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Chords & Notes
TELUGU
Konchem Smile Karo... Aishwarya Music..Sashi Preetam... Rs. 39
SASHI PREETAM comes up with an interesting and unique album. Interesting because the lyrics, music, and the rendition is quite hatke se, and unique because perhaps for the first time a pop album has been brought out which has both Telugu and Hindi numbers blended well along with the English number thrown in with equal ease. A thoroughly enjoyable tape, it has new singers lending freshness, especially Ayush who's tuned for the pop numbers, his bad Telugu diction notwithstanding. His Chalte chale is outstanding, which is repeated twice in the album.
The cassette opens with the title number, Smile Karo... sung by Sashi Preetam and Aishwarya. Motoo Batameez Hai is the next enjoyable song by Ayush and Shreya.
On the flip side, Ayush and Sashi Preetam's Ayyo Rama is cheeky, funny and catchy. Ayush's solo Hum Hai Deewane is lilting and pleasing.
The cassette is worth adding to your collection.
FUSION
Ankahi... Crossover of sounds... Music Today... Rs. 75
SHUBHA MUDGAL has experimented with `non-classical' genres like her albums Ab ke sawan and Man ke manjeere. She has a versatile voice which adapts to singing anything. This album is aptly titled a crossover of sounds. For it is a `fusion' of sounds - interestingly interspersed with lyrics. And Shubha with her robust voice is at her mesmerising best.
The rich tradition of medieval poetry is being explored by many singers. Shubha Mudgal draws on the works of Dharanidas, Pemi and Faiz Ahmed Faiz in this musical interpretation - Ankahi or the unsaid. The lyrics are set to interesting music by Shubha and Aneesh Pradhan. It is truly a crossover of sounds - for there is a variety of music - from North Indian classical music to Western art music and jazz. Quaint it may sound, but the blending is not incongruous. The contemporary touch is much evident. That Shubha and Aneesh have certainly researched on the lyrics and music is evident. The piano, drums, tabla, duff, bass guitar, sarangi and harmonium have been used.
The album begins with a tarana (akin to the thillana of Carnatic music). Rhythmic and melodious, the performance of the ensemble in this composition stands out. Words of Dharanidas, a medieval mystic poet are woven into it. The second composition on Side A Is vaqt is a ghazal of Faiz Ahmad Faiz. This is a `haunting' composition in terms of music and lyrics. The words speak of desolation and despair. What is interesting is the dialogue between the piano and sarangi. Shubha renders the ghazal full of meaning in a touching way.
Nainan laagi, the composition of the Sufi saint Saiyyad Barkatullah alias Pemi is sung on more or less classical lines. It has been arranged in three movements which lead into each other. The last on Hum ke thehere ajnabi is more in the `modern' idiom - more jazz and blues with north Indian music. The various musicians of the ensemble perform very well. Aneesh Pradhan shines as a composer and a percussionist.
This is an album which will intrigue one and all on account of the title. Once you start listening you will not feel like pressing the stop button. A good attempt at packaging medieval poetry for modern listeners. A must-buy for the ingenuity of `fusion' displayed here.
Perc Jam... Taufiq Qureshi... Music Today... Rs. 95
THIS ALBUM is a recording of a performance at Swar Utsav held on the lawns of India Gate in New Delhi a few months ago. Through this album one gets to hear an amazing `fusion' - one where Taufiq Qureshi teams up with Karl Peters on bass guitar, Sridhar Parthasarathy on South Indian percussions, Brazilian percussionist Bondo Fernandez, Nishad on keyboards and Niladri Kumar on sitar. The result - amazing music and display of talent. After all Taufiq is a genius himself. Being the son of maestro Ustad Alla Rakha and the brother of another maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain rhythm and music runs in his genes. One has heard of vadya vrinds and talavadya kaccheri's but this one is certainly different - the fusion of sounds is remarkable.
The first piece is Peshkar - a salute to India Gate - as it was the venue of the utsav. This composition is an appropriate tribute to the martyrs. The sounds too are reminiscent of war - marching of soldiers and war cries. Niladri's composition Flight of Freedom based on raga Puriya Dhanashree is a beautiful classical piece with Taufiq's dialogue after the alaap reaching mesmerising heights. Beyond the seven seas - a composition in seven beats, is a good effort from the ensemble.
The main highlight of the album is the Perc jam (the title of the album too) - a percussion piece by the percussionists where all the three are at their jamming best. The final piece is a medley - Madhuli which `blends' a Pancham Da melody, a Bengali folk tune and Gandhiji's favourite Vaishnava janato and a jhala.
This is a fitting finale (particularly Narsinh Mehta's bhajan rendered poignantly) to a percussion-packed recital. This album can be heard for its `refreshing' sounds and `unique' effort.
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