https://youtu.be/DwZOyLpHgeE Two dosais and one equinox. I wrote #RenduDosai some years ago based on something my sorta-niece @lulubeans9 said about eating two dosais. She was quoting #BobMarleys #SmokeTwoJoints. I loved the idea and the words to Rendu Dosai came tumbling out… (considering #tamizh is both my mother and father tongue) especially after I discovered that […]
https://youtu.be/mbUOkR4AEUM Many terrible things happened in 1934. From a rash of dictators rising in Germany, China, Russia, Bolivia and Brazil to the #GreatDepression reaching depths of hopelessness unseen before. But some nice things happened too. #DonaldDuck first appeared on the scene and so did this song #MyOldFlame. Moving to the #HereAndNow, accompanying me beautifully as […]
https://youtu.be/bo-e1cdr_x8 Smooth and silky, #Chill was written by my piano playin’ pal, Michael Molloy when he was just 19 or 20. I had no idea he could play guitar so nicely. So, presenting The Molloy Twins 1 and 2. One is feeling shy today and is hiding under his hat. Two is brave. Seriously, I […]
https://youtu.be/DLlsv1ku-JM Michael Molloy lives in London and I haven’t met him yet. But we’ve played many songs together… in fact we’re getting ready to do one of his originals soon. Mike has a very, very, very, very, very old Indian connection. His great, great, great, great, great grandfather Major M.J Molloy fell off his horse, […]
https://youtu.be/ayPDM4pyz2o There are times in life when nothing but a little #StevieRayVaughan will do. No #ellafitzgerald, no #sarahvaughan, just Stevie (not #steviewonder). #theskyiscrying is a song I’ve loved for years. I remember driving to #Connecticut from #LongIsland with the top down and blasting my #cassette (yeah, a gazillion years ago) at top volume, feeling like […]
https://youtu.be/HCJg-C6AWVc @amanmhajan_, who wrote the song, played ‘Connections’ for me maybe 10 years ago and I loved it then as much as I do now. Had to write lyrics for it of course, so I asked him to give me a clue about the reason for the name and in his usual cryptic style, he […]
https://youtu.be/1L51jYdwF4U They’re getting younger and younger, the musicians I’m working with these days, as I’m getting older and older. Meet @amithavguitar a 16 year-old, monster guitar player from Chennai. I met him through my friend @babimitra who sent me some of his music a few months ago. Since then Sir Gautam (he insists on calling […]
https://youtu.be/NIMCUcqp6hw Why is this picture like the black hole? No idea but if u click on it u will see and hear me singing ‘If You Could See me Now’ which is a most beautiful song. With me are Maciek Szczyciński and Pavel Ershov. #jazzcollabs #jazzstandard #lockdownjazz #TaddDameron #sarahvaughan #ifyoucouldseemenow #internationaljazz
In Abhinav Chandrachud’s retelling, the biography of the former Attorney General of India comes together like a puzzle By Radha Thomas The story goes that Soli Sorabjee’s life-long passion for jazz began accidentally, while he was in college. He was at Bombay’s Rhythm House, now shuttered, looking for Brahms’ ‘Hungarian Dance No. 5’ but the […]
There’s something about the street dog community that feels like one belongs to a very special, very loving, very intimate family, even if you’ve just met someone. You can tell just by the work they do in rescue – rehab – fostering – healing or fund raising, that the connection is strong. Some months ago, […]
Radha Thomas 