Jazzin’ it up at the Taj

The banyan tree with its intricate roots running everywhere and its complex pattern of sheltering branches bowed us into the concert arena. Chairs dressed in white covers devoutly faced the outdoor stage. A quarter moon peeped through the leaves of the palm trees reaching out into a dark sky. The occasional puffs of breeze were ineffective against the warm sweaty cling of the evening but the cool refreshing drinks at the outdoor bar dispelled the grip of the heat.

We are at the Taj Holiday Village, Sinquerim, for an unusual jazz experience by the famous Dutch Yuri Honing trio featuring tenor sax (Yuri), double bass (Tony Overwater) and Joost Lijbaart (drums and an assortment of percussive instruments). As usual, the slow trickle of dedicated jazz lovers keeps the musicians waiting for an hour but the flow of drinks and “snacks” lubricates the evening. They saunter in as if the evening belongs to them.

The stream of smart waiters kept our taste buds active with a selection of varied taste sensations served as finger food or skewered with complimenting sauces. The delicate lemon cloth napkins and a board clearly spelling out the delicacy offered were nice touches. Nachos (the base needed to be crisp), Salmon, Corn Cakes with sweet sauce, Rava Fried Prawns, the Parmattan Ham with Melon (unique light flavoured sweet taste) the Fried Mozzarella in Chilli Salsa sauce (a memorable taste explosion in the mouth); the Lobsters with Lemon Grass and Gai Yang (succulent chicken chunks marinated in a distinctive Thai flavour served with an enhancing sauce) lingered exquisitely throughout the evening.

Everyone was wrapped in a cosy pampered ambience, ready to immerse themselves in music that emerged in a passionate, concentrated, creatively risk-taking way. Music that dared to explore the heart of things, throw up sound pictures, paint broad sonic landscapes. The drummer did not beat out the rhythm relentlessly. Rather he built textures to fill in the pictures using a variety of bells and gongs, struck, shaken and stirred; caressed the skins with his fingers; hit, rubbed all the surfaces with limitless inventiveness.

The double bass player ran all over the fingerboard with amazing dexterity and injected compelling improvisations. His composition, “No Man’s Land” launched all three pulsing together, heavy throbbing trills, duo combinations and unison playing.

Yuri Honing took one’s breath away. The semitone glisses, the swoops of sound, the rush of notes in long phrases made us all gasp at his breath control (the secret lies in breathing from the diaphragm, he said). His tenor sax sometimes sang sweetly, wafting a gentle melody straight to the heart, sometimes it grabbed the low register with a growl and became guttural. “Fritz”, an original composition, based on the cartoon character, was a delightful portrait of the mischievous cat sticking his nose where it oughtn’t to go and running out of trouble but not of ideas to get into more scapes.

. The Rs. 250 charged was a bargain for the unlimited premium drinks available, or the sumptuous gourmet taste temptations, or the concert. All three packaged for that price was an unbelievable offer. The audience interacted enthusiastically with the musicians and with each other late into the evening with a glow in their eyes, a glow in their hearts and a glow in their stomachs.