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By Chunkey Monkey
Namaste, fellow warriors in the cultural battle against narrowmindedness and blandness. Together with Gringa, Spooky and the Masala Queen, the Chunk bought his 250 rupee ticket to the Colonial Cousins ( I am nothing if not plebian at heart) and filed into the confines of the Sugathadasa stadium for the much hyped event. A capacity crowd was rocking to the sounds of Rukantha and his impressive backing band the Marians - I have to admit I have made no effort to check out the Sinhalese music and for this I humbly apologise. Rukantha was decked out in a pair of silver pants that Bono would have died for , while ripping through a selection of songs in a style that the Chunk hereby dubs "Singho-Pop." Blending rhythms from reggae and techno, overlaid with populist Sinhala lyrics, he manages to create something wholly different from the normal saccharine love songs that dominate local radio. One song even remixed Paul Young's "Love of the Common People" with Sinhala lyrics , while another could easily be released as a 12" techno record. Rukantha needs to work on his dancing and his intersong patter also needs care - at one point he actually apologised in advance for the next song being too long. Either shorten the song or go ahead and perform it - but don't cripple your performance before even starting . All in all though, good show from the local contingent.
Then the Cousins walked on stage to rapturous applause , before launching into "Alright" from their debut album. Hariharan really opened up and let rip on the vocals - his reputation as a fine singer in the bhajan and ghazal traditions were well deserved. Lez, looking Stevie Wonderesque with his plaits, is the communicator with the crowd . Highlights of the show included of course , a spiritual and moving "Krishna" - a genuinely moving message, that was somewhat spoiled by Lezz plugging the song's inclusion in the MTV Viewers choice award. There was also a hynotic "Indian Rain" , locked down by a unified bass that throbbed throughout the stadium. (Though if you listen to that last song , you'll find a direct rip off of "Norwegian Wood" by the Beatles). They also featured the techno-pop of "Let Me See the Love" and their hit single "Sa Ni Da Pa" .
Initially I thought that this whole fusion thing was some sort of gimmick , but they respect the traditions of the music and really help to educate the audience. They have the knack of writing songs with very open structures which allow them to pursue the intermingling of influences , and are both sincere if slightly restrained performers. I guess it was too much to expect guitarist Vernon Reid from Living Color and V.M.Bhatt to accompany them on this trip , but the backing musicians proved excellent, including a soulful flautist and agile percussion section. Backing singers looked foxy from my perch on the back railing, high up in the rafters, and they proved that they could be more than be just a bunch of pretty faces, with some decent harmonies provided . Good show - and can I have one of those MTV Crew t-shirts please ? I forgot to pick one up..................
She polishes the keyboard with a cloth. She stares off into the distance for a moment. Then with a flourish of her fingers she begins to play. Together with Dr.Love and the Westside Posse, the Chunk headed over to the Hilton for an evening of romantic, impressionistic and jazz music by Sri Lankan pianist Sujeeva Hapugalle, sponsored by the British Council, Hong Kong Bank and Capital Radio. The programme began with some meditatative Chopin and some rippling Ravel ("Sonatine" and "Une Barque Sur L'Ocean"), before moving onto Rachmaninov (whom the Chunk was never too fond of ) and then the water motif was reintroduced with Debussy's beautiful "Reflets dans l'eau". Ms. Hapugalle is indeed a pianist of great talent , infusing the music with feeling and passion.
She is also a lady of great warmth as her good rapport with the audience showed. The final piece was Gershwin's urban symphonic masterpeice "Rhapsody in Blue", which unfortunately lacked the oompah of the orchestral version. Unfortunately, what happens with a lot of classical musicians who take on "jazz" (even the likes of Andre Previn and Dame Kiri Te Kanewa) is that they tend to approach things from a technically perfectionist viewpoint, which results in the music lacking the soul, the funk, the swing…..whatever the magic ingredient is which makes jazz what it is. Ms. Hapugalle's spirited rendition sounded slightly mechanical at times, but she showed that she has what it takes with a rousing encore of "I got music". She certainly has……
It was a packed house at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium on August 2nd, when Mega Sangeeth presented the Colonial Cousins live in concert.
The show began at 8.15 p.m, though billed to start at 7 and the audience were entertained by Rukantha and his bevy of dancing girls and Kandyan drummers. He together with two other local artistes sang a mixture of Sinhalese pop and baila.
After an hour, the restless anticipation of the crowd kept them impatiently tapping their toes. The fact that the air-conditioner was not working and that each seat was cheek by jowl with the other leaving no elbow or leg room, didn't help matters much.
However, despite the infrastructural problems of a stadium that is technically the last place in which to hold a music concert, the much-awaited, much hyped performance of the Colonial Cousins- Hari Haran and Leslie Lewis more than made up for it.
Their own brand of 'fusion music', a synthesis of the East and West was a mix of brilliant improvisation and adventurous composition.
Some of their best-received songs were 'Krishna' which is dedicated to global peace and happiness, the haunting 'Indian Rain' where the mellifluous voices of Hari and Lezz simply washed over you, and the popular blend of Indian classical and pop music in songs like 'Let me see the love' and 'Sa ni dha pa'.
Special mention must also be made of the exceptional musicians who accompanied this dynamic duo.
Most notable was the flautist on bamboo flute, the tabla and djembe player and ofcourse Lezz's rendition on acoustic guitar.
Other songs included 'Adiran's Angel', 'It's gonna be alright' 'Feel Alright', the Hindi version of 'Forever yours forever mine' and the Tamil song 'Uvirai' from the film Bombay.
Although their work could benefit from greater variation, there was no doubt that they captured the audience with their rich musical talent, the beautiful blend of voices and the sheer simplicity of their stage presence.
No prancing about the stage here, no hip-swinging dancers or fantastic special effects to enhance their presentation. Just good rhythms, easy lyrics and the power of a style of music that cuts across all age groups - judging by the children, the young adults dancing on the aisles and the older generation who all had come in their numbers. And did not leave disappointed.
Continue to Mirror Magazine page 2 * Spare time for the old
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