For this music gig, you need two things—a pair of keen ears and a pair of comfortable dancing shoes. As the men in black bring back old tunes of musical stalwarts such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong and Neil Diamond, the timelessness of music fills the air with a promise of abundant nostalgia. They are The Crooner’s Collective, a swing, jazz and jive band, that presents an evening dedicated to classics. An old school set, with melodies of Sinatra to Elvis, has been planned for the night. Singers Tom Jones and Bob Dylan will also be stitched into the musical thread.
The band’s musical range spans from the 1930s to 60s. Their name, The Crooner’s Collective, also finds inspiration from the popularity of crooners of around that time. The Crooner’s Collective comprises Pranav Sehgal on vocals, Ashley Vaz on the keyboards and vocals, Aniruddha Wattal on the guitar, Mustafa Pasha on bass guitar and Vipul Malhotra on the drums. Being Delhi based has worked in their advantage. With the city’s thriving musical culture, they were able to reach out to enthusiasts across the board.
But things seem to be changing now, unfortunately. “The number of venues promoting live music has dropped significantly. What could have been a viable career option back in the day, now seems difficult. This is happening because of a diminishing interest in English live music,” says Sehgal, who is a management consultant by day and a crooner by night. They meet once a week for rehearsal. There is a lot of planning, ideating and creative thought sharing to keep performances fresh. “Our music is divided into two sections—crooning, that you enjoy while swaying while drinking, and the second is a fun set where you put on your dancing shoes,” says Vaz.
Originally born and bought up in Goa, he had music all around him. It was at the age of 10 when his father, also an instrumentalist, bought the keyboard and, setting his musical journey to road. At 17, he started playing professionally in his father’s band called Simple Truth. Moving to Delhi in 1999 was a good move as it was that he played with band Blackslade, artistes Kalish kher, Vandana Vadera, Robin lahari and others.
But nothing has quite touched his chords like crooning with his own folks. The same stands true for the others, they say. Date: August 31 Time: 9 pm onwardsVenue: Monkey Bar, Plot No 11, Pocket C 6 & 7, Commercial Complex, Vasant Kunj