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AN
UNFORGETTABLE EVENT
“Music has to be experienced. It has to be felt…I talk
through my instruments.”
Such must be the power of music for that is why the
night of December 12 saw the stars ablaze at the Palace
Grounds as part of the Bangalore Habba. It was as if
many of India’s top musicians were brought onto one
stage to perform.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, in fact, was the first to grace
the stage adorned in an orange kurta and black shawl. He
played his sarod in accompaniment with Sandeep Das on
table, C Chaluvaraju on mridanga and Deepa on tanpura.
Bangalore Habba, what came out was incredible with
extractions of the best from each instrument.
But nothing beat the final item which saw a jugal-bandi
of Hindustani and Carnatic music. It was so phenomenal,
one felt as if one were in the courts with Tansen.
Next came danseuse Sobhana with both modern and
traditional Bharatanatyam pieces with live
orchestration. Bikram Ghosh (Grammy winner for his album
with Ravi Shankar) was the chief percussionist. The
combination brought something very different. In great
contrast to the intensive nature of Ghosh’s music,
Sobhana was seen fluttering in a very smooth, calm and
cohesive way with her fellow dancers.
After this, Taufiq Khureishi (Zakir Hussain’s brother),
did a stand up act with his unique percussion kit. He
was playing contemporary jazz fusion with Niladri Kumar
on sitar, Louis banks on Piano, Kari peters on bass and
Sridhar parthosarthy on mrudanga. The result: amazing
and exceptional.
The long night finally clued up with Sufi music led by
Sayed Aadil Hussain. Some of the songs included famous
traditionals such as Dam Mast Kalandar and Afreen Afreen.
Upbeat indeed. And thus an evening was brought to an end
and the stars faded out leaving memories to be
reminisced and over and over.
 
 
 
 
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