if you like Simon n’ Garfunkel and enjoy Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, then this retro concert is right up your lane. The Madras Musical Association presents the MMA Choir in ‘Musical Montage – Sounds of the 60s and 70s’ featuring Kash, Murali, Allen and Vaidhy (IIT-Madras Reunion Band) with Blue Note.
The proceeds of the show will go to the Satkaarya Trust, a home for destitute girls in Shenoy Nagar.
In the 1960s, at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, two freshmen Allen Sathyadev and Kasturirangan (Kash) and Kash’s brother Murali put their voices together to emulate the sounds of Peter, Paul and Mary as part of a competition between college hostels.
They won first place and began singing hits by Simon and Garfunkel, with Kash and Allan playing acoustic guitar and Murali chipping in with his “Garfunkel” voice. After several performances, the trio was invited to perform for the Music Series of Max Mueller Bhavan. A versatile bass guitarist Vaidhilingam joined them and their repertoire now included songs by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
Although their exposure in Madras was limited, Kash, Murali, Allan and Vaidhy made a tremendous mark in the music scene with groups such as the GATT Quintet using modified versions of several of their settings.
The four singers, two of them live in the U.S. and two in Mumbai, are getting together again to entertain Chennai and bring back memories and songs of an era long gone.
MMA’s repertoire will include favourites such as ‘Danny Boy’, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, medleys from ABBA and The Beatles.
Blue Note comprising Shyam Benjamin on the keyboards, Geo George on the drums, Navin Kumar on bass and Donan Murray on the lead guitar will be the accompanists. Edwin Roy will accompany the MMA on the piano. The programme has been compiled by Augustine Paul, the MMA’s choral director.
Donor passes of Rs. 1000, Rs. 500 and Rs. 300 are available at Musee Musicals, Anna Salai (2852 2780/ 2851 6474) and Pro Musicals, Egmore (2819 3607/98843 04428). For details, call 98400 85531, 98412 24542 or 98844 99456.
