MUMBAI: When three youngsters, who share a common passion, come together, things are ought to be crackling. Omkar Salunkhe, Khwab Haria and Shikarnaad Qureshi are all set to perform together as a band under the name, Percussion Collective, at the Quarter today. As the name suggests, the band is basically percussion oriented, with instruments of different ethnicity being played by the trio.

These instruments are rarely heard in Indian music circuit., but thanks to these youngsters for bringing it back to the forefront. While, Omkar Salunkhe would be playing Conga and Timbale, Shikarnaad would be playing Darbuka, Djembe and Toms, and Khwab Haria would be on Drums. The heady concoction of these three, with a guest appearance by Sarang Kulkarni, Shovon Mukherjee and Saurabh Bhalerao would be giving their support on Z Rod, Bass and Keyboards respectively.

On the show, Omkar Salunkhe says, “The basic motive is to bring the unique sound of these instruments to the forefront. Also, the audience we would be playing for would be mostly young, so we are looking forward to some really amazing time.”

Resonating with his peer’s thoughts, Khwab Haria says, “All three of us learn from the same Guru Ustaad Taufiq Qureshi and thus share similar thoughts and a great rapport. This reflects in our performances. Our vibe is young and we have kept that all throughout the pieces we plan to play.”

Shikharnaad Qureshi, son of Ustaad Taufiq Qureshi and grandson of the legendary Tabla Maestro Ustaad Allahrakha, shares his thoughts too, saying, “Every piece we are going to perform has a base of classical music. We have tried our best to present and compose these pieces.”

Some people might think that having a father like Ustaad Taufiq Qureshi, who is also his guru, might have simplified things, but it isn’t like that. On this, Shikhar further adds, “Of course Baba has heard all the compositions and given his feedback. But primarily, the thoughts are of the band.”

He further continues and shares why this band is different, saying, “We basically have a pure percussion band, which is a rarity. I think that’s the distinguishing factor compared to the other bands. This time we have three other amazing musicians who are going to support us.”

According to Khwab, this all started casually. He says, “Once we were just jamming after our practice sessions and little did we think that it would take the shape of a band. We have another friend of ours Lalit, who is a part of this band; however, since he is unavailable, Omkar would be performing in his place. We are really looking forward to Omkar’s debut with this band.”

Before this, the band has performed at two concerts, both well received and applauded. Omkar also shares the compositions they are planning to present here. He says, “We are very excited as the compositions we are set to present are very unique. We would be presenting a piece called Gobsmacked, which is composed by us. The other two tracks are About Time and Mumbai Stamp, a tribute; which are also rearranged by us. We would also be presenting our version of a track called Luki, composed and presented by the legendary guitarist John Mclaughlin for Shakti band.”

Lastly, Omkar signed off, not before spilling beans of how they will commence the show. He said, “We would start the show with a performance on our instruments and will end with jamming with the three other musicians too.”

Catch them young and live:

When: Today, 7 June 2018

Where: Quarter, Roya Opera House, Girgaum, Mumbai.

Time: 9 PM onwards.

Entry Fee: Rs. 749 per person.