Swathi Narayan talks about how watching a fusion band perform on stage made her embrace this new genre of music with an open mind
Swathi Narayan talks about how watching a fusion band perform on stage made her embrace this new genre of music with an open mind
I had heard a lot about this band called Advaita from a friend in Delhi. She was really crazy about them and made sure I listened to at least one of their songs on a website. I didn't really pay much attention to her or listen to the music as closely as I would have under different conditions. I told my friend they were really good just to keep her from badgering me.
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Highnote: Suhail Yusuf Khan at his best |
That's how I learnt about Advaita. That was about two years ago. When I found out that they were going to perform in Bangalore, I just had to go and watch them. The concert in itself started only after 8 in the evening and to my pleasant surprise the place was packed.u00a0
That was when I left behind all my previous hesitation towards fusion music. What came next was nothing short of brilliance, according to me. Never have I heard something that soulful. I don't think I'm qualified in any way to dissect, criticise or appreciate music, but as someone who listens to different genres of music on a daily basis, I can say that the performance moved me.u00a0
u00a0What astonished me the most was the ease with which classical and popular music was woven together to bring out the essence of their name 'Advaita' or experiencing something as 'one.' It seemed to have had a similar effect on everyone present there because none of us could stop cheering and hooting at the end of every song. Suhail on the sarangi was a delight to watch and the sarangi - drums face off had me cheering pretty loud along with everyone present. Raag Durga, Hamsadhwani, Suspended and Just Enough were my favourites among the set and when the band did a rock style sing along of the line 'laakh jatan kar haari mein' from Raag Durga, I was a little apprehensive as I couldn't really understand the lyrics the first time.
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Making music: Delhi's fusion band Advaita (from left: Anindo, Abhishek, Ujwal, Mohit, Chayan, Aman, Suhail and Gaurav) pics/Ramesh HS |
The western vocalist Chayan Adhikari left me smiling by the end of the concert that finished off even before the allotted 11.30pm curfew, but we wanted more, nonetheless. When we called them back on stage, they however denied an encore but performed another of their tracks instead; Light, which I must say left me wanting for some more.
Advaita is made of Abhihek Mathur on guitars, Anindo Bose on keyboards, Chayan Adhikari on lead western vocals, Aman Singh Rathore on drums, Gaurav Chintamani on bass, Mohit Lal on tabla, Suhail Yusuf Khan on sarangi and Ujwal Nagar on hindustani vocals.
