On Saturday, August 20, Mumbai Unplugged presents a unique, first-of-its-kind concert in New Zealand at the Dorothy Winstone Centre at 6 p.m. It will feature a never-before-heard repertoire of sounds and rhythms with exotic influences presented creatively.
World leading percussion wizard Taufiq Qureshi and star sitar player Purbayan Chatterjee from Mumbai will join Auckland musicians Ben, Jo and Manjitin to create a unique musical tapestry like no other.
Mumbai Unplugged will feature music and rhythms that transcend genres, with sounds and beats from many countries around the world, while yet being solidly rooted in tradition. There’s a bit of jazz and blues, a bit classic Bollywood, Indian classical and folk, world music influences, some techno and much more, but all with firm traditional roots.
Mumbai Unplugged is being hosted under the auspices of the Mohan Nadkarni Foundation, the University of Auckland School of Music and Might-I.
Mumbai Unplugged will commemorate the 50th anniversary of a unique and successful experiment in the history of India’s popular music. In 1967, legendary Bollywood music directors Shankar Jaikishan collaborated with a whole host of Jazz artistes of the time to produce the wildly successful vinyl album Raga Jazz Style. The album was an instant success worldwide and is listened to with much nostalgia to this day.
It featured 11 tunes based on Indian traditional and classical music but played mainly with non-Indian instruments popular in jazz such as saxophone, trumpet, piano, drums, bass, electric guitars and piccolo. The only traditional Indian instruments were tabla and sitar. Taufiq, Purbayan and the Auckland artistes will recreate some of these tracks at Mumbai Unplugged.
Taufiq and Purbayan have been in Auckland since August 1 conducting workshops over three weeks for the students of the University of Auckland School of Music. Mumbai Unplugged comes at the end of the workshops.
Tickets for Mumbai Unplugged are selling fast and at $30 and $25, are extremely reasonably priced. Visit iticket.co.nz or Yogiji’s Food Market to book and buy or call organiser on 021-1712777. Tickets will also be sold at the door prior to the show (if not already sold out).
