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Down melody lane
THE MUSIC of Elton John and Billy Joel — performers who have proved that the piano has as much a place in rock and modern music as ripped jeans and expansive tattoos — took centre stage at the Unwind Center last weekend.
More than 15 artistes played covers of the musicians' best songs to salute the piano men. There were no flashy rhinestone suits, flash-and-dash or oversize sunglasses — even in the audience — but the voices were straight from John and Joel, and the best of their music from the 1970s through to the 1990s.
Freddy Koikaran started the evening off with "Nikita" accompanied by Praveen George on the bass, John Satya on lead guitar, Arun Britto on the drums and Prithvi Chandrasekhar on the keyboard. Prithvi, who used to teach the keyboard at the Unwind School of Music, is now studying piano and music production at the Berkeley School of Music in Boston. His relaxed but powerful playing made for great music, especially on the Billy Joel hit, "Piano Man" sung by Saroop Oommen, who played a ritzy harmonica as well.
Kolkata-based Anindya Mukherjee is an absolute whiz — there's a kind of power to his piano that is completely captivating. Elton John's E and B flat-dominated music is tailor-made for Anindya's voice and his kind of finger work gives depth and richness to every note. Whimsical and slightly moody in "Your Song", soulfully sad in "Candle in the Wind" and Seventies' swing in "Crocodile Rock", Anindya had every shade of emotion right.
Timothy Madhukar, Jim Satya, Keith Peters and Sandeep Chowta were the other performers at the "Piano Men" night, switching from soulful to swinging in a moment, keeping the audience keyed up all evening.
SHALINI UMACHANDRAN
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