When we refer to 21st June as being the longest day, we aren’t kidding, and neither are South Asian Arts who chose to celebrate the day by holding a concert in the fabulous Leeds Corn Exchange beginning at 11.00am on that date and running until 5.30 the following morning. Sadly my all-nighter events are far behind me so I just turned up for the opening few acts, bottling out at 5.30pm, so twelve hours early.
I know that the Scandinavians are big on the Summer Solstice and celebrate it, as only they can, by going to their summer houses and witnessing the midnight sunshine, usually with a small libation in hand – or several. In the UK we have the Druids who congregate at Stonehenge to see the sun rise (if they are lucky) on 22nd but I have never associated the date with the Indian Sub-Continent. For once I was not showing my ignorance when I asked the CEO and Artistic Director of South Asian Arts, Keranjeet Kaur Virdee MBE, about its significance to them. She told me that there is no special reason to mark the solstice but it gives the performers a rare chance to play all night, and that does have a special meaning as the pieces, known as raag, all relate to a specific time of day so the night and dawn music rarely gets a public airing. Just my luck to pick the daytime ones I thought.
Keranjeet Kaur Virdee MBE
After spending a little time talking to me, she gracefully took her leave, probably relieved to be rid of the old fool asking dumb questions, and took to the microphone where she told the audience, which was surprisingly large for that time of the day with nothing apparently happening yet, exactly what she had just told me! Anyone else would have informed me that, if I hang on for a few minutes, all my questions would be answered, but she is far too refined to do that, even though she must have had a lot more pressing issues to deal with.
The programme began with a section called Smell the Coffee featuring Kamalbir Singh on violin and John Ball, tabla. The pieces in their hour-long set were quiet and plaintive, a perfect way to ease the audience into the long day to come. It was interesting to see that Kamalbir Singh plays the violin, not by trapping it under his chin, but steadying it against the top of his arm and chest.
After smelling the coffee, there was an hour-long break so that we could drink some, and have a bite to eat. The Bruschetta coffee shop on the ground floor was serving a special menu of Indian goodies which proved so popular, that when I went to get a drink and a piece of cake during the second break, the queue was asked to come back in ten minutes so that they could catch up with the backlog of orders. Please don’t be concerned on my account, as during the first interval I had met my friend Simon Fogal for lunch and a catch-up at Owt.
The second set of the day introduced me to an instrument which I had not encountered before so I asked a chap who was sitting next to me what it was. He told me that it was a rabab and was hundreds of years old, I said it looked quite new to me, which brought a polite laugh. He said that although he had heard them before on broadcasts, he had never witnessed the playing of one live. A first for the both of us then.
I obviously looked it up when I got home and it is indeed 2,500 years old, and of Afghan origin. I still say it looks newer. It was played by Qais Essar from the USA. Note to my American readers, if you see this chap in concert where you live then please pop along for a listen and let me know what you think. Whether he will be at any of the Bluegrass Festivals in Lexington is doubtful, but then I didn’t think he would be at the Corn Exchange on a Wednesday afternoon!
Qais Essar was joined by John Ball who was putting in a double shift on tabla, and Sehaj Singh on tanpura
The set was called Desert Sands and picked up the pace somewhat.
There was an hour or so between sets and later on there was to be creative clubs and games, but it was a bit early in the day for fun, especially in Yorkshire where we keep that enjoying yourself malarkey to a minimum. During the earlier breaks there were a couple of Kundalini yoga sessions given by Binder Kaur Sandhu, which proved popular.
Although there were a couple of spare mats I kept my downward dog securely locked in its kennel.
The last session I witnessed was called Teatime Symphony by sitar player Lakshay Mohan with Bhavanjot Singh Rehal on tabla and Sehaj Singh once again on tanpura, he obviously has the same agent as John Ball.
L-R Bhavanjot Singh Rehal, Lakshay Mohan and Sehaj Singh
It must be quite daunting playing at events like this, especially when you have “A” List celebrities scrutinising your performances. I spotted Jasdeep Singh Degun, the sitar player, composer and Artist in Residence at Opera North, sitting next to Ustad Harjinderpal Singh, known as The Master of Santoor, which is like a zither but with a hundred strings! I bet that takes some tuning. Speaking of which, Lakshay Mohan started his set by apologising for the amount of time he needs to spend tuning his sitar. He said that Indian instruments are notoriously sensitive to changes in heat and humidity so need constant tweaking. It did take quite some time to get it right with the other two musicians shaking their heads sombrely until it was sorted. He tried a few riffs just to make sure it was OK, which drew loud applause from the audience. Not as loud as those at the end though, because, although starting quite slowly, the pace built up and the crescendo of sitar and tabla at the end was mesmerising. The people gathered on the gallery, who had stopped their browsing of the shops to see what was happening, also showed their appreciation. A great way to end my visit.
Jasdeep Singh Degun in green shirt and The Master of Santoor, Ustad Harjinderpal Singh in white, totally engrossed in the music.
I must finish by saying that the event was organised brilliantly by South Asian Arts and the staff were all very pleasant and helpful. I also found the other members of the audience to be extremely friendly, some of whom I didn’t realise were performers waiting their turn. Yes, I’m talking about you Lakshay and Bhavanjot! I also got to spend a bit of time chatting to Jasdeep Singh Degun who said he was doing a tour of Scotland. The temperature and humidity there will test his tuning abilities.
To see what South Asian Arts are up to please go to https://www.saa-uk.org
The event was presented in association with LEEDS2323. For more details of their programme it is https://leeds2023.co.uk/
All photographs by Stan Graham
Tyke It To The Limit 