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| Sunday, 21 August 2005 |
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Happenings / People Debut CD launched by Mahes Perera
Music on a higher level of originality is how best the debut CD of the Grant Chamberlain Quartet could be described. Called Colombo Beast, the title track according to saxophonist Chamberlain is an original in a modern idiom and reflects "the inner Beast everyone experiences at different times for different reasons. Chamberlain's Beast is often awakened while driving in Colombo traffic!" The music aptly expresses the mixed emotions one experiences during these exasperating moments. Chamberlain is supported by the professional jazz playing guitarist, Revel Crake who needs no introduction to our music scene. Ray Gomes is featured on bass and as we all know he plays with the popular band Ultimate, while one of the leading drummers in Sri Lanka, Shiraaz Nooramith provides the slick snare and drum language in his interaction with the other instrumentalists. The album contains eleven creatively executed tracks of known melodies and originals by Chamberlain. Besides Colombo Beast, there's Mraah! which expresses the anxiety and uneasiness while awaiting some bad news, the music interestingly woven between the sax and guitar. The other original Neighbour's Garden has to be listened to, to appreciate how it all came about. It was inspired by the rhythmic pattern of a phrase learnt in a Tamil language class! The complexity of a women's mind is emotionally captured in Drongo's Nong creating a web of intriguing music phrases. A selection of standards too are included on the CD like A Foggy Day, Satin Doll, Here's That Rainy Day and In Walked Bud - all tunes given a different exciting arrangement which makes them modern in musical expression. The Grant Chamberlain Quartet has been performing at The Barefoot Gallery and Cafe these past two years on Sunday afternoons. Chamberlain an Australian has, as he tells us, enjoyed playing with Sri Lankan musicians including the leading fusion and oriental musicians. Before he came over to Colombo he worked as a musician and teacher in Washington DC USA for three years. A Master of Music of the Australian National University, Chamberlain has performed at many jazz festivals in Australia as well as the Monterey Jazz Festival in California. He taught music in the Palestine National Conservatory of Music and the fascination of jazz/Arabic fusion made him lead his band Transit. Colombo Beast is available at Barefoot. Roosanda Roo on stage today by Jayamini Attanayake
Rukantha Gunatilleke, the dynamic musician of the modern era will display his musical prowess when he stages his musical concert Roosanda Roo and Maime Indan at BMICH, Colombo, today at 7.00 p.m., to launch his latest CD. His wife Chandralekha will join him to present her latest collection Mage Adare. Rukantha, who started entertaining music lovers from his childhood shot to the limelight in the mid eighties with his novel Sinhala pop music hit Bambara Pahasa Labana Malak do. The song endeared to the hearts of youth and soon Rukantha became an idol among teenage music lovers and Bambara Pahasa was a sell out. Answering the query as to what he expects out of the concert, Rukantha said that after a silence of twelve years in his musical career he thought that it was time to give his fans some thing new with the stamp of his identity. So is the objective of Chandralekha who broke her fourteen years of silence to launch her cassette Mage Adera. He composed music for these compact discs other than for two songs for which Rohana Weerasinghe provided the music. "Music has undergone changes rapidly and we have to be in touch with the changes and fall in line with what our fans need. No other subject is more endearing to mankind than the theme Love. So our presentation at BMICH today will be a paradise of love." Regarding his style of music Rukantha remarked that his music is a blend of pop music with church choral music. A significant part of his life was spent in European countries and therefore his music has touches of western origin. At the same time he added indigenous characteristics by the use of traditional instruments like the beraya with folk song tunes to add lustre. "I do not like to imitate the foreign styles of music. My music is light to keep the enthusiasm going with my fans." |
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