B n S with Asha Bhosle
by Mahes Perera
  And so another dream of Bathiya ‘n Santhush has come to pass. “Our
ultimate goal was to have the opportunity to sing with the - Indian pop
music Queen - Asha Bhosle and today our dream has become a reality. When
I was very young I used to enjoy singing one of your songs and in my
youthful manner I thought I hope one day I would be able to partner you
in a song,” Bathiya addressed Asha Bhosle at a capacity packed media
conference last week. It was a red letter day for the revolutionary pop
group Bathiya n Santhush, who have created history in our own music
industry with a new Sri Lankan brand of Sinhala pop which like
quicksilver reached out to the youth and opened a new route of
appreciation. There’s no looking back for this segment of the industry.
Asha Bhosle who started her music career at the age of 10 with her
scintillating and mellifluous voice will be singing with BnS in their
upcoming single “Dedunna Sedi” and a Hindi-language version of their
recent hit song “Pethu Pem Pathum.” The popular group will record a
Sinhala version of “Dedunna Sedi” for the Sri Lankan market and a
special Hindi version of the song for release in India.
Asha Bhosle despite her age, she is 76 now, was happy to be here in
Sri Lanka and join BnS in their latest venture.
“My journey in music is long. In my country there were many singers
on the scene and I told myself I have to do something different in order
to survive. In my early years I did western style - like rock ‘n roll.
But they told me: “don’t sing Western songs.” I’ve sung in so many
languages and wondered why haven’t they asked me to sing Sinhala songs.
Now I’m here, we recorded one song and will do another one tomorrow.
I’m from Goa and Sri Lanka is like Goa - the same scenic beauty, the
trees, the food. I like to come again and again!” expressed Asha Bhosle
in all humility who has gained the recognition of being honoured as the
Nightingale of Asia, Singer of the Millenium, the first singer in India
to be nominated for a Grammy Award and the first Indian singer to record
with the rock icon Freddie Mercury. Last year the Government of India
honoured her with the Padma Vibhushan title.
Santhush in his appreciation of having this opportunity to record
with Asha Bhosle drew focus the fact that such an honoured and popular
artiste is so very humble. “It’s amazing to see how humble you are
Madam. We’ve been revolutionary and we try our level best to be humble.
We had a dream of doing a project like this. It’s a difficult and
complex task and we are grateful to Event Concepts for putting all the
logistics together. We hope the younger generation of musicians and
singers will have the confidence to elaborate on what we have started,
and spread Sri Lankan pop to other countries - Nepal, Bangladesh and
even Japan and the Far Eastern countries.” He expressed his thanks to
Rohana Weerasinghe, Nilar N. Cassim, Coca Cola, the BNS team and their
parents and wives for their belief and support of the group to enable
them to reach the top rung of popularity.
Snazzy Jazzy Harmony
“Popsicle toes, Popsicle toes are always froze, Popsicle toes, You’re
so brave to expose all those Popsicle toes” croons Alston Joachim of
Trans Jazz Quartet flooding our senses with memories of Diana Krall.
With all that jazz and a soulful flight to heaven, let the four piece
outfit tickle your mind with melody at the Cinnamon Lakeside that
overlooks the peaceful Beira.
 The members of the band are no strangers to the music industry and
each have careers spanning over 3 decades. Making music all over the
world and uniting cultures with their sound, the band comprises Gavin
Sen on saxophone, Alston Joachim on bass and electric guitar, Shiraz
Noor Amit on drums and Dilrukshi on keyboards and vocals.
“When we play our music, we get into a trance”, said the band even
though they call themselves Trans Jazz Quartet.
Meanwhile, Shiraz was the one who gave the name. “It’s the
brotherhood of music”, said Alston.
“The secret to jamming and having musical chemistry onstage is the
fact that we all work together and have fun when we’re playing music”,
said Gavin, who has a day job doing interior design concepts like
lighting and stuff. He said, “Our passion is music and it is our life
and soul.” Trans Jazz Quartet started about 2 years ago when they struck
the perfect balance in harmonising. “We have been through a lot
individually so when we finally joined as a band that we got it going”,
said Alston.
Speaking about the Sri Lankan English music scene, Gavin explained,
“The problem with the local industry is that when someone brings out
original music, it is taken with criticism but if there is a popular
music producer who helped a band record original music, then it’ll be a
hit.” Dilrukshi is the live wire of the band and she really knows how to
work the keyboard and sing beautifully. Her crystal clear voice and
charming vocal chords is all the more lovely to listen to on a hectic
Friday night. Having been in the industry for quite a long time,
Dilrukshi looks like she can pass as a pretty little young thing.
As for starting out in the music industry, Alston said, “It’s about
having the right balance and attitude that will get you recognition
because in order to develop talent, either you have or you don’t”.
So listen to the harmonising sounds of the Trans Jazz Quartet at the
Cinnamon Lakeside the next time you pop into the 7 degrees North! |
