Curated by piano legend Louiz Banks with the support and initiative by Neil Banks (Gigatainment) and Roland, the two-day event will be feature some of the most brilliant pianists and keyboardists from India and abroad in an exciting evening of music, focusing on individual piano and keyboard artistry.
The lineup includes artistes such as multi-instrumentalist Englishman Gary Husband, one of a rare breed of musicians who is a drummer, pianist and keyboardist, having worked with John McLaughlin, Level 42 among many others. There is also Lachy Doley from Australia dubbed as the Jimi Hendrix of the Hammond organ. Doley is the man to see when it comes to the irresistible lure and warmth of vintage, analogue keyboards. Composer Berenice Scott is not only a capable guitarist and captivating vocalist, but someone who describes herself as having a “love affair with the piano”. American musician Myron McKinley who has performed with Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston to boyband Backstreet Boys, will showcase his piano wizardry with a groovy set.
The Indian lineup is not far behind in featuring some exceptional talent. Chennai-based Lydian Nadhaswaram may not know what a PlayStation is, but while kids his age are glued to mobile phone games and other distractions like social media, the 14-year-old spends his time playing the piano. It is this dedication and focus on music that earned him ‘The World’s Best’ title at a reality show in the US last year, winning him USD 1 million (Rs. 6,90,12,500 crore). In a telephonic chat Lydian stated, “I’m so happy to be a part of Mumbai Piano Day 2020 online. This COVID-19 pandemic has created a huge setback to the music and entertainment industry, but during these hard times we should all stand by and support each other. I am sure that this would all end one day and we would be back on stage performing for our fans.”
Lydian Nadhaswaram | Pic courtesy: Gigatainment
Lydian will be playing two classical pieces by Chopin — Nocturne in C# Minor and Prelude in b flat minor, one by Beethoven and a jazz piece by John Coltrane. You surely don’t want to miss this.
For Tanmay Deochake it will be his second outing at the event, having performed last year too at the NCPA, the home of Piano Day since 2016. Deochake, who has in the past accompanied many established and legendary artists like Ustad Zakir Hussain, will showcase the Harmonium with his band ‘Harmonic Wind’. Others for evening include Stephen Devassy, jazz pianist Anurag Naidu and Gulrag Singh and of course the Godfather of Jazz Louiz Banks.
Piano Day has been celebrated by piano lovers around the world, held officially on the 88th day of the year to match the number of keys on the instrument. But unofficially, we all celebrate the piano every day, because we love it so much. Life is like a piano. What you get out of it depends on how you play it.
For the price of one ticket, the sale of which will go towards musicians and singers in need through the Umeed Project, you can get your whole family to watch Mumbai Piano Day 2020 from the comfort of your home.
Watch it today at 7:00 PM. Tickets are available on Skillbox for Rs 100.
