Big Bang Music's new addition to their roster, singer-songwriter RAHI's song 'Sarmast' was re-released recently. Born and bred in Kashmir, Rahi’s Sarmast is a collaboration with the Garo tribe of the Tura village, Meghalaya. Sarmast's unique soundscapes are nuanced with Sufi melody garbed in the eastern musicality and Garo lyrics. The songsmith is known for songs like Kasheer and Tu Le Ja Mujhe.
Talking about the song, Rahi said, ‘Music has been a way of storytelling for me since I can remember. Sarmast is a tale of losing oneself to the surrounding. The surprising thing is, the people I collaborated with did not understand the Sufi language, so music was the only bridge that got us together and brought Sarmast to its existence. The fact that we learnt from each other, despite the language barrier inspired me to do this collaboration. The soulful energy the Garo community brought to Sarmast is beyond expression. The mixture of the lyrics and the melody blended together so well that the rawness of the composition defined the feeling we shared while making Sarmast. I believe we all are travellers, journeying our way towards what seeks us and the sole motive of making music is to bring communities together, learn from one another and present the creation like never before.’
# Hemshree Antani #Rahi
Those of you who have been around from the 1960's through the 1990's will remember the vibrant live music scene in almost every starred hotel in India. Those were the days when you walked into a nightclub like 'Rendezvous' at The Taj Mahal hotel and 'Supper Club' at the Oberoi Sheraton in Mumbai to see curtains going up on a band that was the prime focus of these outlets. Every seat in these restaurants allowed an unobstructed view of the band that performed every night on resident contracts. Today all this has disappeared thanks to some ridiculously high entertainment taxes on live music. Today, non off these hotels have complete bands playing save for a few that feature small duos or solo singers. The Lodhi in New Delhi, recently listed among the world's best hotels, decided to step in and rewind to the good old days. They got Goa's premier jazz quartet 'Jazz Junction' to move to Delhi on a resident contract and the decision has paid off in terms of footfalls generated by the band. Jazz Junction featuring singer Daniella Rodrigues, pianist Tony Dias,
bassist Colin D'Cruz and drummer Angelo Colasco began playing at The Lodhi in June 2018. Four months into the contract the band generated a sizeable following, with quite a few high profile guests choosing to celebrate their special occasion at the Elan bar where the band performs. Against all odds the rewind option proved to be a huge success and hopefully other properties around the country takes the cue to trigger a whole new revival of live music.