Nov 24, 2010 - Osibisa: The sunshine way (Afro-Rock)
Graham Colin D - Trumpet
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Asafo-Agyei Herman - Lead
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Tagoe Emmanuel Nii Okine - Bass
Osei Francis Teddy - Percussion
Richardson Wendell Lynhurst - Drum
The Ghanaian word Osibisa means “criss-cross rhythms that explode with happiness”. And, about the band with this striking name people often say: “Osibisa bring their own sunshine which explodes with happiness”.
Hugely popular with the student community all over India in the late 1960s and 1970s, the pulsating poly-rhythms of this world-acclaimed British Afro-rock band have never stopped making audiences across the world go wild with joy. Founded by composer, songwriter / musician Teddy Osei, Osibisa innovated a sensational blend all its own at a time when Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin ruled the charts.
Celebrating its 41st anniversary this year, Osibisa continues to enthrall us with its sizzling criss-cross of jazz, rock, soul, Latin, African and Caribbean rhythms, as it did when the band shot to fame in the 1970s as pioneers of world music.
Most widely anthologised, imitated and adapted, Osibisa remain an interactive, infectious, danceable international act.
Their albums continue to make waves, their tireless tours continue, at times, sharing the stage with other jazz stars, in packed halls and stadia. The band’s show at the November Fest features old favourites from albums “Osibisa” and “Woyaya”, as well as new classics such as “Monsore”.
Nov 25, 2010 - Sudha Ragunathan & Amit Heri: Tradition with a twist (Contemporary Fusion)
Sudha Ragunathan - Vocal
Amit Heri - Guitar
Karl Peters - Bass
Jeoraj George - Drums
Embar Kannan - Violin
Thiruvarur Vaidyanathan - Mridangam
Giridhar Udupa - Second Percussion
Put together one of the finest Carnatic singers and a jazz musician known for his penchant for new sounds, and what you have is a concert unlike no other. Sudha Raghunathan and Amit Heri were part of the musical dialogue of the Mahesh Dattani movie Morning Raga that gave a new twist to Carnatic music. They decided to take that dialogue further.
Says Sudha: “During our joint concerts, it seemed people liked the new sounds that retained their traditional base. Most importantly, it appealed to non-Carnatic listeners too.”
What the duo will present at the festival will be their individual specialties, some traditional numbers that have been adapted to a fusion setting, with infusions of jazz and funk, and a jugalbandi of sorts.
Amit, for his part, is looking forward to the concert, because playing with Sudha, he says, is an interesting challenge.
Nov 26, 2010 - M. Venkatesh Kumar: Prayer and passion - Hindustani Vocal
Ravindra Yavagal - Tabla
Vyasamurthy Katti - Harmonium
Farooq Lateef - Sarangi
M . Venkatesh Kumar could have ended up as a farmer in dry North Karnataka, constantly seeking the benevolence of the rain gods. His father, a leather puppeteer, had passed on his love for music to his little son, but their biting poverty didn’t allow him to do more. The grace of Pandit Puttaraja Gavai, the blind visionary in Gadag who trained thousands of the disabled and the destitute, steered the course of Venkatesh Kumar’s life in a different direction. He took the talented Venkatesh Kumar into the fold of the ashram, and trained him in music for 12 long years. The life and music of this extraordinary musician is a tribute to Pandit Puttaraja Gavai.
Tutored in the Gurukula system, Venkatesh Kumar is one of the leading proponents of the Gwalior gharana.
A recipient of the Karnataka State Rajyothsava Award, Venkatesh Kumar is a faculty member at the Music College, Dharwad University. He has several audio releases to his credit, and is a widely sought-after artiste for his rare blend of intellect and emotion.
Nov 27, 2010 - Hindi Retro
Srinivas
Mahalakshmi Iyer
Chinmayi
Haricharan
Travel back in time to an era when melody ruled in Hindi cinema. Srinivas, Mahalakshmi Iyer, Chinmayi and Haricharan come together for some retro magic in this show, featuring hits down the ages till the 1980s. The show will start off with Srinivas’ favourite K.L. Saigal, before moving on to ditties from the 1950s and 1960s. What will dominate will be the energy and vivacity of the swinging Seventies, featuring songs by Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Kishore Kumar and Mohammad Rafi. And, of course, hits from the Kishore Kumar-RD Burman combination. Get prepared to immerse yourself in the compositions of R.D. Burman, S.D. Burman, Madan Mohan, Naushad and Salil Chowdury. A 15-member orchestra hand-picked from Chennai and Kerala, will accompany the singers.
Among the retro gems, which will include a lot of duets, you’ll get to listen to ‘Main Kya Jaanoon’, ‘Tere Mere Sapne’, ‘Oh Sajna’, ‘Madhuban Mein Radhika’, ‘Yeh Kya Hua’, ‘Musafir Hoon Yaaron’, ‘Hawa Ke Saath Saath’, ‘Deewana Tha Badal’ and ‘Tere Mere Milan’.
Nov 28, 2010 - Aruna Sairam - In praise of Vitthala (Abhangs)
Raghavendra Rao - Violin
J. Vaidyanathan - Mridangam
S. Karthick - Ghatam
Niranjan Lele - Harmonium
Sai Bankar - Tabla
Prakash Shejwal - Pakhavaj
Pratap Rath - Additional Percussion
When Aruna Sairam sings, myriad emotions reverberate through the concert hall. There’s bhakti, there’s gyaana, and, most of all, an exuberance and abandon that strikes a chord with every listener.
The singer, known for her rich, deep timbre, makes it a point to sing an abhang or two at every concert. The fondness for this form of devotional poetry, sung in praise of Vitthala, has roots in her growing-up years in Bombay. At the Friday Review November Fest in 2006, she came up with a theme concert woven entirely around abhangs. She delves deep into that genre yet again, to come up with creations that promise to lift the soul.
Aruna has collaborated with acclaimed international artistes such as Dominique Vellard, the French master of Gregorian chant, and Christian Bollmann of Germany. In India, she has collaborated with Shankar Mahadevan, U Shrinivas and several North Indian musicians, among others.
She has performed throughout the world, including at Carnegie Hall in New York, Le Theatre de la Ville in Paris, and the Festival of World Sacred Music in Morocco.
Among the many national and international honours that have come her way are the Padma Shri, the Kalaimamani and the prestigious U.S. Congress Proclamation of Excellence.