narenmusic

  BY NARENDRA KUSNUR The past week has witnessed the loss of two rock stars who created an impact in different eras. On December 19, British guitarist Mick Abrahams passed away at 82 and three days later, 74-year-old singer-songwriter Chris Rea, also from the UK, left us. While the former had more of an underground following, Rea's music had more mainstream appeal. Fans would remember Abrahams as the first guitarist of prog-rock giants Jethro Tull, fronted by the legendary flute-playing icon Ian Anderson. He played on the 1968 debut This Was , but with Anderson wanting to move from a bluesy flavour to include more folk idioms, he quit and formed Blodwyn Pig. Rea, on the other hand, was best known for his solo work using rock and pop flavours and a smattering of blues in the 1980s and early 1990s. While the 1986 composition 'Driving Home For Christmas', re-recorded two years later, remains his most famous song, his 1989 album The Road To Hell is a landmark in recorded musi...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Jatayu/ Jewel Tones (EP) Label: Self-released  Rating; **** Chennai band Jatayu's style involves an innovative blend of Carnatic elements with contemporary arrangements. On their new EP Jewel Tones , they take one composition by Muthuswamy Dikshitar and three by Thiagaraja and add doses of jazz, funk and world music to create something marvellous. The band comprises Shylu Ravindran on guitar and kanjira, Sahib Singh on guitar, Manukrishnan on vocals and drums, and Kashyap Jaishankar on bass. They are joined by guests Ghatam Krishna on percussion and Wesley Crispus on saxophone. Using the track names 'The Wick', 'The Triumph', 'The Mirage' and 'The Resolve', they create many magical moments in the 28-minute record. The way Thiagaraja's 'Marugelara O Raghava' in ragam Jayantasri has been fused on 'The Mirage' with guitar and bass is a good representation of the Jatayu sound, with Manukrishnan's vocals brillian...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR  Forever Friends/ Crosscurrents, Shakti & Friends - A Tribute To Zakir Hussain Genre : Fusion Details : Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, December 15 Rating : *** 1/2 A tabla set watched in silent admiration, as guitarist John McLaughlin, vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan and kanjira maestro V. Selvaganesh took their positions on the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre stage on Sunday night. The audience couldn't see anyone behind it, but yet they heard a flurry of sonorous rhythms emanate from the instrument. Ustad Zakir Hussain was present in the room, and one could only visualise his bright blue kurta and flowing hair as the opening notes of 'Shrini's Dream' caressed the air. Today, December 15, marks a year since Zakir Bhai physically left us. His music and its influence linger. To pay tribute to him, and to celebrate his life, the other members of his group Shakti got together for a memorable, one-off reunion. It was part of the two-day tribu...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR The Songsmiths/ Coming Home Self-released  Rating: **** Hailing from Hyderabad, the Songsmiths have been around for over 12 years, using influences of rock, funk, blues and jazz. Songs like 'Blue Guitar', 'Citylights' and 'A Song For You' have had their fans. Now they are out with their latest 'Coming Home'. Vocalist-bassist Saikat Basu, guitarist Avinash Ekka and drummer John Mark come out with a cracker of a tune that's straight-ahead retro-rock. The words go, "Long road finds me within, takes my hand and the wind, long road have time to keep, engine clocks while my soul beats". Add to that a very Dickey Betts-meets-Jerry Garcia-styled lead guitar solo, and we have a clear winner here. As an add-on, the band has made a 12-minute YouTube film on the song. It starts with R.D. Burman's 'Musafir Hoon Yaaron' in the backdrop, builds up the narrative, and takes you on a scooter ride to open fields with the song. K...

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR Parvaaz/ Na Gul Na Gulistan   Genre : Urdu-rock Label : Self-released  Rating : **** When founder-guitarist Mir Kashif Iqbal quit in 2021 after a decade-plus stint, fans wondered which direction Bengaluru-based rock band Parvaaz would take. But vocalist Khalid Ahamed was joined by Bharath Kashyap on guitars, and the gig appearances were revived. Now, six years after releasing Kun , Parvaaz has come out with its new album Na Gul Na Gulistan . The title translates into 'Neither flowers, nor garden (remain)', which may symbolically have multiple interpretations. Naturally, themes of loss, longing, angst and rebellion recur. The lyrics are in Urdu this time, not getting into Kashmiri as they occasionally did.  Bharath fills in smoothly for Mir, as is immediately evident in the second track 'Talafi' (atonement or compensation), which follows the brief, slogan-chant opener 'Hu'. With Khalid's earthy vocals, Bharath's smooth riffing and effor...