En Route to take you once again to those halcyon times of the 50s & 60s
Fans of American popular music of the early and mid 20th century have a date to keep.
Colombo’s popular jazz band “En Route” led by saxophonist cum vocalist Gananath Dasanayaka will present “The Great American Song Book – Vol 2” on May 27, at the British School Auditorium at 8 p.m. This is the band’s third concert following the much acclaimed ‘Tribute to Sinatra’ in December 2015 and Volume 1 of “The Great American Song Book” in September 2016.
Though not quite certain and anxious of the audience response, Gananath and his talented band of musicians took the plunge in paying tribute to Frank Albert Sinatra on his 100th birth anniversary on December 12, 2015. The concert delivered to a packed auditorium was a resounding success. The repertoire included many popular Sinatra standards rendered by Gananath with panache ably supported by the versatile band.
The success of the Tribute to Sinatra encouraged“En Route” to broaden their canvas and they presented “The Great American Song Book” in September 2016. “The Great American Song Book” also known as “American Standards” is described as the canon of the most influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20th Century. A selection of songs from this genre was sung by Gananath and backed by musicians Maxwell Pieterz on double bass, Debbie Arnolda on piano, Niroshan De Silva on drums and Ramesh Nonis on guitar. Dilip Senewiratne on the organ as a “guest artiste” added lustre to the show. The songs ranged from swing ballads to spirituals, including “New York”, “Mack the Knife” and “Ol Man River”. The evening also brought back memories of the “Rat pack” days with a Dean Martin and Sammy Davis “lookalike” joining “Sinatra” in song and laughter to a readily responsive audience.
Encouraged by its successful foray into big band Jazz,“En Route”now present their third concert building on the theme “The Great American Song Book”.
The repertoire for the evening will include among others, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Judy Garland, Sinatra’s standards such as “Summerwind”, “Lady is a Tramp”, I’ve got you under my skin” and Dean Martin hits “Amore” and “King of the Road”.
This is not a concert to be missed by those who yearn for the halcyon times of the 50s & 60s and a genre of music of Jazz, crooning or Just American Lounge.
Tickets, priced at Rs 1000, 2000 and 3000 are available at Park Street Mews,Colombo 02 or please call : 077 2248500 / 071 4867699
Proceeds of the concert, as in the case of the earlier one will be donated to the Music Project, an approved charity, to help less affluent Sri Lankan children enhance music skills.