Rukshan Perera delights audience at Live in Concert
Never failing to fill his concert venue to capacity, the very talented Rukshan Perera enticed a groove-ready audience (many of whom had attended some if not all previous shows) to the ‘Rukshan Perera Live in Concert (5)’ at the Bishop’s College Auditorium on January 18. And what a show it was!
Rukshan Perera: Joyous entertainment
Choro Calibre opened in perfect harmony while Rukshan graced the stage with no particular fanfare and immediately set to work, launching into the first song ‘Rotary Sri Lanka’ sung in English/Sinhala/Tamil. It was an apt start as the proceeds from the concert were for the Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan’s flagship initiative called ‘Lama Piyasa’ at the Ragama Hospital’s rehabilitation ward for juvenile victims of abuse.
This opening number blended seamlessly with the next song ‘Yesterday You Were My Baby’, originally composed and sung by Rukshan to his daughter at her wedding last year. The backdrop portrayed photographs of the actual wedding, and the song was dedicated to all the parents in the audience – a nice touch.
Rukshan has always interacted generously with his audience – this night was no different. His stage presence is refreshing and the way in which he engages his audience places him head and shoulders above so many. Pleasantly down to earth, his personality is evident through the entire spectrum of his creative compositions (thinking outside the box). The feel for the arrangements and images he creates, and the stories he conveys through rivetingly beautiful music, makes him stand out. We were taken through a wide variety of originals from serious jazz scatting to fusion with orchestration, to harmonically challenged acapellas, to songs with serious messages as well as fun songs!
Rukshan demonstrated his full range as a vocalist and guitarist as he offered us a delightful song of funky smooth jazz named ‘Cool Cat’ which had him scatting like George Benson and Ella Fitzgerald, scat masters of the world. It was an act to behold, a tantalising way to convey all that’s jazz!
‘I am Malala’, a tribute to the youngest Nobel laureate, was brought to life by Afrah Saldin and the Young Sopranos. This was followed by ‘Monsters on the Loose’, a statement highlighting child abuse, sung again by Afrah Saldin and two talented young vocalists, April Schokman and Binalie Liyanage, a chance for the younger generation to shine.
No performance of Rukshan’s is complete without his now famous Harmony Whistle and the audience responded with glee. A super-tight acapella of ’Clarence Wijewardena’s songs’ by Rukshan and the choir Asteria, invoked warm memories of a golden era, songs first performed by Rukshan whilst still a teenager.
Having the time of their lives: Rukshan, the De Lanerolle Brothers and others on stage
There were several stand-out moments. One was the De Lanerolle brothers singing ‘Meaning of Justice’ with Choro Calibre – a tribute to Nelson Mandela. Another was the incredible twins, Sarith and Surith, performing a rump-shakin’ foot-stompin’ rousing rendition of Santana’s ‘Black Magic Woman’ with Rukshan (guitar and vocals) and Lelum (percussion).
There were various degrees of comic relief with Rukshan’s hilarious songs ‘What Time Is It?’ (solo), ‘Magei Moley’ (with the LG Singers), ‘Gossip Queen’ (with Rajitha and Darren), ‘Seeya Biwwa Wine’ (with Clifford Richard) and ‘Devarak Thuna’ (Solo). Rukshan’s good natured humour was further evidenced as he engaged the newly appointed Finance Minister in some witty banter much to the delight of the audience.
Perhaps my favourite light moment was ‘Classical Scat’ – a set of western classical music put together with almost irreverent lyrics and humour.This delightful fusion endorses Rukshan’s versatile reputation as being a bit of a knotty modernist with his feet planted firmly in the jazz tradition. This was again showcased in Rukshan’s ‘Nursery Rhapsody’, a medley of Sinhala nursery rhymes akin to the Bohemian Rhapsody form with some incredible harmonies, which he performed with the LG Singers.
To say that Rukshan Perera is a master of many instruments is an understatement. His stage presence and performance was full of high energy and fire and we were treated to this right from the start. However, this versatile virtuoso also included compositions of quiet, reflective passages and melodic playing. ‘Backwaters with Raj’, composed whilst cruising the Backwaters in Kerala (presumably with Raj!) was one such haunting melody. The orchestration from two violins and a bamboo flute lent enchantment to the piece, but the big surprise came when Rukshan introduced a new dimension to his repertoire by playing his newest and fifth instrument on stage – the Djembe. The audience went wild as he played an incredible solo, the rhythmic beating of the African drum reverberating in all its sincerity and beauty.
One of Rukshan’s great strengths is his knack of putting together guest musicians who give such gloriously animated performances. We were treated to a wide range of music from notes as delicate as the fine sprinkling of soft raindrops to bursts of sheer exuberance, as the musicians followed each other’s cues and leads as though everyone was the leader and no one was the leader. It was quite clear that they were having the time of their lives on stage.
For number after number, a sonic wall of melodious sounds was built until finally, about two hours later, Rukshan was done, with a song titled ‘He’s Out’ dedicated to cricketing legends Mahela and Sangakkara. Tumultuous applause brought the encore ‘Bless Our Land’ where all the guest artistes joined him on stage.
Rukshan Perera worked his magic from the opening notes to the finale. It was joyous entertainment at its best whilst simultaneously exploring many topical and important humanitarian issues which left the audience with much soul-stirring food for thought – long after the last note was sounded.
There’s a special feel to a concert like this – words will not be able to convey that feel, that warmth, that substance. We returned home with a special glow. Another memorable evening – and we can’t wait for the next concert!