Music aficionados in Auckland were treated to a rocking performance on April 23 at Green Bay High School Performing Arts Centre. It was not only the excellent track record of CFI events and the brain behind it, Ram Iyer, but also the reputation that precedes singers such as Ashish Ramakrishnan, Guncha Singh, Neel Patel and Akhila Puthiagae, who ensured a packed hall on the night.

Jam Lounge stood out for various reasons. Conceptualised on the lines of Coke Studio or MTV Unplugged, the melodies were treated slightly differently and there was emphasis on the impromptu element. It also stood out because of the sheer talent of all the performers on the stage.
Ram Iyer has to be duly credited for bringing the four uniquely talented singers together along with an equally brilliant team on instruments led by Hemant Thaker on keyboards, Shivan Padayachi on bass guitar, Neel Ghosh on rhythm guitar, Joscel Alexander on drums and Kristifer Kumar on octapad.

Ashish Ramakrishnan presented the show and introduced the team to the audience. A renowned singer, Ramakrishnan has prestigious titles such as Zee TV Sa Re Ga Ma and Close-up Antakshari under his belt. He has performed in more than 500 concerts including some with music stalwarts.

Guncha is another name that Kiwi-Indian music lovers are familiar with. Trained in Hindustani classical music, Guncha has performed in several concerts and has recently shared stage with popular Bollywood singer Amit Kumar.

Neel Patel has recently emerged on the country’s music scene, having won few music competitions. He is trained in voice modulation and is passionate about music.

Beautiful Akhila who is a trained opera singer and has won various music competitions since a young age is multi-talented. Besides singing, she also plays the piano, bassoon and guitar.

The entire team had the audience mesmerised with one soulful melody after another. The beauty of the show was in the little changes done in the orchestration of the songs that made the songs sound different yet retained the soul of the melody.

Highlights of the show were renditions of Khwaja Mere Khwaja by Ashish and Neel, Abhi Mujh Me Kahi by Neel, Lut Gaye by Ashish, Kaisi Paheli Zindagani by Akhila, Beinteha tu pyaar kar by Guncha and Akhila, and Kabhi jo badal barse by Guncha and Ashish.

The audience also loved the jamming on various songs performed completely unprepared by all the singers.

All in all a completely paisa vasool show. Ram, we are looking out for the sequel of the show and it better be soon.