(Top) Sivamani on percussion and Purbayan Chatterjee on sitar

The Beatles? Norwegian Wood met Indian classical and 70s-era jazz from Louiz Banks? halcyon Park Street days at the Rhythm Asia show at Calcutta Club, offering a simmering blend of virtuosity and showmanship.

Friday?s bar night organised by the wine committee of the club in association with The Telegraph, Seagram?s Royal Stag and Priya biscuit heralded a season of music magic and high-profile concerts.

Sivamani on percussion, Banks on keyboards and Purbayan Chatterjee on sitar (filling in for Niladri, who had to pull out at the last moment owing to a personal problem) proceeded to create ?a 21st century sound that is cross-cultural, global, truly world music?.

Vigorous jamming kicked off the concert with Banks? keyboard holding down ambient soundscapes over which the other musicians soloed flamboyantly. Compositions like Singing Candles were a testament to both individual music prowess and the joys of ensemble playing.

Purbayan?s raga-based melodies found a harmonic counterpoint in Banks? jazz chords and Sivamani?s near-clockwork grooves. At times, the percussionist, dressed in a red kurta and matching bandana, would launch into a fusillade of heavy drum thunder. Over the years, Sivamani has managed to carve out a unique approach to percussion playing, using obscure ethnic instruments and the humble thali to dazzle the listener.

But it was not just bombast. The music also transported listeners to other worlds, as mystic chants and the blowing of conch shells conjured up the image of a Hindu temple before flowing seamlessly into a jazzy modern groove. For Banks, it has been a long journey from his be-bop days in Park Street. He has evolved from being a jazz pianist to a composer who straddles the worlds of fusion, jazz and new age with consummate ease.

Louiz Banks on keyboards. Pictures by Aranya Sen

Banks, dressed in black with trademark beret in place, looked causally cool. His keyboard work and persona stood in stark contrast to Sivamani, who provided the much-appreciated flamboyance quotient. Purbayan, on the other hand, was a picture of classical solidity and poise, leaving the soloing to the two masters, but enriching the music with tasteful sitar passages.

The level of improvisation throughout the show was high, and it was a treat to watch the soloists play off each other, smiling all the while. The audience especially enjoyed Sivamani?s multi-drum routine that involved a show of both great physical and mental skills. At times, it seemed he would get carried away, but Banks? keyboard interludes would make an appearance just at the right time to ensure the players remained within the framework of the compositions.

The aggressive fusion fury of the evening was later carried forward by the audience to the dance floor where DJ Moses dished out a select fare comprising pop, house, hip-hop, jungle and club mixes.

Sangita Sultania G. Roy

All-rounder Aditi in action

This fit-as-a-fiddle charmer could, at the very least, be a role model for all married women. For Aditi Govitrikar?s journey to ramp success took off after the wedding bells chimed.

Though the Gladrags Supermodel title was already under her belt, name and fame came calling big time only after Aditi bagged the Mrs India World crown in 2001. Since then, it has been a string of high-end modelling assignments, punctuated by a few flop films.

?I don?t have the time for films at all,? declares the light-eyed beauty, passing through town as a judge for the eastern zonal rounds of the Mrs India World contest. ?It?s the ramp that keeps me really busy. In fact, I?m just back from a show in San Francisco,? she adds, eager to rub off the twin filmi blotches on her career.

After launchpad Soch, where she starred as a possessive wife, bombed at the box-office, her second venture Dhund-The Fog (here she?s an aspiring model) followed suit. And the blink-and-miss appearance in Baaz didn?t help much either.

Now, the doctor by education and the mother of a toddler is willing to give the small screen a try. In Sony TV?s popular soap Yeh Meri Life Hai, Aditi plays professor Resham who floors her male students with her pretty looks. Propositioned and hurt, she decides to take a tough stand and eventually ends up becoming the most popular teacher around.

?The experience has been good so far, especially with the bunch of young college kids around,? smiles Aditi, squeezing time out for TV from her ramp shows and duties as a mother.

?Since the makers of the serial introduced my character in the middle, they?ve had to change the script, sending one of the professors on leave and bringing me in,? adds she.

?But they are building on the role and I?m going to be around for a while. The next sequence has me falling in love with Sudhangshu Pandey, who plays the professor on leave,? reveals Aditi.

She is however not too keen on music videos. ?I don?t have anything against them since I have done a couple of them. But I want to concentrate on acting right now,? she asserts.