Gillian McAinsh
The first weekend of the Mandela Bay Arts Festival featured the soulful sounds of Gqeberha group Mahesh Narotam and Friends.
Performing on the Little Theatre stage at the Athenaeum in Central, the group enchanted with a blend of world music, presenting a smooth jazzy flavour imbued with classical Indian sounds.
The group members are Mahesh Narotam on the bansuri (Indian bamboo flute), his son Chetan Narotam on the tabla, jembe, dholak (Indian percussion), Iwan Williams on acoustic guitar, Jonathan Kiste on vocals and percussion, and Balo Luzipo on keyboards.
You may have heard a few of them performing under the name Mosaic at the 2022 Mandela Bay Arts Festival, 2022 Richmond Hill Musical Festival or the 2022 Mamela Arts Festival.
“This year we have new members and can’t wait to share our new content with our supporters,” says Mahesh of the diverse talents.
Sadly, the group lost original guitarist Andre Oliphant in 2023, almost exactly a year ago, and this has led to the changed line-up.
Mahesh has composed a piece in tribute to Oliphant, In Memory of Andre, which was due to be performed but unfortunately had to be cut due to time constraints.
Most of the bill on the night did however consist of Mahesh’s own original compositions. The playlist kicked off with Mahesh’s tranquil Reflections, off his Satma-nominated album Sacred Moments.
It set the tone for an hour of hauntingly lovely sounds, with a stream of melodies washing across the stage like an aural wave.
At this first show, though, the sound from the bansuri, and Mahesh’s commentary on the numbers, were often muffled.
Perhaps his microphone, or speaker, was not ideally positioned? Normally every note from his flute cuts like crystal through the air so, hopefully, this will be sorted out for the next show on Friday night.
The up-tempo Turkish Delight flagged a change of pace after Reflections, before quieter numbers such as Moonlight and Roses and the spiritual Dance of Shiva.
Kefaya by Nicki Wells showcased the gorgeous vocals of Kisten, as did Colour of Love originally composed by Indian vocalist Shankar Mahadevan and Indian jazz pianist Louiz Banks.
This number also gave Luzipo the chance to show his sparkling keyboard talent, this guy has magic hands!
So too does percussionist Chetan, who brings the most amazing sounds out of his instruments.
On his father’s composition, Dancing in the Rain, Chatan’s hands seemed actually to be “dancing” on the bansuri, pattering down like raindrops, fluttering like the wind, and hammering down in torrents, while never missing a beat.
Raga Reggae, as its title suggest, was a fun reggae-flavoured tune to end the show.
Mahesh Narotem and Friends is a rare chance to enjoy a range of instruments not often seen together on a public stage in Gqeberha – if you love original world music, performed by a talented group of musicians, this one is for you.
- Catch Mahesh Narotam and Friends again at 7pm on Friday 23 February at the Athenaeum.
Award winning journalist Gillian McAinsh, is a professional freelance writer and editor with extensive experience in print and digital media.
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