Disappointed by Anup Jalota

THE EDITOR: My wife and I had the misfortune of attending the Anup Jalota concert at Guaracara Park on May 30. The show was a show-piece of disorganisation. We bought special reserved tickets for $200 each and were assured that such seats would be in a covered area. On arrival we found that there was no such covered accommodation for patrons and we had to brave the inclement weather like everyone else. Furthermore, reserved seats were neither identified nor numbered and therefore anyone who paid $60 or $100 could have seated themselves anywhere. In fact, the lady sitting next to us said that she bought a ticket for $100.

If, at this point, we felt cheated, there was more to come. We came to hear, among other things, a few gazals, semi-classical and devotional songs from a renowned singer of such items. None were rendered. Instead we listened to a spate of film and chutney songs including compositions by Sundar Popo and Adesh Samaroo. Imagine Anup Jalota and Anuradha Pawdwal travelling half way round the world to sing chutney to a Trinidad audience. The organisers of course assumed that the Indo Trinidadian is so lacking in discrimination, taste and musical appreciation that any kind of musical entertainment offered would be lapped up once big names are announced. Presumably they so advised the artistes who decided to sing only the fast numbers which they felt Trinidadians wanted.

But the artistes could have used some discretion and interspersed their offering with some semi-classical items for which they are famous and not so blatantly subordinate their artistic integrity to blast local popular choices as they did that night. To add insult to injury, the MC invited the audience to dance and two drunken patrons decided to use the space in front of us to do their uncoordinated gyrations. We left in disgust never again to attend shows so poorly organised and so devoid of true musical worth.

TREVOR SUDAMA
San Fernando