a few numbers at the annual Khazana festival, and followed her numerous recordings and videos, this was the first full-length concert he attended of hers. Naturally, one...

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Film review/ Songs Of Paradise Director : Danish Renzu Cast : Saba Azad, Soni Razdan, Zain Khan Durrani, Taaruk Raina, Sheeba Chadha Platform : Amazon Prime Rating : *** 1/2 Followers of Kashmiri music would know of the enormous contribution of Raj Begum, the first singer on Radio Kashmir Srinagar in the early 1950s. Danish Renzu's film Songs Of Paradise is loosely inspired by her life. The film begins in.1954. The singer here is Zeba Akhtar (played by Saba Azad), who later changes her name to Noor Begum to hide her true identity. Her father (Bashir Lone) is a small-time tailor and her mother (Sheeba Chadha) is someone who follows societal norms, thereby opposing the idea of women singing in public. Zeba is enormously talented but it takes the observation of a respected guru (Shishir Sharma) to notice it and develop it further. A foreign-returned poet Azaad (Zain Khan Durrani, of Mukhbir fame) also hears her In a competition, which she wins, and guides her on...