There was ‘Mahaganapathim’, the popular Carnatic kriti. And there was ‘Ennamo Edho’, the popular film number. All this and more from city band Project Yuj at the launch of their debut album on Wednesday evening at Museum Theatre.
The setting was perfect for music – a windy evening and a laidback ambience at the venue. And, Aalaap Raju and company strung together some interesting instrumental fare for the musically inclined in the audience.
The evening was kick-started with verve — their version of ‘Mahaganapathim’ was very different from the traditional one. This was fast, edgy and foot-tapping, thanks to Prakash Hariharan’s mastery over the mandolin. Moving on, the band performed to ‘Reethigowla Blues’, the number that turned out to be the making of the four-member team, besides several other covers that had the crowd cheering them.
Multi-faceted musician T. V. Gopalakrishnan, who launched the album, said, “I’m hearing some beautiful sounds and rhythms. When music is aesthetically produced, it makes an impact…and that’s what this band is doing.”
The filmi part of the evening was not planned, but with the audience egging them on, Project Yuj performed the popular ‘Ennamo Edho’from Ko . This version, quite different from the one featured in the film, had the audience nodding knowingly and tapping their feet to the percussion.
Well-known music conductor Augustine Paul went down memory lane recalling the recording of his first song – ‘Idhu Oru Nila Kaalam’ ( Tik Tik Tik ) along with TVG. He added, “Usually, instrumental music is played in the background. With this band, I hope it occupies the foreground on all occasions.”