Impressions of jazz with‘En Route’
Pix courtesy Danush De Costa
The lights dim, as the sound of the double bass guitar picks up. The keyboards are soon to join accompanied by the saxophone and the guitar, while the soft drums beat in the background, tying the whole arrangement together. The music takes you back to an era, where renowned performers such as Frank Sinatra dominated the industry.
Of course today one would be more familiar with artistes such as Michael Buble, who follow a similar style.
The Sri Lankan jazz band ‘En Route’ is as good as jazz music gets in the country. They have rendered two stunning concerts, over the past three and a half years and are currently gearing up for their latest show ‘ The Great American Song Book Volume 2’ at the British School Auditorium on May 27, starting at 8.00 pm.
Put together in 2014, by their saxophonist/ vocalist Gananath Dasanayaka, the six piece band also comprises drummer Niroshan De Silva, Dilip Seneviratne and Debbie Arnolda on the piano/ keyboard, double bassist Maxi Pietersz, and Ramesh Nonis on guitar.
We caught up with Gananath earlier during the week. It was his love for Jazz music and Frank Sinatra, which drove him to put together a band of his own, he tells us. They originally started off with a drummer, a double bassist, keyboardist and a saxophonist. However as they went along the band picked up another keyboardist and a guitarist.
Their repertoire comprises of Jazz Standards, predominantly from the 50s and 60s. However the band’s personal touch breathes new life into this type of music, we find out.
The band’s first show was a tribute to Frank Sinatra in lieu of his 100 birthday. This was just the beginning of them becoming more of a show band, Gananath explains. “That was a sold out show and that positioned us to a level where there was some recognition,” he says.
Soon after this, he came up with the concept, of having a series of concerts. “We’re so used to doing ‘jazz standards; and that is our signature, we came up with the idea for the concert the Great American Song Book volume one,” he recalls. The concert which was held in September, last year was well received. Sooner their audience kept asking them, when their next performance was going to be. This was the reason behind the second edition,which comes just a few months after the first. “We are trying to create the sound of a big band which also has a brass section. But since we can’t actually have brass instruments, the two keyboardists, together are trying to get that authentic brass sound,” Gananath tells us.
Gananath
He adds that this time around, they also hope to focus on having a younger crowd in their audience as well. “We have seen an interest shown by younger people towards jazz music, which we didn’t see ten years ago,” he explains, adding that lately several weddings at which they performed had requested Jazz performances. “I see that there’s a revival , in that way the music has become kind of relevant again.” “The Great American Song Book Volume 2” promises to be an entertaining evening filled with good music and several surprises as well. “People who enjoy music of the 50s and 60s, especially the big band jazz music, will find it here . Even without authentic instruments we are trying to give that old sound,” he says.
Some of the band’s performances will include covers such as “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” “I Get A Kick Out Of You’ and “I Got You Under My Skin.”
Their first show was simply about the music. However their second performance was really thought out and the band aimed for a Las Vegas casino ambiance. This time they hope to take it up a notch and “do a better show in every sense.”
Tickets for the concert “The Great American Song Book Volume 2” are priced at Rs. 1000, Rs. 2000 and Rs.3000 and are available at Park Street Mews, Colombo. For further details call 0772248500.