EVEN as Mumbai witnessed big international acts like British-Albanian pop sensation Dua Lipa and American band Maroon 5, and is gearing up for Canadian star Bryan Adams, there have been some fantastic shows by other foreign artistes, though on a smaller scale. Two of them were held at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) on the last two days of November. First, French-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf charmed the Grand Theatre with his blend of jazz and Arabic sounds. The following day, German multi-instrumentalist Prem Joshua did an exquisite Indo-fusion set at the Studio Theatre.
Paris-based Maalouf was scheduled as part of the Sounds Of Jazz show, which was to also feature Cameroon-born American bassist and vocalist Richard Bona. For some reason, Bona’s gig was cancelled at the last minute. It was unfortunate, considering he has a fairly large following among Indian jazz aficionados. For its part, NMACC announced a 30 per cent refund of ticket value within 15 days.
Ibrahim Maalouf |
In the reworked scheme of things, Maalouf was to do a longer set. His concert aimed to promote his new album Trumpets Of Michel-Ange, which he dedicated to his grandfather, a musicologist, and father Naasim Maalouf, who invented a quarter-tone trumpet specially designed to play Arabic modes not possible on regular trumpets.
Maalouf was accompanied by four other trumpeters, a saxophonist, two guitarists and a drummer, with a dancer appearing on some tracks. Announcing that this show would be like one big wedding party, he began with The Proposal, which instantly got the crowd dancing, and followed up with Love Anthem and Fly With Me, where he had everyone sing along. The tune Zajal was more traditional. In a sweet gesture, he invited Mumbai saxophonist Harsh Bhavsar on stage, the result being solos by both his band’s outstanding saxophonist Mihai Pirvan and the local musician.
The crowd requests started coming in and though Maalouf didn’t play his anthem Beirut, he obliged with True Sorry. There was a sudden surprise when he announced that he grew up on ghazals, before singing Ghulam Ali’s Awaargi, complete with a trumpet solo. He encored with Au Revoir, the crowd repeating his phrases.
The music was a mix of celebration and romance, and most had a blast. However, it may not have been the purist’s cup of tea, as one heard comments like “It’s not jazz” and “It’s a Lebanese wedding band”, even though they came from a minority. The fact was that there was some amazing musicianship, with the specially-modified trumpets creating a unique and mesmerising sound. Considering the blend, one could club it broadly under ‘world music’ or more specifically ‘Middle Eastern jazz’.
Did Bona’s cancellation make a difference? On the one hand, Maalouf’s longer set meant he played more, maintaining the energy for nearly 85 minutes. If both of them had played, they would each get only an hour and it may have been a mix-up of moods. But then, Bona is Bona, and we’re sure many people had booked seats specially for him.
In terms of sound, the Prem Joshua show was closer home, as it seamlessly blended ragas, Sanskrit chants and light classical flavours with various international elements. Joshua has been associated with Indian music for years, and learnt sitar from Usman Khan, besides the bansuri. He has also been inspired by the Osho. The very blend of the music is evident in drummer Raul Sengupta’s kit, which has a tabla, western set, cajon, hand drums and other effects.
Vocalist Sukriti Sen, keyboardist Karim Ellaboudi and bassist Satgyan Fukuda completed the line-up. The crowd was familiar with Joshua’s music, and the set was culled from albums released over the years, including the tracks Tangerine Thumri, Jhulelal, Saffron Dreams, O Saiyyan, Winds of Grace and Chandra. Though he didn’t play the classic Water Down The Ganges, he ended with the anthem Shiva Moon, making many get up and dance.
Both Maalouf and Joshua provided a feeling of joy. Besides tapping one’s feet constantly, one felt a strong emotional connect.
