The second night of ‘The Hindu November Fest’, saw two fusion bands take centre stage and mesmerise the audience with their musical prowess. Creating a subliminal blend using traditional Indian ragas and kritis and pairing them with contemporary instruments and sounds, the young bands managed to impress both connoisseurs of Carnatic music as well as youngsters who like music with a faster tempo and pace.
The Chennai-based fusion band Staccato, who performed at the London Olympics were the first to take the stage and didn’t disappoint, belting out fusion numbers, experimental songs and popular movie numbers, in quick succession ensuring that the audiences reacted instinctively to their music. The band started off on a high note with an instrumental version of Ilayaraja’s Aakasham Enatido from the movie Nireekshana . Next up was Tyagaraja kirtana, Odanu jaripe and the band ensured that the essence of the music remained the same which it drew new listeners into its fold thanks to the youthful rendition.
Telugu film melodies
Vocalists Gowtham Bharadwaj and Niranjana Ramanan then treated the crowd to a medley of Telugu hits. Prior to their performance in the city, the band asked their fans through their Instagram page about the numbers they would like to hear and chose from the suggestions which poured in. With soulful Telugu film melodies like Om Namaha , Keeravani and Jili bili palukula , they ensured that those present couldn’t but join in, either by tapping their feet or singing along, which resulted in a lively give and take between the musicians and the audience.
Another medley followed, this time with old Bollywood songs ( Ajeeb Daastan hain yeh, Aaj Kal tere mere charche and Accha ji main haari chalo maan jaon naa ) which was a treat to listen. Aside from the crowd pleasers, Staccato, performed some of their original numbers like Saavan (which with its great rhythm struck a chord) and Kurise Vaana (about the lifecycle of a crop) ensured that a healthy mix of music was generated.
While the vocalists held their own, hitting the notes in a pitch perfect manner, Sandip Ramanan on drums and Saurabh Joshi on percussion deserve a special mention for their efforts. The band ensured that it remained an interactive session by providing a medley of interesting and engaging music.
Next up was Indosoul, another Chennai based band which tries to break the strict confines of traditional music by presenting them in different genres. The band performed numbers from their albums - Looking within to look beyond and Two sides of Karma . Starting with the energetic number Boundless which hooked the listeners, they moved on to Tyagaraja kritis Manavyalakim and Vidaja presented in the band’s unique format.
The band blends Indian classical ragas with the western genres like rock and jazz thus creating a confluence between two diverse genres of music. The lead vocalist Karthick Iyer traversed vocals and violin with ease while Sumesh Narayan on the percussion and mridangam kept up the even flow with an excellent gusto.
With members of both the bands having a thorough grounding in Carnatic music, their control over the medium never wavered, even when they were blending it with diverse forms. With their youthful energy and unique sounds, they ensured that it was a memorable musical evening.
