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| Sunday, 20 March 2005 |
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Features |  |
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Neri Fernandes : Pianist extraordinaire by Mahes Perera In town last week and playing a limited engagement at the Colombo Plaza was the pianist extraordinaire, Neri Fernandes, whose brilliant piano artistry has won him international fame. It was great listening to his interpretations of songs from the songbooks of George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter and selections from Broadway shows which kept you lingering around enjoying his style, until the end of his performance.
When he was in Sri Lanka he had his own weekly radio shows on SLBC and was featured weekly on TV too by the Rupavahini Corporation. In short we missed his artistry with that piano touch that is refreshingly elegant. I'm truly happy to be back with my wife Erin de Selfa, happy to meet with all the familiar musical figures. I enjoy sharing my joy of music with others and I'm glad I struck a chord with you "Neri tells me as we sat down to exchange conversation gambits, after he ended his performance. A quick spool back, and Neri clues me on his early years in Dar-es-Salaam, East Africa where they had a family group called the Tony Ferns Trio comprising his brothers Tony and Hilary and himself. "We were multi instruments and doubled up without exaggeration on tenor sax, guitar, accordion, trumpet, vibes and violin. In fact in London I still play the vibes. We also sang in jazz harmony as well as solo, and at that time the favourites were Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jnr - you can imagine the wealth of music! We were the opening band at many jazz concerts by great American jazz musicians including Wilbur de Paris, Louis Armstrong and Herbie Mann. We even played for a Command Performance in Africa for Princess Margaret," reminisces Neri.
The year 1964 has its significance for Neri. The brothers came in to London seeking greener pastures and landed a gig at L'Hirondelle and met the Sri Lankan songbird Erin de Selfa who was billed to sing with the Trio and was amazed at her performance. As time went by Neri and Erin married and he became her accompanist, playing for cabarets. This saw Neri at the Don Juan, the Stork Room and the Blue Angel at the West End, the Savoy and many other renowned night spots. "I can proudly claim that from the age of eleven I've been consistently playing with no breaks in my career. I must also say that being an accompanist is an art of its own. Not every pianist can be an accompanist. And being Erin's accompanist was a task in itself!!" says a smiling Neri. When Erin was forced to stop singing due to ill health, Neri moved into a solo career. He joined Allen Overy a firm of solicitors and was in demand with contracts for evening dress (black tie) jobs to play at many cocktails, and corporate functions, weddings and was a familiar figure entertaining guests at Blenheim Palace, Savoy, Lansborough Hotel, Connaught Rooms and more. In fact he is going back to keep his agreement for a big event which will feature him. We are keeping our fingers crossed, we'll have more opportunities to enjoy his style. An acknowledged sophisticated, elegant and sensitive pianist, Neri should be happy with his wife Erin's description of him to me. "He's a fabulous pianist, a devoted husband, a good father to the children and believe me house proud." Some guys have all the luck! Peri peri popular Nando's flame-grilled peri-peri chicken has taken Colombo dining by storm. Flame - grilled chicken basted with mouthwatering peri peri sauce is Nando's signature dish, A blend of flavour and fire, be it peri-peri chicken prepared with the cooler lemon and herb for the more cautious chicken lovers, or chicken with the fiery extra hot peri peri sauce for the daringly adventurous, there's something for everyone's taste buds when it comes to succulent marinated chicken grilled over an open flame. This spicy chicken dish which originated in Africa through Portuguese explorers has struck a cord with Sri Lankans because of our colonial past. So Sri Lankans identify Nando's as catering to their very own taste buds. All meats are halal certified and Nando's is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and on weekends till 12 midnight. A touch of Vidal flair Keune Hair Cosmetics of Holland and their local agents in Sri Lanka RF Asia International Pvt (Ltd) together with Ramani Fernando Salons the premier salon chain in the country brought down Guy Cammarano a former Principal of the Vidal Sassoon School in London to provide an intensive training program for Sri Lankan Hairdressers. At a seminar attended by well over 500 hairdressers, organised in association with SLAHAB, Cammarano assisted by the Ramani Fernando team provided excellent value and education to everyone present in a very interestingly presented program. Possessing an international reputation for creative and progressive education to the professional hairdressing industries around the world, Cammarano is unsurpassed performing on stages around the world and conducting high quality educational programs for major events, salon and organisations. Guy Cammarano commented that he was extremely impressed by the high standards maintained by Salons in Sri Lanka and he was very proud to be associated with a brand that invested heavily in training.
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