They have carved a niche in India and they are out to make a mark
in Europe now. The Brown Indian Band is all set to wow 18 cities across that
continent next year. And their European adventure comes with a rare honor for
any Indian band: In April 2007, when the band rocks Europe, they will actually
be doing so as the opening act for the legendary singer Sting in a series of
concerts.
It all started at JW Marriott hotel, where the band has been playing regularly
since April. “After a particular performance sometime ago, a guest walked up
to me with an irresistible offer: he said he could put me through to Sting, and
that the rock icon was looking to perform with an Indian band,” recalls
Colin D’Cruz who plays fretless bass with the group.
Of Course, the band members are overwhelmed. “It’s a huge honor, says
D’Cruz. “We will perform our own compositions at the concerts including the
popular number ‘Mumbai Jumbo’. Right now we are in the process of working out
the details with Sting’s agent.”
The band which D’Cruz leads, also includes Dhiraj Kapadia on bansuri, Jayesh
Dhargalkar on percussion and Tony Dias on keyboards. For the Sting tour, the
band will be joined by two exponents of Carnatic music-Hari kumar on violin and
Subramanium on percussion.
The band which started in 1994, is known for its world fusion music where it
brings together the best of Indian classical and jazz music.
On the band’s name, D’Cruz says: “There are Red Indians. But, had Christopher
Colombus got his navigation right, he’d have discovered us, ‘brown Indians’
first! We feel it’s high time we take pride in our skin colour.”
Hear sound samples of the band at
http://jazzgoa.tripod.com/fusion.html
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
