Sunday, 29 October 2023

Amol Nisal (Vocal)

Attended an Indian classical music concert by Shri. Amol Nisal (Amol Gandharva). He was accompanied by Bhushan Rao on Tabla and Amit Oak on Harmonium. This private concert was organized by ADICM in Abu Dhabi on 29th Oct 2023. I attended with Nandu.


Concert started with Bada khyal. Chosen raag was Raag Lalit (ललित). Lalit is a 4th prahar (3am to 6am) raag from Poorvi thaat. He presented Bandish  ‘Ka se kahun’ in vilambit Ektaal.

Then he presented another Bandish of Pt. Rajan Mishra, “Jane na doongi Kanha” in Madhyalay Ektaal. Bandishes are known more for Gayaki than the lyrics. However, this one has beautiful lyrics and the singing made it even better.

He then presented a special bandish “Sadarang” in Teen taal written by Shankar Abhyankar. The speciality of this bandish is that it’s a tribute to all the famous bandish writers of past.

Chota khyal presented by Amol ji was Raag Shuddha Sarang. Shuddha Sarang is a 2nd prahar (9am to 12 noon) raag from Kalyan thaat. He presented a Bandish of Bade Gulam Ali Khan ‘Beg daraswa dewo saja wa ’ in Teen taal.

On the farmaish of the audience he then presented Raag Jaunpuri. Jaunpuri is a 2nd prahar (9am to 12 noon) raag from Asawari thaat. He presented bandish “Prabhu mohe bharosa” in Teen taal followed by “Payal bajan lagi re” of Bade Gulam Ali Khan. Amol ji honestly informed that this was the first time he was singing Raag Jaunpuri in a mahfil.

Next presentation was a Kabir Bhajan of his Guru Anoop Jalota “Zini re zini”. In this Bhajan he sung one line in various raags. It was a medley of Raag.  Audience loved it. It was a fantastic idea of introducing raags and showing their differences to the audience. Predictably and aptly, medley ended with Bhairavi.

He then presented a Marathi Gazal written by Vaibhav Joshi “Sukhat ahes aikato”. A slow, delicate one.

Concert ended with famous Bhajan sung by Pt. Bhimsen Joshi and Lata Mangeshkar, composed by Srinivas Khale “Baje muraliyan baje”.

Singer was quick to establish rapport with the musicians. As a result their confluence became enjoyable. Amol ji even appreciated the accompanists who form a base for his musical sorties.

Amol ji has a mellifluous voice that has the smell of earth. He covers the entire range effortlessly and sings boldly.

Bhushan on Tabla and Amit on Harmonium complemented the singer very well. They are well known in Abu Dhabi musical circle.

It was a small but knowledgeable audience who applauded the performers at all the right places. Such audience gives real pleasure to the performer.

As confirmed by the organizers, concert started on time. Credit to the organizers and audience considering it was a Sunday morning.

All in all, a satisfactory experience.


Tuesday, 9 May 2023

Swaralaya: Symphony on strings by Rahul Sharma

Attended a Indian classical music concert titled “Swaralaya: Symphony on strings” by Rahul Sharma (Santoor). He was accompanied by Mukundraj Deo on Tabla, Avinash Chandrachud on Keyboard, Barkha Sharma on Tanpura. This concert was organized at Emirates International School auditorium, Dubai, on 7th May 2023. I attended with Jayant.


This concert was a tribute to the great Late Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Guru and father of Rahul Sharma.

Concert started with Aalap, Jod, Jhala in Raag Rageshwari. This set the tone of the concert. It was followed by two compositions. First in Rupak taal and then a fast one. The section ended with Chakradhar. This section only had Tabla and Tanpura for accompaniment. 

For the second section Avinash joined on Keyboard. Rahul presented Pahadi dhun in light classical. This dhun reminded audience of natural beauty back home and freshened up the mood. He played first in madhya lay and then in drut lay. Avinash mainly played chords. Then Rahul played second dhun. It’s the one on which film song Dholna is based. 

Third section of the concert was Jazz. This was my first time to enjoy Santoor jazz live. The absence of drummer was compensated by Tabla and Keyboard compensated for saxophone. Avinash did very well in this section. I liked this section very much and so did the audience. It was a novelty. Would like to listen to more of it. 

Concert concluded with tribute to Shiv ji with famous Shiv-Hari song ‘Ye kahan aa gaye hum (ये कहॅां आ गए हम)’ from movie Silsila.

It was neatly organized concert with classical, light classical, jazz and film music. There was variety. Technically they played very well. No complaints. But somehow I felt that the soul was missing from the concert. Was it so or it was only I who thought so?

Rahul is a very good Santoor player. He is carrying forward the legacy of his father ably. He doesn’t hesitate to experiment with Santoor. Mukund Raj Deo hails from Banaras and Ajrada gharana and is a well known name in Indian classical music. Avinash Chandrachud has composed background score and music for several films with Vishwajit Joshi. They have also composed the wedding song for latest Hollywood movie Murder Mystery 2. Barkha is Rahul’s wife. She’s a fashion designer, author and classical dancer in addition to being a Tanpura player. 

Since this concert was a tribute to Shiv ji, I was expecting that Rahul will share some anecdotes and memories of his father. That was not to be. His tribute to his father was purely musical. It would have been appreciated either way. 

It is a good auditorium with good acoustics. Concert started half an hour late. 


Saturday, 11 March 2023

“Surtaal 3” by Kaushiki Chakraborty, Bickram Ghosh and Rajesh Vaidya

Attended a Indian classical fusion concert titled “Surtaal 3” by Kaushiki Chakraborty (Vocal), Bickram Ghosh (Tabla) and Rajesh Vaidya (Veena). They were supported by Anay Gadgil on keyboard, Arunkumar on drums, Debopriya Chatterjee on flute. This concert was organized at Emirates International School auditorium, Dubai, on 4th March 2023. I attended with Aditi, Sucheeta and Jayant.

Concert started with Saraswati Vandana ‘Aao sajao mandir aaj (आओ सजाओ मंदिर आज)’, a Bandish in Rag Bageshree in Teen taal composed by her father, Pt. Ajay Chakraborty. Everyone excelled. Audience applauded multiple times to the sawal-jawab of all six artists. This start raised the bar for what was to come. While this was going on the curtain started to close. An apparent malfunction! It was a hilarious moment. But rather than getting annoyed Kaushiki and Bickram took it gamely and cracked a couple of jokes about it. A sign of great artists!

Next piece was led by Rajesh. It was a composition of Bickram Ghosh from album Rhythm Scapes. This rhythm riot transposed into ‘Baat chalat nayi chunari rang dari (बात चलत नई चुनरी रंग डारी)’ in my favorite Raag Bhairavi from 1957 movie Rani Roopmati.

Kaushiki (and all others) then presented two compositions. First was ‘Sajanwa kab aaoge (सजनवा कब आओगे)’ in Raag Mishra Pahadi. It’s a slow delicate composition of Kaushiki’s father. She then changed the mood with ‘Rangi Saree Gulabi chunariya re’ (रंगी सारी गुलाबी चुनरिया रे), a Dadra Originally sung by Shubha Gurtu.

That was interval. 

Second half started with ‘Little Krishna’, a composition from Bickram’s album Rhythm Scapes, loosely set on Raag Kalawati. This was a Tabla and Drums jugalabandi. Arun matched Bickram stroke-by-stroke, beat-by-beat. It was a rhythm riot. This was Arun’s show! No wonder Bickram rates him as India’s best drummer. Bickram played some innovative rhythm using his chest and face in sawal-jawab with drums. As if this was not enough, so they got down to sawal-jawab of bol. Sawal-jawab with audience clapping. Completely crazy!

Although it was not rehearsed, Kaushiki honored Farmaish from organizers by singing ‘Salonasa sanjan hai aur main hun’ (सलोनासा सजन है और मैं हूं). Originally sung by Asha Bhosle. 

Then they played a piece called ‘Gokul’ (गोकुल) from new, yet-to-release, album of Bickram and Rajesh. Everyone, except Kaushiki, contributed. Anay excelled with keyboard and drew applause. He is a talented artist. 

Upon audience’s insistent Farmaish Kaushiki sung ‘Yaad piya ki aye (याद पिया की आए)’, a Thumri of Bade Gulam Ali Khan, founder of her Patiala gharana. Her variations of ‘kuuk’ were awesome!

And then the concert ended. I was expecting a predetermined composition to end the concert but they ended it with a farmaish. It appeared like an abrupt end. 

Kaushiki is confluence of the beauty, the music and the beauty of music. Today she was wearing a Sharara and not a Saree. Bickram Ghosh, who recently received Sangeet Natak Acadami award, is a famous percussionist and is known for his innovative ideas and energy. Rajesh is a very well known name in Carnatic music. His Veena is a joy to watch and listen. Although they have performed with each other, this was the first concert of three together. 

Bickram held the concert together and controlled the pace, accelerating and decelerating as per the intended mood. Kaushiki was the soul of the concert. She has an impressive stage presence. Rajesh’s Veena brought an exotic touch to the fusion, giving that something extra, every time. Debopriya, Anay and Arun had a Herculean task of standing up these three stalwarts and complimenting them. They did admirably well. 

It was a rare occasion where Tabla was at the center and vocalist on the left. Bickram was sitting between Rajesh and Kaushiki. He was blocking line of sight (an essential element) between Rajesh and Kaushiki. He should have been little behind forming an arc rather than line. 

The graphics and focus lights behind the artists gave a mystic touch to the atmosphere but at the same time robbed the audience of clear photo opportunities.

All in all, it was an enjoyable concert.