Lew Hilt and Arjun Sen of HFT perform at Someplace Else on Saturday. Picture by Rashbehari Das

Lew Hilt is a non-resident Calcuttan. He shifted base to the Capital about three years ago and our loss has been their gain. Having been associated with him for over 30 years one has taken note of his depth and intensity as a musician and an artist and watched his creativity evolve and been amazed at the man’s knowledge, vocabulary and technical ability. Once in the dead of night during one of our countless addas he reached for his bass guitar which at that hour could be clearly heard without amplification and started playing. Gently and caressingly at first, melodic, lyrical, and then more percussive and dynamic till he became a man possessed, hair in disarray, crouched over his guitar now an extension of his own being, giving vent to the storm within, till the crescendo and the denouement and then return to tranquility. All the time his hands were in control and there was never an unmusical moment. It was an experience to remember and even though I had shared the stage with Lew hundreds of times playing a wide variety of styles and watched him on stage with others, I saw him in a new light.

Enter Mr Arjun (Aja ? pronounced ayjay) Sen. A guitar player with clear and definite concepts, highly individual approach, a head seething with ideas and a vast listening experience, he had a good chemistry with Lew from the start. Aja runs a recording studio in Delhi, has written scores for films and other projects and is a highly creative person in his own right. It was Lou Majaw from Shillong who brought the two together when he formed the band Ace of Spades primarily to perform for the Bob Dylan birthday celebrations each year in Shillong. During these rehearsals/jams/performances Messrs Sen and Hilt realised they shared the urge to improvise and approach music in a spatial way and when Lew moved to Delhi the opportunity was there for the taking. They found a drummer and about a year-and-a-half ago formed a trio and called it HFT (High F****** Time). Strictly instrumental. All original.

HFT played their first concert in Calcutta on Saturday night at Someplace Else, The Park. From the moment a print-out of the song list was handed out, it was clear that we were in for something different. There were intriguing titles like Idlis on a camel, Yet a sunrise and Oblique and the music too was off-beat. It was music to close your eyes to, and let it evoke different images in the mind and let it transport you to different times and spaces.

Aja has a unique style. No blistering solos. No fast and frenetic finger work on the fretboard. Just a laid-back chordal style, weaving textures and creating backdrops and sometimes emerging to make a poignant or a cryptic or a sardonic statement. Lew the perfect foil. Metronomic precision when setting a groove and transforming into the lead instrument, rich with melody when improvising and exploring. Drummer Bhuvan Sachdeva showing remarkable maturity and understanding, going well with the flow, alert and attentive to the movements.

Yet a sunrise evoked images of the African Savannah, while Where are we now in which Aja used the slide technique to good effect had a distinctly Indian folkish feel to it. No room to move had a strong rock groove, with shades of Frank Zappa coming through. 21 also had an Indian feel to it, partly because of the time signature of seven beats, though the drumming was western in style and Idlis on a camel had a teasing bass line which suggested an odd count but was actually eight.

It was sophisticated and tasteful music yet the level of communication was simple. Three musicians expressing themselves honestly, bringing variety and depth to their work. There is nothing put on about these guys. However, there was an impression that on that night they were a shade subdued, that there have been gigs where HFT has let things rip a little more. But these are early days and they have the chemistry and the ingredients. Their first album is on the way. It should be worth waiting for.