The time is right to unveil his journey
Dilip Seneviratne : Used to doing things his way. Pic by Luxshmanan Nadaraja
Dilip Seneviratne has quite the treasure trove of stories. A musician since the early 80s, he has watched Colombo and its music scene grow through the decades. Quite fittingly then his first solo show is named ‘The Journey’ but I’m curious to know why it took him so long to do something like this –“I think I was waiting for the right time…it’s about the intention and the ‘journey’ that I’ve had throughout all these years, playing with so many different bands and being a solo act.”
Dilip’s show at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on Valentine’s Day has already attracted fans from abroad, among them an Irish couple who watched him play in a jazz trio at the Cinnamon Grand where they were guests. “They came up to me afterwards and said, ‘Thank you – we enjoyed your music very much!’ Next Sunday and the Sunday after that for two months they came to the lobby to watch! We kept in contact and when I told them I was planning this concert they immediately said, ‘Let us know when and we will come.’ I gave them a funny look because why would they come to see me play all the way from there. They replied, ‘You don’t know how good you are. If we have nothing lined up we will come and if we do, you better have a damn good show!”’
Dilip’s enduring appeal is testament to his talent and hard work over the years. For most of his career he didn’t even have a piano to practise on! “I started off at the age of six not having a piano. I lost my music books a day before my first classical music exam and my teacher was so annoyed, but she sat and wrote down the pieces I was playing on a piece of paper and coached me on what to say when the examiner asked about the books. I did exactly that and played by ear.” He passed with a mark of 79 at the age of seven.
After Grade 4 though, it was becoming increasingly difficult to practise with no piano so he stopped sitting exams instead playing in church and taking part in talent shows as part of an outfit hilariously named ‘Cardinal’s Outburst’. From there, he started playing with The Steelers, scoring fans and gigs at the Sugathadasa Stadium and even had some of his original compositions featured on the charts. A loyal Peterite, he still enjoys performing with the Peterite Chorale whenever he finds the time.
“Queen was one of my influences, then came Elton John, Billy Joel.” Not by coincidence then that ‘The Journey’ will also feature some of those nostalgic tunes alongside some instrumentals and originals. I ask what the audience can expect. “It’ll be a lot of fun. Some surprises here and there- it’ll definitely take them back. I’m featuring some top singers and a couple of good friends who I’ve been in bands with or who have motivated and pushed me along. Basically I want to share what I’m able to do.”
During the 90s, Dilip could regularly be found playing at the Supper Club or the Saxophone Jazz Club with the band Take Five, playing funk and jazz. So how has the music scene changed, I ask. “It’s different. Those days after musicians finished a gig, they would come to see us and we’d socialize afterwards, have a drink, go to Pilawoos, crack jokes, have a chat. The fellowship was there. If there was a new band playing we’d go check them out – not to compare music but just to appreciate. Now people want to play, collect the money and go home.”
I’m still intrigued about how Dilip managed to do so many concerts and gigs without his own piano to practise on. He takes us back to the St. Peter’s College 75th anniversary get-together. Mano Chanmugam, affectionately known as Uncle Mano, had seen Dilip play at the Supper Club and had approached him about doing a four-piano concert. Dilip recalls, “We met at Uncle Mano’s place for practice and I felt like a fish out of water because I could see all the grand pianos in the house and I was the least qualified of all the pianists. I used to go early to practise and when the classical segment came – Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Mozart – I had to watch and look at what they were all playing as well as ask what the key changes and structure were.’
Asked if he ever felt intimidated by the fact that he didn’t have qualifications he shrugs and says no. “When we would rehearse the classical segments I knew the melody so I would put my own touch on it and suddenly Uncle Mano would start laughing. I would say, ‘Am I doing something wrong?!’ and he would reply, ‘No, no it’s nice – but the audience! They will start freaking out if you start doing all those things!’ So I said, ‘Yeah it’s good to start playing something different’!”
“A few weeks after the show Uncle Mano calls me to ask, ‘When are you coming to collect your piano?’ I protest but he insists ‘It’s fine – you can take one of mine.’ I polished my hall and cleaned it up – the floors were shining! For months after its arrival I would sleep under the piano! After work I would come home and play and just do things and experiment. My technique may be wrong or maybe it’s different but I got used to doing things my way.”
What a journey.
‘Dilip in Concert – The Journey’ is on February 14 at 7.30 p.m. at the Lionel Wendt Theatre Proceeds go towards the Sri Lanka Cancer Society. Box office at the Lionel Wendt Theatre.