Did ARR walk out of a New York jazz bar?

 

This particular album came out in the year 2002; I was probably about thirteen years old and in class 8. I wasn’t very well versed with ARR’s pieces back in the day just because there were loads of western influences when I began to learn about music. I was introduced to the wizardry that was tamil music only during my under-graduation period and I quickly caught up with what had happened over the many years I had gone without enjoying all of the new nuances that were introduced. I heard this song and was flabbergasted by the sheer brilliance of the programming that went into the song. “Vaan Nila” from Kaadhal virus: Karthik’s ode to ARR.

Today is the 3^rd of January 2021, the song still amazes me no matter the years that have gone by. New York has forever been a city where artists roam around freely, jamming about at jazz bars. I have never been to the Big Apple but from what I reckon, it has been this extremely flamboyant city that never ceases to amaze or amuse travellers. I have seen videos of how Jazz musicians express themselves and their prowess over a variety of musical genres. They usually pick a chord progression and ramble through notes that might never make sense on the notes yet make one’s emotions rise so seamlessly. I hear “Vaan Nila” picturing ARR walking out of a Jazz bar thinking to himself, “Yeah, That’s pretty possible”.

The piece begins with a soft saxophone playing jarring notes that fills your ears with so much air you feel like walking in the New York subway watching someone playing that instrument and hear the sounds echo off the graffiti filled walls with maximum reverb when a train slowly comes to a halt beside you. The doors open and you take a step inside the empty train and magically enter into a jazz bar. Surrounded by red velvet curtains all around, the smoky ambience with the dim yellow bulbs and a gentle spotlight lighting up the stage. Musicians on the stage, a saxophone, a piano, a guitar, a bass guitar and a classic drum-set slowly brushing their instruments waiting for the saxophone to slowly come to a close at its bar. Just as you sit down at the table with a glass of champagne and take your first sip, the guitarist begins to pluck on the strings, the pianist slowly picks up on the chord and then the drummer comes in with a roll over the toms and crashes the cymbals and rides them. Listening to them slowly yet steadily set the pace of the song while having their fun individually. Each of the instruments playing their own styles, at their own pace, in their own feeling and to our surprise watch ARR sir walk onto the stage and begin conducting each musician to bring out a particular order. The sax takes precedence over the other instruments and begins to jazz the living daylights out of the audience while the cymbals are being ridden like a jockey on a horse and the piano guy just plays in a chord or two only when ARR asks him to. The Bass guitar in a world of his own; his brain recording each note played by the others and responding accordingly in his own style. The Red curtains open and out comes Karthik.

Karthik, the only one who could have done justice to the song walking out like a prince onto the stage with all his youthly swag, grabs hold of the microphone and begins to sing. “Vaan Nila tharum oli ival vizhi” and continues to go freestyle with his tunes. His voice streaming through the hall from the suspended speakers placed on either side of the stage, flawlessly sending the pressured air into your ears. Sitting at a table right in the middle of the hall, wondering how the sounds are effortlessly in sync with each other as they seep out of each instrument, you cannot but have your eyes glued to the stage and your ears on guard to hear something new. Karthik continues to soothe his love for the song into the mic while ARR sits right at the center and begins to adjust the console, he has infront of him. The bass guitar running through notes as though his fingers were MARIO minis jumping around and headbutting in the game. The drummer slowly fits into the groove and comes out with an amazing snare roll just as Karthik sings “Adhu muzhumaikkaagaadhu”.

The first interlude happens and the saxophone begins to go on rampage, then ARR sees the pianist doing nothing at present. It feels like ARR gets up from the console and slides the pianist across his throne and accepts it like a KING. He then plays the piano as though a child were to explore new music. Banging on the chords like a cat jumping across the keys while chasing jerry around the piano. The saxophone blazing through his notes and expressing his prowess just as ARR competes with them, firing his round of bullets across the keys. They take a break and let Karthik do his work with his voice. Jazz, blending into a rap like form combining the gorgeously written lyrics for this song. Someone walks up with a pair of bongos and plays along with the song. ARR is so in groove with this song that he cannot let go. He continues to assist Karthik’s sweet rendition by accompanying him with treble notations and jazz filled 7^th and diminished chords. As the song progresses you can feel Karthik at the end of his breath dragging those notes along. ARR cannot withstand the feel offered and begins to play on like a pianist who is looking for his break. Someone who would go to great lengths to express his love for the song and the way Karthik sings each component of the lyric. ARR is out a whim and clicks onto every note the chord progression could possibly offer. By this time everyone is pretty worn out by the sheer magnitude of the song and hence deserve a break. Time for the second interlude.

It starts with ARR saying “Gimme a break to figure things out now”. He immediately strides on the piano and then lets the Saxophone fill in along with the percussionist who is on stage. A couple of second of them rendering what they can and ARR comes into play with the piano. He takes his position as boss of the stage and simply waits for the other instrumentals to get their groove on. Karthik comes in with the powerful lyrics sided by orchestral hits and the percussions. He holds onto the microphone, bending it over like the sailor kissing his girl after the civil war. He goes on a limb and finishes that extremely stretched out note while being supported by the band at the background. ARR knows that this might be the end of the song and takes his last moment of faith on the piano and dishes out every single note on the progression like a freaking BOSS.

Taking a short break to get back to the console, ARR brings the pianist back onto his instrument and lets him finish the song accurately accompanying the saxophone. The drummer taking his time to maintain the rhythm and encoring with the percussionist to bring a complete pause to the song. The song ends, Karthik bows out of stage and ARR finishes with a couple of Orchestral hits.

I have no idea how this explanation might be to the ones who spend time to read this, but I hope it has been worth your while.