Sapan Anjaria (Tabla)

Attended a concert of Sapan Anjaria (Tabla) accompanied by Siddhesh Bicholkar (Lehra-Harmonium, disciple of Pt. Tulsidas Borkar) at 39th Sangeet Samrat Alladiyakhan music festival on 9th April 2016 with Ravi.

Sapan Anjaria (Benaras Gharana) hails from Ahmadabad and is disciple of Pt. Nandan Mehta, Pt. Puran Maharaj, Rajal Shah & Hetal Mehta Joshi.

Chosen Taal of the concert was Teen taal (तीन ताल). Concert started with a beautiful piece of harmonium by Siddhesh.

Sapan presented tihai's (तिहाई), Anaghat (अनाघात) and Atit (अतित). Next was a peshkar (पेशकार) starting from a different bol on Tabla (तबला / दायाँं) while keeping same weight (वजन) of dagga (डग्गा / बायाँं). It sounded good.

He then presented an interesting Gat (गत) and followed it up with a Farmaishi Chakradhar (फर्माईशी चक्रधर) where same gat was converted into Farmaishi Chakradhar by his Guru Pt. Nandan Mehta.

Then he presented a Tipalli (तिपल्ली) followed by a Tukda (तुकडा). It was followed by rachana of Pt. Kishan Maharaj, a Farmaishi Chakradhar Tukda (फर्माईशी चक्रधर तुकडा).

Concert ended with two more Rachana one of which was Chakradhar (चक्रधर).

Sapan has a forceful Tabla playing style. He is confident and knows what he is going to play and achieve. His presentation of Kayda (कायदा), tukda (तुकडा) and rela (रेला) was good. He is young (may be in his mid twenties) and promising.

Siddhesh is master of harmonium. His lehra was impeccable. I think he played lehra in Raag Todi.

Attendance was @ 70 and concert lasted for little less than one hour.

Trivia: Banaras Gharana Tablaji's play Tabla in Veerasan (वीरासन) and so did Sapan, who is a mechanical engineer.

Entertainment rating 8.25/10.

Ojas Adhiya (Tabla)

Attended a concert of Ojas Adhiya (Tabla) accompanied by Siddhesh Bicholkar (Harmonium) at NCPA, Mumbai as part of "Saz-e-Bahar" festival on 2nd April 2016 with Ravi, Alhad Kaka & Rekha Kaku.

Ojas Adhiya (Ajrada Gharana) hails from Mumbai. He holds Limca Book record of being the youngest Tabla player. He is disciple of Mridangraj ji.

Concert started with Teen taal (तीन ताल). Siddhesh started with a beautiful piece and was instantly appreciated by audience as well as Ojas. First Ojas played vilambit (विलंबित) demonstrating controlled Tabla. Then he shifted to madhyalay (मध्यलय). Ojas presented Kayda from Delhi Gharana. Finally he changed gear to drut (16X). He also displayed excellent dagga play.

He then presented Ajrada Gharana Kayda. Ojas showed his skill with lightning fast fingers. At times it was difficult to see fingers in the blur of motion. Audience was mesmerized with his Tabla and applauded the artist multiple times. His ghi-da-na-ga (घि ड न ग) was too good. He presented a beautiful Tripalli Gat(त्रिपल्ली गत) followed by Chakradhar (चक्रधर).

Concert concluded with 'nau dha ki gat (नौ धा की गत)', a Gat with 9 dha (धा) that resembles bells in a mandir (मंदिर) during Arati (आरती).

His kayda's (कायदा), tukda's (तुकडा), rela's(रेला), palta's (पलटा), tihai's (तिहाई) and chakradar's (चक्रधर) were awesome. He played pure Tabla without resorting to modern gimmicks most of the time.

Ojas is a fantastic artist. He is already rated amongst top Tabla players in India. More accolades are to follow.

Siddhesh played a very sweet sounding lehra. He knew exactly when to increase and decrease the volume of harmonium. He played his lehra in Raag Maduwanti (मधुवंती).

When I had met Ojas more than a year ago in Abu Dhabi and asked him what is the correct duration for a solo Tabla concert, he had replied that it should not be more than 1 hr to 1 hr 15 min. He walked the talk today. The duration of concert was 50 min.

Can't post any photograph of concerts as organizers did not allow photography. Just photo with the artist.

Wow, what a concert!

Entertainment rating 9.5/10.

Zakir Hussain (Tabla) and Niladri Kumar (Sitar)

Attended a concert titled 'Upaj (उपज)' of Ustaad Zakir Hussain (Tabla) and Niladri Kumar (Sitar) on 10th Dec 2015 at Shanmukhananda Auditorium, Sion, Mumbai; with Ravikiran.

Concert started with Raag Shuddha Kalyan (शुद्ध कल्याण). Niladri played amazing Sitar especially in Aalap. He played the raag for one hour. Even Zakirji clapped at the end of this raag.

Artists indicated interval, but audience urged them not to take one. So the concert continued, though some of the audience decided to take their own interval.

After this pseudo interval Niladri played a beautiful raag. He did not tell the name and I could not recognize it. But it was very sweet nevertheless. He played for about half an hour. They played amazing jugalbandi and followed it up with Sawal Jawab and ended with a crescendo with thunderous applause.

Third composition was also a very good composition. Again he did not tell the name of raag and I could not recognize it. However we enjoyed it very much.

Concert ended with a Dhun (धुन) in Bhairavi (भैरवी). Audience enjoyed it as it was a known tune. During this Zakirji drummed directly on the mic to create rhythm. He also played bedam Chakradhar on Tabla. Dhun and concert ended with a long applause and standing ovation.

Niladri extracted and extruded notes from Sitar with minuscule movement of fingers. Some were so deep and in lower octave that I did not know they existed. Sometimes audience started to clap even before Niladri finished his minute variations and he had to tell them to wait till he had finished.

Zakirji, being the living legend he is, played a conventional accompanist. He stole his moments of glory but did not try to overshadow Niladri. A commendable restraint. His Tabla playing is legendary. Each bol was crystal clear, whatever the playing speed. He breaths rhythm.

Both artists had a very good understanding and enjoyed playing together. When artists enjoy, so does the audience. Both of them have lighting fast fingers.

Organizers had discouraged audience from using camera but the official cameraman was snapping photos merrily with flash disturbing the artists.

Concert started half an hour late but audience was still pouring in after that. Most of the audience was not dardi (दर्दी). Some times they disturbed performers by moving around and sometimes clapping to early.

It was a fantabulous concert and pure bliss. Niladri has a great future. Zakirji is Zakirji.

Entertainment rating 9.75/10.

Musical trilogy - Girish Pande (Vocal), Parag Dhadphale (Tabla) & Dharitree Joshi (Vocal)

Attended a concert of Girish Pande (Vocal), Parag Dhadphale (Tabla) & Dharitree Joshi (Vocal) titled 'Musical trilogy'; accompanied by Meghan Shrikhande (Harmonium) & Somdatta Basu (Harmonium) on 6th Nov 2015 at Nando's restaurant hall, Dubai with Nandu, Jayant, Vivek and Satya. The concert was organized by Sur Hindol.

Concert started with Girish Pande's vocal accompanied by Parag Dhadphale and Meghan Shrikhande. He presented 'Akhiyan taras rahi' in Raag Maru Bihag (मारू बिहाग). During Aalap, the instrument volume was masking the vocal. Then he presented bada khyal 'Mora man mane na'. He concluded his section with 'Re balamwa mora' in Raag Kalawati (कलावती) followed by Marathi song 'Pratham tuj pahata'. Public demanded another song and he complied by presenting bhajan 'Ram ka gungan kariye'.

Girish sung technically correct. His Aalaps were especially good. However to me he appeared a little bit subdued. Was it because he was extra cautious or was it because of performance jitters? He appeared more at home in last two compositions. I know that he can sing even better.

Parag Dhadphale presented solo Tabla in second section. Somdatta Basu was on harmonium. He displayed humility by attributing all that would be good to his Guru and all that would be wrong to himself. His first presentation was 'Teen taal (तीन ताल)'. While audience anticipated every time, he took his own sweet time to come on sum (सम) initially. Then he played a traditional Kayda (कायदा) of Delhi gharana (दिल्ली घराना) bestowed by his Guru Pt Suresh Samant and another Kayda of Delhi guarana composed by his Guru Sudheer Mainkar. Then he presented a very old, sweet and complicated Kayda, a Rachana of Panditji followed by three compositions non stop and mesmerized the audience. Then he presented a composition that could be a fight between school kids followed by a composition of Samta Prasadji. Next he presented a Rachana (रचना) from Punjab, a few tukdas and farmaish chakradar, a novelty. He concluded with a seven matra composition from Banaras.

Parag is a well known name in Dubai and he played to his reputation of being one of the best Tabalji in Dubai. He played excellent tabla and was applauded many times. It was a joy.

Dharitree Joshi-Bapat was the performer of final session. She started the concert, expressing her respect to Guru, with Raag Bageshree (बागेश्री) in Jhumra taal. She presented Khyal (ख्याल) 'Dhoondh rahe naina' followed by drut 'Sumaran karat rahat nisadin' and tarana. Then she presented 'Kaise kaise bolat' in Raag Nat Bihag (नट बिहाग), a speciality of Agra gharana, followed by 'Jhanjhan jhanjhan payal baje'. Her next item was 'Hori hori hori khelat Nandlal', a Chatrang (चतरंग) in Adana.

Due to public demand program concluded with a natyageet 'Guntata hriday he' by Meghan Shrikhande. Although he sung well, it was out of sync with the theme of the concert. He was reluctant for this very reason but eventually complied.

Parag, Somdatta and Meghan were very good as accompanists. They did not try to outdo the main artists but demonstrated their skills and were appreciated by the singers and audience.

It was a small audience, sound system behaved, temperature was a bit high. With three performers, it was essential to have proper time management. This was not controlled and the concert became too long. Spectators started to leave in the third session. I too had to leave before formal closure.

Entertainment rating 6.5/10 but considering that the artists were local it should be upgraded to 7.5/10.

Ravindra Chary (Sitar)

Attended concert of Ravindra Chary (Sitar) accompanied by Satyajit Talwalkar (Tabla) organized by Anubhooti at India Social and Cultural center, Abu Dhabi, on 30th May 2014.

Raag of the concert was Raag Yaman.

First Raviji presented Aalap, Jod, Chanda and Jhala. Followed by Gat composed by Ustad Shahid Paevez in Rupak taal.

He then presented a very old Bandish from Kirana gharana in Teen taal.

Composition of Ustad Wahid Khan (grandfather of Ustad Shahid Parvez) was next presentation.

From there they entered seamlessly into Sawal-Jawab (सवाल-जवाब). The artists got a standing ovation for it.

Finally he switched to light music and played dhun (धुन). It was a medley of Assamese, Rajastani, Afghani dhuns.

Raviji is an excellent Sitar player and he demonstrated his finess and command. I came to know that he is an equally good harmonium player. His humility was evident when he expressed gratitude that a top artist like Satyajit is accompanying him and appreciated the hospitality of Anubhooti.

Raviji drew first applause within a minute of starting the concert. And the applauses continued till the end. He has composed a special Bandish on the day of concert in Raag Yaman and titled it 'Anubhooti' in honor of the organizers. It was a privilege, however he forgot to play it. Audience was disappointed.

Satyajitji demonstrated why he is considered one of the foremost tabla exponents today. His economy of movement fascinated me. He played a bouquet of variations with bal (बल) on different bol (बोल). This was a learning experience for students of Tabla. He also drew repeated applauses.

Both artists were visibly enjoying playing with each other and that doubled the joy of audience. People congratulated the artists and organizers. Audience was not ready to come out of the mood for a long time.

Sounds system was optimum. With four programs going on at the same time sound engineer was stretched.

A magical concert. It was an Anubhooti (अनुभूती).

Entertainment rating 9.75/10.

Disclaimer: I am a founder member of Anubhooti.

Pt. Shubhendra Rao (Sitar)

Attended concert of Pt. Shubhendra Rao (Sitar), a disciple of Pt. Ravishankar accompanied by Pandita Anuradha Pal (Tabla) on 2nd April 2015 in Chembur, Mumbai. I attended with Madhav & Ravi. This concert was part of 'Sangeet Samrat Alladiya Khan music festival 2015'.

Concert started with Raag Maru Bihag (मरू बिहाग). Shubhendraji played solo Aalap-Jod-Jhala as per the tradition of 'Maihar gharana'. He played extremely well. Audience was spell bound, especially in Jhala. Even Anuradhaji could not help applauding.

Then he played Raag Mishra Khamaj (मिश्र खमाज), with Anuradhaji, first in Vilambit Teen taal and then in Drut Teen taal. Wow!

The concert lasted one hour and ten minutes. It was not a Sitar concert accompanied by Tabla but a Sitar-Tabla jugalbandi. Audience and organizers did not want the concert to end so soon, so the artists were urged to play more. They played Dhun (धुन) influenced by Bhatiyali dhun for another 8 minutes.

Shubhendraji is a perfectionist, he fussed over the microphone until he was satisfied. He played with complete concentration and was unaware of his surroundings. Anuradhaji demonstrated why she is called 'Lady Zakir'. She played competitive Tabla in her 45 minutes. The section she played only with dagga (डग्गा) was simply amazing. I had the best seat in the auditorium, only 10ft from the artists.

It was a knowledgeable and appreciative (दर्दी) audience. They did not miss any deserving opportunity to applaud.

It was a functional auditorium with bare minimum facilities. The auditorium had fans but despite the charged music it was not hot. Sound system needs improvement. Program started half an hour late. Organizers kept giving glasses of water to Anuradhaji and she was visibly perplexed because she never asked for them.

We left the auditorium with a feeling of 'Ye  dil mange more (ये दिल माँगे मोर).

A very good evening. Entertainment rating 9/10.

Pt. Kushal Das (Sitar) & Shashank Subramnyan (Flute)

Attended concert titled "Unision of strings and winds". This was the concert of Pt. Kushal Das (Sitar) & Shashank Subramnyan (Flute) accompanied by Parimal Chakrabarty (Tabla) and Sai Giridhar (Mridangam). The concert was organized by Manirang, ISC & Embassy of India at ISC, Any Dhabi on 19th Mar 2015. I attended with Aditi, Sucheeta and Jayant.

Concert started with famous Raag Hamsadhwani. This raag is one of the common raag in Hindustani and Carnatic music. Shashank played one piece in aalap very well.

Then they presented Ragam Panthuvarali or Raag Puriya Dhanashree, the main presentation of the concert. This section was a classical Ragam - Thanam - Pallavi or Aalap - Jod - Jhala. Alapana was followed by composition and improvization.

Unfortunately, I had to leave early and could not wait till the end. But rather than brooding over what I missed, I was happy with what I got.

It was a Strings-Winds jugalbandi, Sitar-Flute jugalbandi, Tabla-Mridangam jugalbandi and Hindustani-Carnatic jugalbandi.

Needless to say Pt. Das enthralled the audience by his fine Sitar playing. It was the first time I watched Carnatic Flute live. Previously I had only listened recorded albums. Shashank was advertised as Prodigy, and that he was. His air intake, though, were frequently audible. He displayed some super fast flute playing.

Sitar, Flute, Tabla and Mridangam was an unusual and innovative combination. Although there were four instruments, Tabla mostly played Hindustani music with Sitar and Mridangam played Carnatic music with Flute. The combination sounded very nice and pleasing.

It was a knowledgeable audience and both artists were applauded multiple times. It appeared that the Carnatic audience was in majority. Temperature in the auditorium was cold and some of the audience had to take comfort break.

Entertainment rating - not allotted.

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Pandit Satish Vyas (Santoor)

Attended concert of Pandit Satish Vyas (Santoor) accompanied by Ojas Adhiya  (Tabla) organized by Anubhooti at Embassy of India auditorium, Abu Dhabi, on 19th Dec 2014. Occasion of this concert was first anniversary of Anubhooti.

Concert started with raag Jhinjhoti. Panditji started with aalap. The minute, detailed and delicate pieces he played in aalap generated instant wah wah (Verbal applause). Then he played two compositions. First was in Jhaptal. Satishji and Ojas got multiple applauses for their soft as well as forte playing. Second was in drut Ektal. This too was applauded by audience. He played for one hour and ten minutes.

Then he presented Raag Chsrukeshi that was adopted by Hindustani music from Carnatic music. No need to mention that it was too good. This section also consisted of Sawal-Jawab. Audience applause had become a common feature by this time. He played for about fifty minutes.

Needless to say Satishji played excellently. He was in a sublime mood today. SBI Dhabi audience came to know why he is considered best Santoor player next only to Pt. Shivkumar Sharma.

Ojas played excellent tabla. Audience liked him very much. He has potential to become one of the greatest tabla player. I wish he does.

It was a full house. For the first time a number of people had come from Dubai for this concert. Sound system, though, was not on its best behavior.

Special mention should go to the audience. It was a knowledgeable and rasik audience who applauded in all the right places. In informal discussion post concert, Ojasji also appreciated the audience and the auditorium.

A wonderful experience. Entertainment rating 9.5/10.

Disclaimer: I am a founder member of Anubhooti.

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasiya (Bansuri)

Mandar's concert report

Attended concert of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasiya (Bansuri) titled "Elements - Vāyu", accompanied by Pt. Shubhankar Banerjee (Tabla), Pt. Bhavani Shankar (Pakhawaj) and Vivek Sonar (Flute accompaniment). The concert was organized by Tamburine Live at Madinat theater, Dubai on 26th Sep 2014. I attended the convert with Jayant, Sucheeta, Nandu, Deepa and Raju.

The concert started with Evening Raga Madhuvanti (मधुवंती). He started aalap solo and was later joined by Pakhawaj. Bhavani Shankar played very well and drew applause from audience. Then Panditji played a composition in same Raga, in Rupak (रूपक) taal. Tabla accompanied him for this. Shubhankar played very well and drew spontaneous applause. He gave an excellent demonstration of constrained and controlled tabla playing.

Then Panditji announced that he will play one of his favorite Raga, but he will not tell the name. The rendition of Raga  was too good and audience was swayed mesmerized. His jugalbandi with tabalji was excellent. At the end of this Raga, Panditji asked the audience if they have recognized the Raga. Many from the audience recognized it as Hansadhwani (हंसध्वनी). Let me confess that I did not recognize it from Sur, but could recognize since I have heard Panditji's audio track of this Raga numerous times. Panditji was very happy that so many of the audience recognized it.

Then he asked what should he play in remaining 7 minutes. Suggestions ranged from Maand, Yaman, Bhairavi etc. But the suggestion he liked most was 'whichever you like (जो आप चाहो)' and played Pahadi (पहाडी). Audience liked the light music as digestive.

Panditji sat on a chair instead of traditional cross legged position. His hands had a distinct tremor, though it was less than last time I attended his concert in May 2013. The age has caught up.

The theater was very good. Sloping arrangement of seats ensured unhindered line of sight of stage for the audience. Acoustics were also very good. They had a 'No photography' policy and implemented it effectively.

Panditji liked the sound system so much that he called the sound engineer on stage and felicitated him.

An excellent concert and mesmerizing evening. Entertainment rating 8.75/10.

Dr. Kavita Gadgil (Vocal)

Attended concert of Dr. Kavita Gadgil (Vocal) accompanied by Nandkishor Banchhode (Tabla) and Subodh Godbole (Sanvadini) organized by Anubhooti at India Social and Cultural center, Abu Dhabi on 31st May 2014.

Concert started with raag Puriya Dhanashree in Vilambit Tritaal. Then she presented a bandish 'Mushkil Karo asan kwaja mere (मुश्किल करो आसाँ ख्वाजा मेरे)'.

Second raag of the evening was raag Bageshree in Vilambit tritaal. Kavitaji's rendition in kharj (lower octave) was especially good. She followed it with bandish 'E ri man sajan nahin aye (ए री मान साजन नहीं आए)' and bandish 'Jhagara karat pakadlini baiya marodi (झगरा करत पकडलीनी बैंयाँ मरोडी)'

Next offering was Raag Durga. Kavitaji sung only bandishes in Durga. First bandish was 'Atahi ghanghor (अतही घनघोर)'. Next bandish was 'Mata bhavani Kali (माता भवानी काली)' followed by tarana. This tarana was so good, it gave goose bumps to the audience.

Then she presented a bandish in raag Tilak Kamod 'Kar pakarat mori baiyan (कर पकरत मोरी बैंयाँ) followed by Hori 'Rang darungi Nand ke lalan pe (रंग डारूंगी नंदके लालनपे)'.  Audience appreciated this Hori a lot by accompanying her with claps. This hori is included in her maiden album that will be released soon.

Then she presented a natyageet "Vad jau kunala sharna ga (वद जाऊ कुणाला शरण गं)". Kavitaji had received gold medal from government of Maharashtra for this natyageet.

Concert ended with a bhaktigeet (भक्तिगीत) 'Saincha zala Prasad (साईंचा झाला प्रसाद)' in bhairavi.

Needless to say Kavitaji is a very good singer, each of her swar is distinct. Her variations in aalap were excellent. Although she belongs to Jaipur gharana, she sung bandishes of Kirana and Agra gharana with equal command. Tarana and Hori were the highlights of the concert. Kavitaji's voice though appeared stretched. It might be because of tiredness or change of weather. She was having difficulty in maintaining good voice in last two songs.

Subodh played well and followed Kavitaji precisely. He was better in second half. They had no practice session before concert.

Nandu played excellent tabla in pockets but appeared distracted other times.

A very good experience. Entertainment rating 9/10.

Disclaimer: I am a founder member of Anubhooti.

Amman Ali Khan (Sarod) and Ayyan Ali Khan (Sarod)

Attended concert of Amman Ali Khan (Sarod) and Ayyan Ali Khan (Sarod) accompanied by Satyajit Talwalkar (Tabla) and Anubrata Chaterjee (Tabla) as part of Emirates Classics III, at DUCTAC, Dubai on 2nd May 2014. This was my second time to watch Amman-Ayyan live.

Concert started with raag Shree. They presented two compositions. First in Jhap taal and second in Teen taal.

Then they presented raag Desh first in Ada Chautal and then in Teen taal. The compositions they played were of their grandfather Haafiz Ali Khan Saab.

Raag chaukeshi in teen taal was the next offering. Chrukeshi is a raag from South Indian system of  Indian classical music.

A folk tune from Bengal (Bhatiyali) was played next. I have heard this played by their father many times earlier.

Saraswati was then played for five minutes upon Satyajeet's recommendation. Then they moved to raag Kirwani for the conclusion and achieved the grand finale.

Amman and Ayyan play very well. They   are seventh generation sarodiya's. They definitely are two future Ustad's. Ayyan's Sarod was giving him trouble and had to be tuned frequently.

Both tabalji's were too good. Credit should be given to them for playing so well and to Amman-Ayyan for choosing tabalji's who are as good and at times even better than them. As compared to concert of Amjad Ali Khan last year (where these four accompanied him) tabalji's were given lot of free hand in this  concert.

Auditorium was not full despite it being a week end. It appears that since DUCTAC increased the ticket rates by 50%, sales have taken a hit. It's unfortunate that this has impacted patronage to Indian classical music. Sound system also gave a lot of trouble with whistling sound.

Amman and Ayyan are Ustad Amjad Ali Khan's sons. Satyajit is Talayogi Pandit Suresh Talwalkar's son and Anubrata is son of Pandit Anindo Chaterjree. So the players had a very strong lineage of classical music. However all said and done, I did not come out of the auditorium very satisfied. I did not feel that the performers gelled well.

Entertainment rating 8/10.

Ustad Shujat Khan (Sitar) and R.Prasanna (Guitar)

Attended Hindustani- Carnatic fusion concert of Ustad Shujat Khan (Sitar) and R.Prasanna (Guitar) accompanied by Ojas Adhiya (Tabla), B. Amrit (Kanjira) and P. Ravindran (Mridangam)  as part of Emirates Classics III, at DUCTAC, Dubai on 17th April 2014 with Raju and Jayant. This was my second time to watch Shujatji live.

First section of concert was played by Prasanna with Mridangam & Kanjira.

The concert started with Prasanna playing a composition of Muthuswamy Dixitar. Then he played a composition in raaga Suddha Saweri & another composition demonstrating his command on guitar.

The percussionists played jugalbandi after that.  Audience loved it & was applauded a lot. Prasanna ended this section with a composition called 'Bowling for peace', a composition from his album, a fusion.

Second section was played by Ustad Shujat Khan. Solo initially and then with tabla & mridangam. This section consisted of only one composition.

He played Jhinjhoti (aalap jod) followed by a composition. He termed the style of playing as 'informal'. Shujatji played sitar nimbly and applauded  the percussionists encouraging them .

This section took the concert to a different height. The trio played exceptionally well and took audience to the edge of ecstasy. They deservedly received standing ovation.

Final section was a jugalbandi of Prasanna and Shujatji with the three percussionists.

First Shujatji sang a gazal while playing sitar in this section. The lyrics were very good but the singing slowed down the tempo.

Then they all played together. This was my first time to watch Hindustani - Carnatic jugalbandi. The artists regained the lost tempo in this section. Prasanna garnished this section with some western style guitar play.

Concert ended on a high with all the musicians playing crescendo.

Volume of sitar was little loud & sometimes smothered sound of guitar. Program started almost half an hour late. Attendance was not very encouraging with only half of the auditorium full, probably because it was a working day.

Shujatji has lightning  fast fingures and played with ease. It is a delight to watch him playing. He also sings very well. I would, however, prefer sitar over vocal. Tabalji Ojas was a thin young man. But he played like a hurricane. He matched Shujatji stroke by stroke. Too good. This was my first time to watch carnatic classical music played on electric guitar. Another novelty was that Mridangam was placed on a custom made low stand.

Enjoyed the concert. Entertainment rating 9/10.

xxx xxx (Tabla)

Attended Tabla concert of Shri xxxx xxxx (Tabla) accompanied by Nandkishor Banchhode (Tabla) and Sandip Khairnar (Sanvadini - Harmonium) organized by Anubhooti, at Embassy of India auditorium, Abu Dhabi on 11th April 2014.

This was xxxx xxxx's first international solo concert. Anubhooti introduced him to international audience. The chosen taal for the concert was Tritaal.

The concert started with Peshkar. It was followed by Ajrada Kayda. Audience applauded the artists multiple times not only demonstrating appreciation of performance but also their knowledge.

Then Nandu presented Ajrada Kayda and demonstrated how a disciple follows his Guru's foot steps. This Kayda ended with synchronized chakradar.

In the next rela xxxx demonstrated how soft tabla can be played most effectively.

Farmaish bandish in madhyalay teental followed by a medley of compositions, bandishes, chakradar, Punjabi chakradar, bedam chakradar, tukdas, sawal-jawab & lagge.

xxxx modesty was evident when he requested audience to excuse for any mistakes as they have practiced only for 3-4 days. If they can perform so well with such little practice, imagine what they can do with more practice.

Nandu has shown marked improvement in his tabla playing over last year. He played very well and was appreciated by xxxx. Now Nandu has 'hot fingers'.

Sandip had to be corrected by xxxx on a couple of occasions, otherwise he did well. Although playing lehra seems simple, actually it is very difficult.

When the performers enjoy playing, the audience enjoys listening. This concert was pure joy. Entertainment rating 9/10.

Disclaimer: I am a founder member of Anubhooti.

Upendra Bhat (Vocal)

Mandar's concert report

Attended Vocal concert of Shri Upendra Bhat (Vocal) accompanied by Meghan Shrikhande (Sanvadini - Harmonium) and Nandkishor Banchhode (Tabla) at Saeed Tower II hall,  Dubai on 28th March 2014 with Deepa & Raju. This concert was organized by Sur Hindol.

Concert started with Raag Yaman Kalyan in madhya vilambit Jhap taal. Raag was then seamlessly  transposed into bandish.

Then he presented bandish in Raag Shuddha Kalyan in madhyalay Ek taal . Shuddha Kalyan is known as signature raag of Pt Bhimsen Joshi. Next offering, before interval, was Thumri 'Naina rasile' in Dadra.

'Bolan lagi koyaliya' was the next offering. Nandu played very well here.

Then he presented raagmala that started in in Raag Hindol. It is said that Ravan is the creator of Raag Hindol. (It is also said that Yaman and Malkauns raagas were created by Hanuman)

Then he presented 'Indrayani Kathi' an immortal bhajan of Pt Bhimsen Joshi in Raag Bhimpalas. Music direction was of Pu. La. Deshpande (पु. ल. देशपांडे) He sung it well but I could not help but compare with the original.

Then came 'Subhagyada Lakshmi' of Purandardas in Bibhas. He presented a few variations that were not included in the recorded sound track.

Concert ended with Bhairavi 'Jo bhaje Hari ko sada' and 'Mile sur mera tumhara'

Shri Upendra Bhat is a disciple of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. His singing style is very similar to Panditji. He sings very well but age factor was evident.

Shrikandeji's sanvadini was very good. He was applauded by Upendraji multiple times. He caught every firki and murki thrown at him by the singer expertly and followed him precisely. The instrument, however, was not of concert quality.

Nandu's tabla was very good, especially his vilambit taals. He was never short of talent, now he is comfortable while accompanying big names.

Concert started half an hour late. Sound system was trouble free. Upendraji told some incidents from his guru Pt Bhimsen Joshi's life emphasizing his greatness and humility. He also expressed regret about declining quality of music now a days. I had a previledged seat less than 2m away from Upendraji.

A good concert. Rating 8/10.

Zhakir Hussein (tabla)

Attended 'Nirvana 2014' a republic day special concert of Zhakir Hussein (tabla), Louis Banks (piano), Shankar Mahadevan (vocal), Taufiq Qureshi (multiple purcussion instruments) and Niladri Kumar (sitar & zitar) at Madinat Arena, Dubai on 25th January 2014 with Aditi, Thangaokar family, Pooja, Prachi, Prakash, Vijay, Pawar and Raju. This was the second time I was witnessing live performance of 'The Legend' Zhakir.

Concert started with solo performance of Zhakirji. It's amazing to see him playing extremely difficult pieces effortlessly. Wherever his fingers danced, they created magic. Fabulous!!! This start set the tempo of the concert.

Then came an overture called 'dove' a joint performance by Zhakirji, Louis Bank, Niladri and Taufiqji. A section of this piece somehow reminded me of Mongo Santamaria's 'watermelon man'.

Zakir and Louis were joined by Shankar Mahadevan for next performance 'color of love' followed by 'shadows'. Shankar did not sing any song, he just recited the bols (बोल).

Next piece was called 747 by Louis, Toaufiq and Niladri on 'zitar' an instrument he invented by combining sitar and guitar To play fusion and western music. The instrument sounds different. Niladri's fingers fly!

Next piece was played by Louis, Niladri, Taufiq & Zhakir with spotlight on each one, one by one. Taufiqji played his signature vocal instrumental and was applauded multiple times. He also made audience to play rhythm (clap) with him.

Next performance was jugalbandi between Shankar and Zhakir. Started with south Indian classical and migrated to north Indian thumri composed by Zakirji (kori chunar mori..), jocularly dubbed as masala dosa + mutton biryani.

Next was a composition called 'Doors of desire' by Louis, Shankar, Zhakir and Taufiq.

Grand finale was brought up by all the artists performing together. This included 'breathless' of Shankar.

Program started almost one hour late. It was a very big hall, so the cosy atmosphere was missing. Sound system of Mujib Dadarkar was excellent.

Interestingly all five did not play simultaneously till the last piece. All the artists were so good (एक से एक) that it was difficult to choose the best performer. I would like to attend Niladri Kumar's solo concert. Shankar's voice was not at its best today.

Again I came out of the auditorium with a feeling that it was a fabulous concert but there was not enough of Zhakir Hussein.

An excellent concert. Rating 8.5/10.

Zhakir Hussein (Tabla) Fusion

Attended 'Nirvana' a concert by Zhakir Hussein, Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Rakesh Chaurasia & U Srinivas at World Trade Center Dubai on 14Feb13.

This concert was fusion music concert where Zhakir Hussein played tabla (obviously) accompanied by Edgar Meyer (Upright bass), Bela Fleck (Banjo), U Srinivas (Mandolin) and Rakesh Chaurasia (Bansuri).

Zakir, Edgar and Bela played full time and Srinivas and Rakesh joined for certain pieces. Upright bass played by Edgar was an instrument more than 100 years old.

This was my first time to listen live banjo and live mandolin & I enjoyed it. We were witness to some scintillating and enchanting music.

All the musicians were superb and concert was a delight but............

I felt there was not enough of Zakir Hussain in it !!!

Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma (Santoor)

Attended a concert of Shiv Kumar Sharma (santoor) assisted by Bhavani Shankar (pakhawaj), Ramkumar Mishra (tabla), and Dilip Kale, Panditji's Sr deciple,  (tanpura) at DUCTAC, Dubai on 25th Oct 2013 with Kumar family, Thangaokar family, Banchhode family, Amit, Ashok, Prakash, little Gauri and for the first time Aditi.

First half was pure classical, raag Vachaspsti. He played aalap solo, jod with pakhawaj and jhala with tabla. This was a treat to ears.

In second half he played light classical raag Pahadi. This included his most famous pahadi dhun. Also included were a number of variations and improvisations. Audience enjoyed this section very much.

Panditji peppered the program with his humerous narrative and light hearted comments, which the audience adored.

This was the first time I saw pakhawaj being played live and it was worth it. Bhavani Shankar plays very well. Tabalji was promising but needs to elevate his performance one level, if he has to accompany masters. Tanpura used for the program was a miniature version of the one we are used to seeing and was played by holding it horizontally.

The duration of the program, though, seemed inadequate. This was due to combination of short time of 1.5 hr and absolutely mesmerizing music. A memorable concert.

Rahul Sharma's name was announced but  he did not come. No explanation was given either. Program started almost on time. My seat was close to speakers hence was able to pick up all the minute notes and variations. Temperature of the hall was more than usual but still comfortable.

A very good concert. Rating 9/10. It would have been full marks but for the duration.

Bickram Ghosh (Tabla)

Attended "Sufusion" a concert of Bickram Ghosh (tabla) assisted by Arun Kumar (drums), Pulit Sarkar (keyboard), Abhishek Malik (electric sitar), Amrish Das (vocal), Parvati Kumari (vocal), Biswanath Majumdar (purcussions) and  Tarun Chaktavarty (Dholak) at DUCTAC, Dubai on 8th Nov 2013 with Kumar, Thangaokar family, Banchhode family, Kunte family and for the first time Siddhant & Mihika.

Bickram, son of Pt. Shankar Ghosh, was the principal accompanist of Pt. Ravi Shankar for 10 years and is winner of Grammy award.

Concert started with 'Dance of Shiva' in raag Jog. This was not a Sufi piece, but it set the mood of concert on high.

Sufi part started with 2 kalams of Bulle Shah 'Are logon' & 'Ghoohat mein'. It was followed by Patiala gharana thumri 'Yaad piya ki awe'. Next came 'Gangotri' in raag Mishra Bhairavi. This followed by solo purcussion pieces. Every one played very well but the drummer stole this section.

Then there was a section of non instrumental percussion (by mouth) where the performance dipped slightly. Bickram then involved audience by asking them to play, whatever he plays, by clapping. Audience stood up to the occasion by repeating correctly.

Penultimate number was 'e ri sakhi' by Amir Khusro in raag Desh, in Sufi and Thumri style. Grand finale was 'damadam mast kalandar'. Satariya was too good here. Concert ended on a high note.

This was a rare concert where the principal artist did not always grab the center stage. Communication and understanding between Bickram and drummer was excellent.

Electric sitar was a novelty but sounded artificial, probably because we are used to conventional sitar. Parvati's uninhabited voice was a good change. She has excellent upper range. Amrish, though sang very very well, was not able to erase influence of Hindustani style while singing Sufi. Dholak was the weak link today. Also there was nothing in lower octaves in this concert.

Sound system was a little too loud. Drums (mike) should have been toned down. Vocals were muffled sometimes.

An excellent concert. Rating 9.5/10.
Fod dala!