Gig review/ Rehnuma@Prithvi

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Various artistes/ Rehnuma 

Genre: Indo-fusion

Presented by: Prithvi Theatre 

Details: Prithvi Theatre, February 28

Rating: ****

(Pics of Prithvi (top) and Lollapalooza shows taken by blogger)

Exactly two years ago, Ustad Zakir Hussain performed at the annual Memorial Concert at the Prithvi Theatre, in remembrance of Jennifer Kapoor on her birthday. After homage was paid to the tabla maestro by his brothers Fazal and Taufiq Qureshi last year, another group of musicians came together on Saturday came together to carry forward his dream of promoting young Indian artistes.

Led by Indus Creed's Zubin Balaporia on piano, Rehnuma featured the same musicians who had performed at the Lollapalooza multi-genre festival at Mahalaxmi Race Course on January 24 under the name Prithvi Theatre Presents. Though guitarist Rhythm Shaw couldn't join this time, the others contributed to the magic of the evening.

The crowd comprised a mix of theatre personalities, musicians and friends invited by the Prithvi ream, besides some music lovers who picked up tickets. Besides Zubin, the group consisted of Gino Banks on drums, Sheldon D’Silva on bass, S. Akash on bansuri, Mehtab Ali Niazi on sitar, Ishaan Ghosh on tabla, Shikhar Naad Qureshi on djembe and Faizan Hussain in percussion.

The idea germinated when Lollapalooza organisers BookMyShow approached Prithvi's Kunal Kapoor to prepare a set for performance at their January event. In keeping with Zakir's ideology, a mix was chosen of some of the "older young musicians" who had played often with the maestro and younger artistes who had never played with him.

The open-air show at Lollapalooza was amplified, and the crowd mostly consisted of trendy people in their 20s and 30s, many of them who were rock or pop fans hearing Indo-fusion the first time. There may have been a guesstimated 5,000 people there, including a floating crowd of people coming in or moving out in the middle. The Prithvi show was mostly acoustic, in keeping with the venue's structure and requirements, with only the bass getting electric connectivity. Though much smaller and older in profile, the audience here was largely familiar with the genre.

Both shows ended up with a fabulous response, though Lollapalooza had a time restriction of 40 minutes. On Saturday, the musicians had scope to improvise freely and do extended portions. The set consisted of some common songs, whose order was juggled around, with some new pieces added.

After the introduction by Kunal and Zahan Kapoor, the proceedings began with only Akash, Mehtab, Ishaan and Shikhar arriving on stage for a rendition of raag Desh, played in traditional classical manner. Some wonderful renditions of flute and sitar, accompanied by tight rhythm-play, set the mood.

The other musicians joined for the rest of the set, beginning with Zubin's composition 'Musafir' and following it up with Zakir's frothy 'Bending The Rules'. Next to come up was Zubin's 'High Five', featuring Sheldon's magnificent solo, after which the group played 'Encounter' by jazz maestro Louiz Banks, who watched attentively from the audience.as Mehtab played the main melody.

The elaborate drum and percussion interaction was followed by a fresh take on 'Saare Jahan Se Achcha', which they had played at the beginning of the Lollapalooza set after an energetic burst of Maharashtrian dhols. As an encore, the group played 'King Clave', originally played by Mickey Hart, Zakir and others.

Each musician had their solo moments of glory - only the piano didn't have that extended role, though Zubin stayed very much within the confines of the songs. Besides explaining the tunes, Zubin also displayed a sharp sense of humour, promising a free dinner to anyone who voted for him as the handsomest musician of the group. Dinner, of course, was on the house.

One observation: one spotted some tabla players and percussionists playing from the wings at the top of the auditorium. Maybe they could have been used more innovatively. Many sitting behind did not know of their presence, and they couldn't be heard. If they had a sudden solo from the top, it would have lent a certain mystery and theatricality. This seemed like a good idea falling flat 

For drummer Gino, it was the third concert in three days - after the Gino Banks Groove Project at AntiSocial on Thursday and Mumbai Drum Day 2026 which he himself curated at St Andrew's Auditorium the following day.

Each show spanned different genres and styles, besides featuring a lot of younger talent. Zakir would be thrilled his dream is being fulfilled in different ways, as the world waits for his 75th birthday on March 9.