Jazz with Eric Vloeimans yet again & a good bye......

Was lucky to see Eric Vloeimans & Gate crash in action again. He was off to Japan after the concert.

I just loved their song titled Foot steps.

Here is a very poor recording from my mum's mobile phone (No Eric, her mobile was not the one which kept ringing !!)

At the Jazz Utsav with Eric Vloeimans et al

For the first time i went for a live jazz program & i really enjoyed it.

Some of the musicians who performed are :

Eric Vloeimans who is regarded as one of the Europe's best trumpet players & the performance of his group Gate crash was simply awesome, Ulli Gudmundsson was also great on Bass

Wayne Krantz is one of the best guitarists

Anthony Jackson is one of the best in bass

Cliff Almond sets the mood alive with some of the best drumming

David Binney is supposed to be the one of the best saxophone players of present day

Brian Melvin ( Beatle Jazz), has a unique style in drumming

Andre Marcelli again is one of Italy's greatest drummers, he was amazing

Lorenzo Petrocca is known world over for his guitar playing

Amit Heri from India was also really good

I also enjoyed just watching some of them prepare for the show during the breaks, the way they set up their instruments & how they tune them etc

Until next year !!

At The Movies-again....

I went with few of my friends to watch wake up Sid

it was truly amazing !!!!!!!!

i loved the movie.

then we went to "city walk" a huge mall next to the theatre

and after the movie we were just roaming around the mall

we had hot dogs for lunch

and doughnuts from M.O.D (Mad over Doughnuts) for dessert...

and then returned home after a awesome day.

Listen & watch Kya karoon here

A song in the making.........

We have music time in school, me & my friends were trying to pen down a song, it goes something like this..... also my guitar teacher Rahul is helping me add the chords !!

I started out that evening
With a pencil in my hand
I don't know what came over me
I just can't understand

I sat down on the couch
With not a whole lot to say
Tired out by my thoughts
I'll just call it a day

Someone knocked this into my head
If the paper is blank it just can't be read
And the paper is still blank

The pencil & the paper
There no worth for more
I just can't write this crazy thing
and i just don't know how

Wish you were here.......... chords by me !!

These are the chords of "Wish you were here" by Pink Floyd, which i am learning !!

Wonder how it sounds ??

Good ??

-----------------------------------

So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,

blue skies from pain.

Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?

A smile from a veil?

Do you think you can tell?

And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?

Hot ashes for trees?

Hot air for a cool breeze?

Cold comfort for change?

And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, how I wish you were here.

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,Running over the same old ground.

What have you found? The same old fears.

Wish you were here.

Raag Brindavani sarang on Bansuri

Thaat : Kaafi

Time : Afternoon

Aroha: ni sa re ma pa NI SA
Abroha: SA NI pa ma re sa

In the Abroha the Ni is a half note

Sthai :

nisa rema resa rema pani pama paNi SaRe
/Sa - ni pa r e - sa -
- nisa resa - nisa - ni pa
sa - ni re - re sa -
- rema pa ni ma pa NI SA
SA NI PA MA PA NI SA RE
SA NI PA MA RE SA NI SA

Antara:

- mapa NI pa NI - SA SA
- NI SA RESA RE NISA NI pa
- NISA re MA RE - NI sa
SA NI PAMA PANI SARE
SANI PAMA RESA NISA

Raag Durga on bansuri

Learning my second Raaga....
Raag Durga on teen taal ( 16 beats)
Thaat : Bilawal
Time : Late evening
AROHA: sa re ma pa da SA
ABROHA: SA da pa ma re sa

STHAI:
sa mama re pa -- da ma pa
+/da -- -- ma -- re s a--
da sa da re -- ma re ma
da ma pa da Sa dapa mare SA

ANTARA :
da ma pa da SA -- pa da
SA -- SA SA DA RE SA --
da SA RE MA RE SA DA SA
da ma (pada SARE MARE SADA PAMA RESA)

Raag Bhopali

I've re started my flute (bansuri G scale) classes & i am learning Raag Bhopali.

AROHA : Sa Re Ga Pa Da Sa
ABROHA: Sa Da Pa Ga Re Sa s

Here is a composition that i am learning in Teen taal (16 beats)

STHAI
SA SA da pa ga re sa re
+/ga - pa ga da pa ga -
ga pa da SA RE SA da pa
SA pa da pa ga re sa --

ANTARA
ga - ga ga pa pa sada pa
S A - SA SA DA RE SA -
da - GA RE SA da p a -
ga pa da sa da pa ga -

Good bye Peace group !!

Another year is over for me at Mirambika. For two years we had Baren bhaiya as our class teacher, now we will have some one else.

Peace group so far has been my best year in Mirambika, thanx to Brainy (Baren bhaiya) & to all my other teachers & my dear friends

During our Annual day we sang Incomplete, by Back Street Boys

Empty spaces fill me up with holes
Distant faces with no place left to go
Without you within me I can't find no rest
Where I’m going is anybody’s guess
I tried to go on like I never knew you
I’m awake but my world is half asleep
I pray for this heart to be unbroken
But without you all I’m going to be is incomplete
Voices tell me I should carry on
But I am swimming in an ocean all aloneBaby, my baby
It’s written on your face
You still wonder if we made a big mistake
I tried to go on like I never knew you
I’m awake but my world is half asleep
I pray for this heart to be unbroken
But without you all I’m going to be is incomplete
I don’t mean to drag it on, but I can’t seem to let you go
I don’t wanna make you face this world aloneI wanna let you go (alone)
I tried to go on like I never knew you
I’m awake but my world is half asleep
I pray for this heart to be unbroken
But without you all I’m going to be is incomplete

Thanx Brainy & a song for you !!

Birding in Bharatpur

During the Republic Day weekend we went to Bharatpur, after a relaxed drive & a quick lunch, we met Maan Singh & YES..............it was time to go to the park.

As we entered the park we could see the Grey Night Jar, then our attention as usual shifted towards the resident King & Queen.......... The Dusky Eagle Owl. She was sitting in a nest (which was build by the Painted Storks !!) kept putting her head out sometimes............... though this time i could not hear their deadly calls !!

A Black Bittern suddenly made a fleeting appearance & kept us engaged.......

As we cycled on, we could see thousands of ducks, but Comb ducks seemed to have taken over the place & there were a lot of Glossy Ibis......

We could hear the ducks just taking off in thousands, that immense flutter of the wings as you can see was been caused by a Marsh Harrier. We could see the Harrier chasing the ducks. In the end it missed all the ducks, it actually ended catching a fish & was trying to find a place to quietly relish on the fish, when a painted stork came by & took the fish away from the Harrier. After all the effort, the Harrier was left high & dry !!

The next day i did manage to get a 2 minute video of another Harrier attack on the ducks!!

We could see the Black Shouldered Kite hovering for a long time, but was not lucky to see him swoop on a prey. Had great views of an Imperial Eagle, so with a Lesser Spotted Eagle & Greater Spotted Eagle

The second day the park was really getting crowded, there were just too many people inside. We decided to do birding outside the park. Maan Singh said we can try for the Painted Snipes, Yellow Wattled Lapwing & the Indian Courser.

We could see the Painted Snipes quite clearly, pretending to hide themselves, looking at us curiously & ready to fly away...........

Though we missed the Indian Courser, we managed to see The Desert Wheatear, i did have to crawl on my knees to get near it. We saw the Yellow Wattled Lapwing also.

We hoped to do an early start to the birding the next day, but as we opened our windows in our rooms we could see nothing, but fog !! Neverthless we cycled in the park for sometime but birding & identification was nearly impossible, as the sun started to peek out we could see this majestic Steppe Eagle....... but that was it, it was time to say goodbye to Bharatpur once again !

I was hoping to see a Osprey.......... but that was not to be & i did miss the Common Crane & also the Curlews.

Well there is always something to look forward to next time around !!

The birds we were able to identify :

1. Grey Francolin (Partridge)
2. Lesser Whistling Duck
3. Greylag Goose
4. Barheaded Goose
5. Ruddy Shelduck
6. Comb Duck
7. Gadwall
8. Spotbilled Duck
9. Northern Shoveller
10. Pintail

11. Common Teal
12. White Breasted Waterhen
13. Purple Moorhen
14. Common Moorhen
15. Common Coot
16. Pheasant Tailed Jacana
17. Bronze Winged Jacana
18. Little Grebe (Dab chick)
19. Darter
20. Little Cormorant

21. Indian Cormorant
22. Great Cormorant
23. Little Egret
24. Grey Heron
25. Purple Heron
26. Great Heron
27. Intermediate Egret
28. Pond Heron
29. Black Bittern
30. Glossy Ibis

31. White Ibis
32. White Spoonbill
33. Painted Stork
34. Open Bill
35. Black Necked Stork
36. White Necked Stork
37. Black Winged Stilts
38. Ruff
39. Red Shank
40. Green Shank

41. Painted Snipe
42. Sandpiper
43. Green Sandpiper
44. Little Ringtailed Plover
45. Brown Crake
46. Sarus Crane
47. Red Wattled Lapwing
48. Yellow Wattled Lapwing
49. Flameback
50. Indian Roller

51. Eurasian Golden Oriole
52. ed Breasted Fly Catcher
53. Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher
54. Brown Shrike
55. Long Tailed Shrike
56. Common Wood Shrike
57. Large Grey Shrike
58. Large Grey Babbler
59. Roufous Treepie
60. Black Drongo

61. Ashy Prinia
62. Plain Prinea
63. Common Chif Chaff
64. Blue Throat
65. Black Headed Munia
66. Peacock/fowl
67. Desert Wheatear
68. Grey Hornbill
69. Red Collared Dove
70. White Throated Kingfisher

71. Pied Kingfisher
72. Small Blue Kingfisher
73. Lesser Coucal
74. Rose Ringed Parakeet
75. Collared Scops Owl
76. Dusky Eagle Owl
77. Spotted Owlet
78. Grey Night Jar
79. Shikra
80. Black Shouldered Kite

81. Eurasian Marsh Harrier
82. Lesser Spotted Eagle
83. Greater Spotted Eagle
84. Imperial Eagle
85. Booted Eagle
86. Crested Serpent Eagle
87. Steppe Eagle
88. Egyptian Vulture

"......... and the shadow of the day
will embrace the world
in gray
& the sun will set for you........ "

bharatpur

Let it be.............

I will be playing the chords & singing along this song by The Beatles when we sing Christmas carols in school


Let It Be (Beatles)



When I find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom,
let it be

And in my hour of darkness,
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom,
Let it be
And when the broken hearted people,
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer,
let it be
But though they may be parted,
There is still a chance that they may see
There will be an answer,
let it be

CHORUS: Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
There will be an answer,
let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom,
let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom,
let it be

And when the night is cloudy,
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine on till tomorrow,
let it be
I wake up to the sound of music,
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom,
let it be

CHORUS

Rock On & Farhan Akhtar

I went to see Rock On
The story was awesome
The songs were just too good.
The best part is i am learning the chords now................... yippie
I loved this & this & this

Now this is the gang singing one of the songs from Rock On: na,na,na........ in school. We got everyone singing with us......... But what unfolded afterwards was a horror story. Certain things are better left unsaid...... isn't it !!

Imagine

One of my favourite songs, by John Lennon. Infact i am learning the chords for it.

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one