IN PASSING
Love for music
His name is enough to draw packed audiences each night. There is an air of reverence, as JOHN MCLAUGHLIN strums his guitar coaxing it to produce some of the most amazing sounds to hit the jazz-fusion music scene. But then McLaughlin is no stranger to adulation. Once again in the country in which he insists he must have been born in a previous avatar, McLaughlin is ready to release his latest offering. “Floating Point,” said the artiste, “wasn’t planned. I spent six months in Chennai last year when I came to play at Zakir Hussain’s annual festival in memory of his father. Later I started writing music fervently and my wife suggested I make a CD.” And to quote him, “It’s my best so far.” McLaughlin is never content with just one sound. “Sometimes I envy musicians who find a sound and stay with it. Me, I’m the product of many influences and I think I spend my time integrating all the sounds that I love.” On fusion, “It’s been happening for centuries and it’s the love of music that finally amalgamates all sound.”
Living free
Christened the “Singing Sikh”, this bespectacled lad suddenly burst on the Indian music scene like a breath of fresh air. Here was a voice that did away with pop and rock and instead sang Sufi ballads in a soulful manner. RABBI SHERGILL b
ecame an overnight sensation and then, like so many young dreams, hit the Bollywood road only to get lost. Now three years later he’s back on the circuit and was in the city to promote his latest album.
When quizzed about the long hiatus, Shergill said, “I decided to take my own sweet time about this. I was travelling all over, performing and had absorbed many new sounds. I wanted to put all these together and have done so in this album.” Unlike the earlier soulful numbers, Shergill has turned to rock this time.
Asked whether he was anxious about the reaction to this offering Rabbi replied, “Even if my music is not well received, my life won’t come crashing down. There is a bit of anxiety but I believe in living free and having fun.”
Style rules
Actor AKSHAY KUMAR is the current flavour of the season. From endorsing products, to doing live shows as well as gyrating to a number of popular hits, Kumar is in the limelight for being the stylish man about town. His latest move, which sees him per
forming with rapper Snoop Dogg, has him chuffed. “I’m thrilled at the way my song has turned out and to perform with a rapper of Snoop Dogg’s calibre is in itself an honour,” commented Kumar. While he refuses to be pigeonholed, Kumar proves the rule that if you’ve got what it takes, the sky is the limit.
SUCHITRA BEHAL
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