Review: Mumbai Witnesses History in the Making with Shakti’s Spellbinding Concert

When guitarist John McLaughlin announced that Indo-jazz band Shakti would play the golden oldie “Bridge Of Sighs,” massive applause filled the air. After all, the track from the 1977 album Natural Elements has been a fan favorite. What the 4,800-strong crowd at the Dome, NSCI SVP Stadium, witnessed over the next 17 minutes was far beyond expectations, as ghatam maestro Vikku Vinayakram played one of the most memorable solos one could dream of.

The appearance of 80-year-old Vinayakram was meant to be the special attraction of the Mumbai leg of Shakti’s 50th anniversary tour. He appeared on only two songs, but his performance in the 11-beat solo was so brilliant that tabla monarch Zakir Hussain quipped, “What do we do to top that?” Needless to say, each musician had his moments of glory. If Ganesh Rajagopalan dazzled on the violin, Shankar Mahadevan’s vocals and V. Selvaganesh’s kanjira and other percussion added to the magic.

Presented by JSW in partnership with HSBC, the January 22 show was promoted and produced by Hyperlink Brand Solutions and Paytm Insider. Over nearly two and a half hours, the group enthralled with a mix of 1970s classics and songs from the early 2000s, when they had been renamed Remember Shakti. Unlike many groups which stick to uniform set lists on a tour, Shakti made alterations to what they played in Bengaluru on January 20, where they began with “5 Piece Band.” In Mumbai, the first two numbers were purely instrumental, with McLaughlin showing his dexterity on “5 In The Morning, 6 In The Afternoon” and Rajagopalan playing a soulful intro on “Ma No Pa,” written by Zakir after his father Ustad Alla Rakha passed away.

Mahadevan joined next with “Sakhi,” inspired by the thumri style of semi-classical music. While it was a wonderful composition sung well, a few synthetic effects and chants seemed out of place. That was one of the two road-bumps in an otherwise immaculate evening, the other being the intermittent echo one heard during Selvaganesh’s kanjira solo. Mahadevan’s “Giriraj Sudha,” a Thyagharaja composition in ragam Bangala, was well-received, as the audience was familiar through its earlier rendition at Remember Shakti concerts.

Besides “Bridge Of Sighs,” the older material included a reinterpretation of “You Know You Know,” originally played by McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra in its pathbreaking 1971 album The Inner Mounting Flame. The cinema-styled intro segued into the percussion solos, first by Selvaganesh, and then by Zakir, who very briefly included the riff of Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water” in his part. The encore was another old-time gem, “Lotus Feet.” The McLaughlin composition has had numerous versions, including those featuring the Mahavishnu Orchestra, flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia, guitarist Paco De Lucia, mandolin master U. Srinivas and violinist Jean Luc-Ponty. This time, Rajagopalan shone on the basic melody, with the piece acting as a poignant symbol of 50 years of musical genius.

The biggest takeaway was the on-stage camaraderie and sheer energy of the musicians, with three of them first playing together 50 years ago. They had formed the band in 1973, along with violinist L. Shankar and mridangam player Ramnad Raghavan, who left early. Shakti’s tours of India are much remembered. In 1982, guitarist Larry Coryell filled in for the injured McLaughlin, who came in 1984 and simply delighted fans.

While Shankar got busy with his own projects. Vinayakram had to return to Chennai to run the percussion school set up by his father. The band reunited in 1997 with flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia joining them for a while. Later, mandolin player U. Srinivas became an integral member, till his untimely demise in 2014.

Today, McLaughlin is 81 and has the same magic in his fingers. The guitarist coordinated fabulously with everyone on stage. Zakir began the show with a brief mishap, as he fell while being felicitated, only to get up immediately and smile at his tense fans. He gave the others enough time and space, accompanying beautifully, and coming into the limelight only during his solo. His teamwork with Selvaganesh was just perfect.

Mahadevan, as usual, was strong on technique, besides having to do brief vocal parts on “Bridge Of Sighs” and “Lotus Feet.” Many ears were on Rajagopalan, who joined the line-up in the one-off Kolkata show in 2020. There were bound to be comparisons with L. Shankar, especially on the tracks the founding member once played on, and even with Srinivas, as in some cases he was adapting and improvising mandolin parts to his violin. Rajagopalan, of course, has his own personality, playing with a lot of feel and intricacy.

In the end, of course, Vinayakram’s solo stood out. Just earlier this week, on January 20, one had heard some incredible ghatam by Giridhar Udupa at the Mumbai Drum Day concert held at the St Andrew’s Auditorium, Bandra. If that was out of this world, Vinayakram’s performance was out of this galaxy. It just added to an unforgettable Shakti experience.