Concert Review- Sandhya Sanjana and Raagtime
Music lovers in Auckland have been treated to a wonderful set of performances by Sandhya Sanjana and RaagTime over the past two weeks. The band performed at Auckland's premier jazz venue- the Creative Jazz Club, 1885 Britomart on the 5th Nov. This was followed by a concert at the Fickling Centre, Three Kings on Saturday 15th Nov and the grand finale was a private concert hosted by Edwin and Anjana at the Blockhouse Bay Boat Club on Sunday 16th Nov 2014.
Sandhya and RaagTime ( feat –Manjit Singh – tabla, Jo Shum- bass, Jim Langabeer – sax, Jason Orme – drums and Ben Fernandez – piano) captivated the audience with their music - an excellent blend of East and West. The band performed compositions by Sandhya which included tunes like Sanny, Karma, Aziza, Kaash, Change, Alentejo and Lakshmi from her CD – Random Access Melody.
They also performed popular jazz standards like Afro Blue, One Note Samba, All Blues.
There was wonderful interplay between the various musicians. Sandhya’s vocal lines and phrases complimented perfectly by Manjit Singh on tabla and bols and Jason Orme on drums and percussion. Pianist Ben Fernandez laid down the harmonic landscape and was ably supported by Jo Shum with her wonderful playing on Upright Bass. Kiwi jazz icon Jim Langabeer added colour to the music with his groovy lines on saxophone and flute. These are musicians of a very high caliber and that was reflected in the performance. The music was technical at times with rhythms and harmonies that were constantly changing and evolving. However the musicians made it look effortless and most importantly made an excellent connection with the audience who played a very important part in this performance. There were claps, hoots , singalongs and constant feedback and support from the audience. It spurred the musicians on and there was an electric atmosphere in the room. Sure everyone went back home on a musical high.
Each concert was unique in its own way. The concert at the Jazz Club had some of Aucklands leading musicians in the audience. The place is one of the best venues for live jazz in the country and features leading jazz musicians and bands from NZ and overseas every week. The band got an excellent review from a leading music journalist Mr John Fenton. (check out his jazz blog HYPERLINK
"http://jazzlocal32.com/2014/11/16/sandhya-sandana-the-cjc/"http://jazzlocal32.com/2014/11/16/sandhya-sandana-the-cjc/ )
The Concert at the Fickling Centre was special as ‘The RaagTime Trio’ comprising of Ben, Manjit and Jo announced the release of their CD – RaagTime that has Bollywood and jazz tunes played in their own unique style. Sandhya also released her latest EP – RagaJazz. The audience also enjoyed some tasty Indian food catered by Bobby Arora of Little India.
Sandhya, Manjit and Ben also performed at a house concert on Friday 14th Nov organized by Dhananjay and Meera Basrur at St Heliers, Auckland. Sandhya performed her Nava Rasa Suite there with vocals , piano and tabla and it was very well received. The Nava Rasas or the nine emotions are the basis of all Classical Indian Dance, music and theatre.
The scenic setting of the Blockhouse Boat Club provided an excellent backdrop for the finale concert of Sandhya Sanjana and RaagTime. The concert was hosted by Edwin and Anjana. There was a mix of people from different cultures, backgrounds and professions in the audience… all with one thing in common- a love of music and the arts. The concert was streamed live on the internet to friends and contacts around the world. Sandhya first visited New Zealand in December 2013 and performed at a concert at the BoatClub with RaagTime. It was a magical evening and she was glad that she could perform there once again this year with RaagTime. The organisers presented each musician with a shawl. There was also a shawl presented to Ben’s son Joshua Fernandez who will be 5 years old soon but has already started making forays as a pianist and drummer. Think Joshua and Manjit’s children Swarleen and Rhythmpreet are the next generation of musicians and they have already been talking about forming their own band!!
It has been a super musical experience for us all. We have enjoyed listening to Sandhya and Raagtime. Each concert was a unique experience. We look forward to many more concerts by RaagTime in the coming year. Sandhya plans on visiting New Zealand again next year and we sure look forward to that too.For information on the band and their music visit HYPERLINK
"http://www.benfernandez.net"www.benfernandez.net and HYPERLINK
"http://www.facebook.com/raagtimefusion"www.facebook.com/raagtimefusion.
It will be great to support this excellent band and team of musicians by attending their gigs and events and spreading the word to your friends and contacts.
Music lovers in Auckland have been treated to a wonderful set of performances by Sandhya Sanjana and RaagTime over the past two weeks. The band performed at Auckland's premier jazz venue- the Creative Jazz Club, 1885 Britomart on the 5th Nov. This was followed by a concert at the Fickling Centre,...
Music lovers in Auckland have been treated to a wonderful set of performances by Sandhya Sanjana and RaagTime over the past two weeks. The band performed at Auckland's premier jazz venue- the Creative Jazz Club, 1885 Britomart on the 5th Nov. This was followed by a concert at the Fickling Centre, Three Kings on Saturday 15th Nov and the grand finale was a private concert hosted by Edwin and Anjana at the Blockhouse Bay Boat Club on Sunday 16th Nov 2014.
Sandhya and RaagTime ( feat –Manjit Singh – tabla, Jo Shum- bass, Jim Langabeer – sax, Jason Orme – drums and Ben Fernandez – piano) captivated the audience with their music - an excellent blend of East and West. The band performed compositions by Sandhya which included tunes like Sanny, Karma, Aziza, Kaash, Change, Alentejo and Lakshmi from her CD – Random Access Melody.
They also performed popular jazz standards like Afro Blue, One Note Samba, All Blues.
There was wonderful interplay between the various musicians. Sandhya’s vocal lines and phrases complimented perfectly by Manjit Singh on tabla and bols and Jason Orme on drums and percussion. Pianist Ben Fernandez laid down the harmonic landscape and was ably supported by Jo Shum with her wonderful playing on Upright Bass. Kiwi jazz icon Jim Langabeer added colour to the music with his groovy lines on saxophone and flute. These are musicians of a very high caliber and that was reflected in the performance. The music was technical at times with rhythms and harmonies that were constantly changing and evolving. However the musicians made it look effortless and most importantly made an excellent connection with the audience who played a very important part in this performance. There were claps, hoots , singalongs and constant feedback and support from the audience. It spurred the musicians on and there was an electric atmosphere in the room. Sure everyone went back home on a musical high.
Each concert was unique in its own way. The concert at the Jazz Club had some of Aucklands leading musicians in the audience. The place is one of the best venues for live jazz in the country and features leading jazz musicians and bands from NZ and overseas every week. The band got an excellent review from a leading music journalist Mr John Fenton. (check out his jazz blog HYPERLINK
"http://jazzlocal32.com/2014/11/16/sandhya-sandana-the-cjc/"http://jazzlocal32.com/2014/11/16/sandhya-sandana-the-cjc/ )
The Concert at the Fickling Centre was special as ‘The RaagTime Trio’ comprising of Ben, Manjit and Jo announced the release of their CD – RaagTime that has Bollywood and jazz tunes played in their own unique style. Sandhya also released her latest EP – RagaJazz. The audience also enjoyed some tasty Indian food catered by Bobby Arora of Little India.
Sandhya, Manjit and Ben also performed at a house concert on Friday 14th Nov organized by Dhananjay and Meera Basrur at St Heliers, Auckland. Sandhya performed her Nava Rasa Suite there with vocals , piano and tabla and it was very well received. The Nava Rasas or the nine emotions are the basis of all Classical Indian Dance, music and theatre.
The scenic setting of the Blockhouse Boat Club provided an excellent backdrop for the finale concert of Sandhya Sanjana and RaagTime. The concert was hosted by Edwin and Anjana. There was a mix of people from different cultures, backgrounds and professions in the audience… all with one thing in common- a love of music and the arts. The concert was streamed live on the internet to friends and contacts around the world. Sandhya first visited New Zealand in December 2013 and performed at a concert at the BoatClub with RaagTime. It was a magical evening and she was glad that she could perform there once again this year with RaagTime. The organisers presented each musician with a shawl. There was also a shawl presented to Ben’s son Joshua Fernandez who will be 5 years old soon but has already started making forays as a pianist and drummer. Think Joshua and Manjit’s children Swarleen and Rhythmpreet are the next generation of musicians and they have already been talking about forming their own band!!
It has been a super musical experience for us all. We have enjoyed listening to Sandhya and Raagtime. Each concert was a unique experience. We look forward to many more concerts by RaagTime in the coming year. Sandhya plans on visiting New Zealand again next year and we sure look forward to that too.For information on the band and their music visit HYPERLINK
"http://www.benfernandez.net"www.benfernandez.net and HYPERLINK
"http://www.facebook.com/raagtimefusion"www.facebook.com/raagtimefusion.
It will be great to support this excellent band and team of musicians by attending their gigs and events and spreading the word to your friends and contacts.
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