Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Mrigya Live

Mrigya, India's best fusion band (with the possible exception of the Raghu Dixt Project), plays the DLF Promenade, Vasant Kunj, Delhi on Friday evening. I first heard this band play ten years ago, on a bitter cold night in North Campus. We were at Crossroads, SRCC's annual fest, to see some blighted fashion show of sorts. We didn't know about Mrigya then, but they got our attention as soon as they started. They had a sinuous, seductive sound; stately and yet never devoid of energy. Disparate styles melded together until it all became too difficult to classify, and a bit pointless as well. One song in particular stuck on in my memory. It started out with a jazz vocalist taking the stage, only to be joined later by a sufi singer for an audacious jugalbandi, with the band running through everything from rock to raag to jazz and blues. It sounds radical - and of course it is - but that night, the way they played it, it made perfect sense.

P.S. They also have their debut album out. If you miss the concert, buy the album. Trust me, these guys know what they're playing.

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