Louis Armstrong…. Ella Fitzgerald.. John Coltrane…. Duke Ellington are some of the famous Jazz musicians i had heard of… here are a few more i shall be adding to this list….
On Friday, we went for a Jazz concert at Museum Theater, Egmore… Though the show started few minutes late, it was well worth the wait…
1. Chennai based Yodhaka
They were into fusion jazz, using Sanskrit slokas as the base.. very nice, melodious and rhythmic…. Loved the voice of the lead singers- Subiksha and Pradeed[who also played the slide guitar..]
Towards the end of their performance, Pradeep belted out the famous Mudakaratha modakam[ ganesha slokha]- it was truly soulful…!!!
2. All the way from Baltimore – Duende Quartet
The four wizards of LATIN JAZZ had us enthralled for over an hour, leaving the audience wanting for more.. the only hitch [ nothing to do with the performance] was the sudden chill within the auditorium.. The Air conditioner was either working full swing or something was up.. we were all nearly freezing in there… π
Apparently they were the winners from a whole bunch of people who vyed for the post of being a jazz group… Not only did they get to play here in chennai, they are on a world tour … Fronted by Latin Grammy winning pianist Harry Appelman, the quartet includes bassist Josh Schwartzman and percussionists Mark Merella and Sam Turner ……..
Sam is the one who remains in our minds even after the show is over – not just because he was black/Jamaican but he had the audience clapping, tapping their feet, singing along[ words that sounded like chants] till the end of the show… I guess that is the difference between an artist and a showman…. how involved the audience gets with them!!! π
On Saturday, after a mini meeting with the Caferati clan, i headed over to Citi center for a bit of Jazz and some retail fun π
Eight member team, named after the famous Duke Willington’s album performed for free at Citi center lobby.. [Thanks to Landmark ]. Saxaphone, Clarinet, Drums, Bass guitar and another instrument that i dont know the name for was what they used to create music….
What a weekend it was….
He he… A Pinch of Jazz π … Appa would have enjoyed these.. BIGTIME! Any idea if Duende Quartet would be playing in London?