 The star of the show was Sankaran, who used both jazz and Carnatic improvisation, including scat singing and vocal percussion, to offer the audience a range of musical experiences.
A high-quality concert full of originality, verve and energy
The star of the show was Sankaran, who used both jazz and Carnatic improvisation, including scat singing and vocal percussion, to offer the audience a range of musical experiences.
Her renditions of Dizzy Gillespie and Frank Paparelli's "A Night in Tunisia" and Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol's "Caravan", two of the greatest jazz standards, was strongly evocative of Ella Fitzgerald, for whom both were favourites.
But she was no clone of the legendary Fitzgerald, as her Carnatic techniques proved, especially on "So the Journey Goes'' (the title track of Autorickshaw's latest CD) and the Thyagaraja classic "Ganamurthy".
Ed Hanley's tabla work was nothing short of brilliant, integrating very well with the jazz pieces and standing out on solo percussion exchanges with Sankaran (vocal percussion) and Graham.
He also shone in the intro to "A Night in Tunisia" alongside Sankaran's scat work. Bell, shouldering the melodic department with Sankaran, was strong in support of her and played a couple of outstanding solos, particularly on "So the Journey Goes".
All in all, this was a high-quality concert full of originality, verve and energy. I can only wish I'd caught them in a setting where they got more time, as I believe audiences in Chennai (and perhaps Jaipur) have.
JAZZEBEL-The Hindu, Bangalore, India |
