MUMBAI: With western music exponents showing interest in collaborating with our Indian counterparts, at the fusion excellences – Pure Rhythms, organised by BEAMS saw one of world's best jazz pianists Jean Francois Maljean, sitar exponent Niladri Kumar and Bollywood's best discovered vocal talent Sonu Niigaam take the stage at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Bandra, Mumbai.

Considering the city's unpredictable weather condition, the clear skyline made it clear that there would be no rainy disruptions. While the crowd strolled in, the three star musicians where doing their sound check and simultaneously preparing for their jam session which was to happen at the end of the show. As the sun set, the stars of the evening appeared – one by one.

Seated on a pearl grand piano, Jean Francois Maljean opened the show with his instrumental jazz solo – just to warm up! The instrumental was followed by a French song 'Autumn Leaves', and though the words may not have been understood, the melody certainly touched the audiences'. A Belgian by origin, JF learnt Jazz piano and song writing at Berkeley, and after being a hit in Europe and Africa, the jazz pianist thought of exploring the musical possibilities with Indian musicians. JF has a signature style of playing the piano – one in which he stands up and directly hits the steel strings instead of the keys – the sound heard is mix of santoor and chimes.

Niladri Kumar, dressed in his favourite black kurta, came next with his band 'Sitar Funk'. Since most of the music that the band plays is improvised, watching Niladri when he's digging those extended solos is a treat. Niladri played the title track from his album 'Priority' to start off and moved to playing a series of wellknown songs and solos woven into each other. Sitar Funk has some brilliant musicians on board like drummer Gino Banks and tabla player Satyajit Talwalkar – The jugalbandi between tabla and the drums was the highlight of their set. The fiery Zitar sound engulfed the arena for the next 20 odd minutes.

One man who used the sound to the fullest and kept the audience glued was India's most versatile singer – Sonu Nigaam. His repertoire included The Beeges 'Stayin Alive', Eric Clapton's 'Wonderful Tonight' and of course, the compositions which he is known for - like Kal Ho Na Ho, Rang de and his solo album hit, Bijuriya. The songs were so beautifully woven into each other that it seemed Sonu was slowly opening a Pandora's box of surprises. Sonu sang these songs of high-low pitches effortlessly and ease and gave a mind boggling energetic performance. In one of the interactions with the audience, the singer expressed his concern over the apathetic state of musical standards in Bollywood. It's time that one stops calling him a 'Bollywood' Singer – this man's way ahead of his times! And for a fusion concert of this nature, there couldn't have been anybody better than Nigaam.

As more and more corporates look to tap the expanding live music business scene, the talented musicians from both India and abroad are getting an opportunity to reach to a wider audience. The audiences too get a taste of live performers' music and watch things 'as it is'. Live concerts also expose music lovers to a musicianship of international standards, and if there are any listeners who feel that Bollywood music is the start and end of it – they can watch these awe-inspiring musicians who will put a rest to all their doubts.

Lastly, as long as the tickets prices don't burn a hole in your pockets, it's not a bad deal, both for the audience and the artistes– a win-win situation for musicians, music lovers, organisers and most importantly, for 'Music'. So, after everything else, something which we can call 'music' and not 'ear bursts' is on its way!

Pics by Mitesh Bhuvad