When two become one

The stars were twinkling. The moon was smiling. And the people on the ground were lost in the music when The Many Roots Ensemble played a gig at a festival last weekend. The music that the massive outfit of seven members was creating on stage was so intricate and unusual that it came as a breath of fresh air in a market that's swamped with DJs playing generic beats. So, don't say that live music is dying. Instead, head for a concert this evening where Many Roots will share the stage with Rashtriya Swing Sena (SS), a contemporary jazz band, to understand what we mean.

The unusual aspect of this gig is that both outfits have the same members, barring one person. "That's why we decided that we'd play a back-to-back set, in the sense that all of us will be on stage throughout instead of one act opening for the other, and we'll play each other's tunes in succession," says guitarist Subid Khan, one of the founding members of Many Roots.

Rashtriya Swing Sena

Think about that sequence for a second. The concept of a back-to-back, or "b2b", gig is usually reserved for two DJs who play simultaneously. It's rare, in fact almost unheard of, for a couple of live acts to join each other on stage for the entire duration of a concert. What makes it all even more impressive is that both the bands play divergent music. The cheekily-named RSS, like we said, plays mainly jazz. But Many Roots belts out a mix of Afro-Cuban and neo-soul music, making extensive use of instruments like a saxophone, trumpet, keyboard and percussions. On occasion, they even have a rapper joining forces with them — MC Tod Fod of city-based hip-hop crew Swadesi — as will be the case this evening.

Khan admits that they go with a curtailed line-up for gigs at smaller venues. But it will be a full house at this concert. The venue is indoors, unlike at the weekend's festival, though going by what we'd heard, the audience will still be lost in music. So take a break from electronica if that's what you've mostly been subjected to and rediscover the magic of a straight-up, no-nonsense live gig.

ON Tonight, 9 pm
AT AntiSocial, Mathuradas Mill Compound, Lower Parel.
Log on to instamojo.com
COST Rs 350

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