MUSIC

Mignonne returns to centre stage

by Mahes Perera

Along with Maxi and Suraj - the Trio performs on Saturdays at the upmarket restaurant California Grill - Galadari Hotel's most talked about dining restaurant. Saturday nights is a special evening for guests, for with Mignonne at the helm the evening is titled 'Dance For Your Supper'.

There is no doubt that with the exciting selection of supper choices, combined with Mignonne's artistry in music and her repertoire which stretches to reflect the music throughout the years, guests will be making many returns to enjoy themselves.

Her band Mignonne and the Jetliners enjoyed phenomenal success. Hers was the only band in the history of The Regent Hong Kong to be contracted successively for 16 years with no breaks. Her career is loaded with achievements. In a quick spool back she was the first Sri Lankan to be signed up by EMI Records UK and Keith Prowse Music London. Her song Coconut Mana entered the finals at the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo, following her previous songs 'Love, Don't Let Me Down' (1971) and 'Someday My Love' (1972).

Singer iconic Maxi Rozairo makes a welcome return to the regular performing music scene to capture the audience with his once-in-a life time voice quality that has yet to be paralleled. His early start was with the 'Sound Waves' and later with the popular Spitfires, who like the Jetliners made a mark in the Sri Lankan music industry. Who could forget his rendition of Bridge Over Troubled Waters which carried the required emotion to bring out the meaningful lyrics. When be teamed up with Diliup Gabadamudalige to perform as a Duo they carried off the Observer Golden Clef Award, Duo of the Year two years running. At present Maxi is also a vocal coach and wants to give back to the Sri Lankan music industry from which be learned so much.

The third member of the Trio is the bassist Suraj Gunawardena who in 2006 joined the pop and rock band Anno Domini as an acoustic guitarist / singer performing at the World Trade Centre. A founder member of the JAGS Quarted, Suraj later joined The A-Team and stayed with them from 2012 to 2014 before he was invited by Mignonne as her preferred bass guitarist.

Now that you've read this run down of the Mignonne, Maxi and Suraj Trio what's your favourite music to dance to? Is it Latin, Foxtrot, Rumbha, Quickstep or even the modern groove? You can have it all at Dance For Your Supper with Mignonne and her Trio, at the California Grill.

Soul Sounds sing for animal rights

The premier all-female ensemble Soul Sounds will stage their next concert ‘Born Free’ on March 17 at the Lionel Wendt Theatre. Aptly titled with inspiration from the famous movie, the concert is fully in aid of the Animal Protection Trust, a non-profit making concern that endeavours to foster humane treatment of all animals in Sri Lanka.  

Soul Sounds as a choir has always been about challenging themselves to engage the audiences in innovative ways and hence has chosen to support the cause and thematically link its concert. “The thought of animals and to challenge ourselves with a new repertoire has been on our minds since we participated at the Ihlombe!

South African Music Festival last year and the girls toured the country. I guess this is the result,”said Soundarie David-Rodrigo, Music Director of Soul Sounds.

 The concert will feature pop to African fusion chants taken from songs and movies linked with animals contributing to the message of caring for mother earth and its living beings that do not have a voice. All of this in a choral-style with the choir’s own arrangements.

 The Animal Protection Trust as not-for-profit has been engaged in the larger domain of initiatives to combat illegal transportation and slaughter of cattle and buffaloes island-wide, ritual animal sacrifice, promotion of humane methods of animal slaughter, while also taking initiatives for rehabilitation and re-homing of abandoned puppies and kittens, cats and dogs, eradication of rabies in Sri Lanka by 2017.

 The concert is sponsored by Litro Gas and Soul Sounds’ exclusive sponsors Fairway Holdings and Dimo.

Tickets are available at the Lionel Wendt Theatre Box Office from 9:30am to 7:00pm daily.