Gig review/ Shakti, Crosscurrents tribute to Zakir Hussain

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 tribute organised by the National Centre of the Performing Arts (NCPA) to honour the legend and his legacy.

The Shakti remembrance was the second performance in Sunday's evening session 'Forever Friends', after Zakir's other band Crosscurrents did a tight, 75-minute set, playing tunes from the album Good Hope and other compositions they often mesmerised crowds with. Both shows were heartwarming, symbolic, virtuosity-packed and nostalgia-driven, despite a few shortcomings here and there, moreso in the occasionally erratic sound quality and the intriguing choice of the finale.

'Shrini's Dream' set the tone for the Shakti set, as the smooth interaction between Shankar and Ganesh was followed by a brisk solo by John. Taufiq Qureshi and his son Shikhar Naad Qureshi joined in on djembes. The piece, which has been nominated for this year's Grammy awards in the Best Global Music Performance category, was originally written in memory of late mandolin wizard U. Shrinivas, once an integral part of the group. One wishes it had been introduced properly with a dedication to Shrinivas.

Next on the list was 'Giriraj Sudha', based.on a Thiagaraja composition in ragam Bangala. The piece has been regular at live shows, and accused by some as being overplayed. But besides Shankar's trademark vocals, this rendition had some wonderful violins by Ganesh and, in one of the evening's highlights, an incredible ghatam solo by Giridhar Udupa.

The brilliant Udupa was seated a few feet behind 'Zakir's spot' along with tabla player Ojas Adhiya and kanjira exponent Swaminathan, son of Selvaganesh, along with Shikhar Naad, who stood alongside. Their position was a symbolic representation that these are the people carrying forward the tabla great"s global percussion imprint and vision. All four musicians displayed their brilliance.

'Sakhi', with Shankar's soulful vocals, and 'Ma No Pa', written by Zakir when his father Ustad Allarakha passed away in 2000, followed, with Ganesh playing a soulful intro and John displaying his otherworldly genius on the latter. Drummer Ranjit Barot joined in to solo on the Shankar-driven 'Kiki', and Ojas played a fabulous stretch on 'Bella Alla'.

As the clock approached 10, one noticed that the famously lengthy Selvaganesh solo hadn't yet taken place. Not to worry. He and son Swaminathan did a marvellous kanjira duet on 'Finding The Way'. Each musician had played his part and it was only time for a rousing climax.

One expected the classic John composition 'Lotus Feet', which besides being a memorable homage, was also one of Zakir's favourite pieces. Sadly, it wasn't played, much to the disappointment of Shakti's older fans. Instead and shockingly, things turned gimmicky and cacophonous at this point. The sound went awry, Shankar broke into 'Breathless' and a chunk of the crowd felt they finally got the worth for the ridiculous ticket money they paid. Was it needed? Did 'Breathless' seriously fit in?

That brings us back to the earlier sentence about the sound being occasionally erratic. One felt an extra boom during the evening's opening drum duet by Ranjit and Gino, which also had the former's vocals and konnakol, and backing tracks. One felt it at times when too many instruments, specially percussion, were playing together. But the various solos, and Shankar's voice, sounded perfectly fine.

After the drum piece, pianist Louiz Banks, guitarist Sanjay Divecha, tabla maestro Fazal Qureshi and bassist Sheldon D'Silva joined Gino. After a bit of shuffling, saxophonist Chris Potter and bassist Dave Holland came on stage, with Yogesh Samsi on tabla. Potter instantly played beautifully on his own composition 'Good Hope'. Dave's piece 'Lucky Seven' and the Louiz piece 'Shadows' followed. Sanjay's composition 'Solace' featuring an incredible bass stretch by Dave. It was sheer artistry and deserved a standing ovation. Only a handful clapped.

The crowd at such events is always a mixed bunch. There were the hardcore fans who flew in from other cities just to see their hero John. There were those who understood and admired the music. There were those who have been seeing Shakti since the 1980s, and there were first-timers. There were those who came to be seen, and to tell the virtual world. And there were those who walked out mid-way through the second set, even as another bunch hung on to their seats to bask in shimmering musical moonlight.

While the first part of the show with Crosscurrents was live-streamed, the Shakti section wasn't. Many fans missed out on some sheer nostalgia. Many of them present at the venue returned with happy memories of the album Natural Elements, their live experience at an Indian venue in 1984, santoor maestro Shivkumar Sharma's guest appearance at the Rang Bhavan 15 years later, the Vikku Vinayakram 18-minute ghatam solo on 'Bridge Of Sighs' in Mumbai in 2023, John's solos, Zakir's solos, the joy, the intensity, the magic. The tabla set that graced the stage has seen it all, been there and done that. The memories of its master linger forever. Dhaa!