[Music] Jazz all the way!!

Louis Armstrong.... Ella Fitzgerald.. John Coltrane.... Duke Ellington are some of the famous Jazz musicians i had heard of...  here are a few more i shall be adding to this list.... 

 

On Friday, we went for a Jazz concert at Museum Theater, Egmore...  Though the show started few minutes late, it was well worth the wait... 

1. Chennai based Yodhaka 

They were into fusion jazz, using Sanskrit slokas as the base.. very nice, melodious and rhythmic.... Loved the voice of the lead singers- Subiksha and Pradeed[who also played the slide guitar..]

  

Towards the end of their performance, Pradeep belted out the famous Mudakaratha modakam[ ganesha slokha]- it was truly soulful...!!! 

2. All the way from Baltimore - Duende Quartet

The four wizards of LATIN JAZZ had us enthralled for over an hour, leaving the audience wanting for more.. the only hitch [ nothing to do with the performance] was the sudden chill within the auditorium.. The Air conditioner was either working full swing or something was up.. we were all nearly freezing in there... :)

Apparently they were the winners from a whole bunch of people who vyed for the post of being a jazz group... Not only did they get to play here in chennai, they are on a world tour ... Fronted by Latin Grammy winning pianist Harry Appelman, the quartet includes bassist Josh Schwartzman and percussionists Mark Merella and Sam Turner ........

Sam is the one who remains in our minds even after the show is over - not just because he was black/Jamaican but he had the audience clapping, tapping their feet, singing along[ words that sounded like chants] till the end of the show... I guess that is the difference between an artist and a showman.... how involved the audience gets with them!!! :)

On Saturday, after a mini meeting with the Caferati clan, i headed over to Citi center for a bit of Jazz and some retail fun ;)

3. The Ellington Suites [Netherlands] 
 

Eight member team, named after the famous Duke Willington's album performed for free at Citi center lobby.. [Thanks to Landmark ]. Saxaphone, Clarinet, Drums, Bass guitar and another instrument that i dont know the name for was what they used to create music....

What a weekend it was....

Books am reading....

 

been reading this for some time now.. but just cant seem to finish it..everytime i pick it up, i start at the beginning.... :) 

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An amazing book.. picked it up cos a friend recommended it, and must say i've not been able to put it down.. got another 20pages to go!! very nice..funny, wacko.. and so insightful!!  

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Bought it at Odyssey cos it seemed interesting, just started on it!!!  

RENT- The musical play/Movie

525,600 minutes,
525,000 moments so dear.
525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In 525,600 minutes -
how do you measure a year in the life?
How about love?
How about love?
How about love?
Measure in love.
Seasons of love.....

goes the song...

This is how the Movie by Chris Columbus (director of the famous Mrs Doubtfire) opens. 8 people standing on a stage singing this song. Gave me goose pimples when I heard this, don't ask me why, but I guess it touched a chord somewhere in me.
I had heard about this movie and had listened to one track "Take me or leave me" that made me pick up the DVD and watch it.

Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning rock opera is what this movie is based on, it tell the story of what happens in the life of a group of Bohemians over a year in modern day East Village New York. How they struggle to pay their rent and their lives, which are all so different but yet so close knit and so similar. Its not just a musical where you have people singing songs and going about the movie, but this is a movie where there are scenes, silences that make you think and feel; the songs that are smoothly brought in between dialogues makes us want to reach out to those on screen and cry with them when they are sad and smile when they succeed.

The main characters of RENT are this group of 8people - Mark (Anthony Rapp) and Roger (Adam Pascal), the former an aspiring moviemaker and jilted lover, while later is a ex-druggie who loves to sing and play his guitar.

Then, there is the vivacious Mimi (Rosario Dawson) who lives in an apartment beneath their, also a druggie who falls in love with Roger and her ex-boyfriend is Benny (Taye Diggs), who was a former member of this group, but got married and is now their landlord. Oh, and there is the ever flirting, ex-girlfriend of Mark's Maureen Johnson (Idina Menzel) who left him for not another man, but Joanna (Traci Thomas) ;o). Also part of this group is Tom Collins (Jesse L. Martin) and his new found friend cum lover Angel (Wilson Jermain Heredia), who is also HIV positive.

Over the year that follows, the group deals with love, drug addiction, break-ups, reconciliation, eviction, death, and even success at last. The songs that feature in this movie are full of life and every word has a meaning so deep, it leaves us wanting more and wishing that it dint end so soon...

It Just goes to show how much can change or happen in a Year, which is what 525,600 minutes is equal to.

For those, who are not used to musicals, this is a good movie to start with for it has dialogues as well, and the songs are all simple, rock numbers, which are so enthralling.

The Tagline of this awesome wholesome movie is NO DAY BUT TODAY. So live each day as it were the last, enjoy every moment, speak your feelings, and enjoy LIFE…

Every single song in this movie is good.. be it.

• No Day but today
• Light my candle
• One song glory
• Over the Moon
• La Vie Bohemie

but the song that stands out and stays in our mind is "Season of love"...

Saw this movie ages ago[think it was 2006], but thought i shall repost this review....

[Movie] The Bucket list

Rob Reiner has made this movie "The Bucket list" to reflect upon how each one lives their lives.

When two people, suffering from a terminally ill disease, share a hospital room decide to get out of there and go live life, the movie unfolds with many shades of emotions and comedy. Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson), the millionaire meets Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) in the hospital. What starts off as initial anger soon becomes a beautiful bond between two men sailing in the same boat.

It all starts when Carter prepares a Bucket list (something he remembered from his college days, "a list that you make before you kick the bucket"), to which Edward adds on items and says "lets go live life to the full, and dont worry about money, for thats one thing i got in plenty".

Adding and crossing items off their list, they will grapple with difficult questions that weigh them down and in the process become true friends. A sweet heart warming tale unfolds thereon, taking us on a roller coaster ride, having us in tears, and as we walk out of the theatre, we smile, and reminisce about all the things we want to do in life... before our time comes to an end..

Dont miss this sweet warm movie..