MUMBAI: A long play of Ella Fitzgerald on the spool was considered to be the most relaxing thing. Billie Holiday, popularly known as Lady Day, was known for her soul-stirring music too. Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul, is another gem of an artist revered by music lovers.

National Centre for Performing Arts is all set to pay homage to all three of the legendary musicians in an unforgettable evening. The concert will be a journey through timeless soul stirring ballads to foot tapping swing tunes, featuring talented singer Sanjeeta Bhattacharya with Delhi's favorites, Rythem Bansal on keys, Takar Nabam on guitar, Sonic Shori on bass and Aditya Dutta on drums.

Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, the lead singer and a graduate from the prestigious Berklee College of Music shared her thoughts, “Ella Fitzgerald's voice is synonymous with the American Songbook, paying an ode to her is a challenge in itself because of the massive number of tunes that generations relate her voice to and of course her flawless scatting and range. The concert was planned in July, and Aretha Franklin passed away in August which only increased the responsibility of paying a fitting tribute to a legend like her, I am both nervous and excited about revisiting this music.”

Each of the three artists had a unique flavor to their songs. Lady Day had a seminal influence on jazz music and pop singing. Known for her vocal delivery and improvisational skills, she established trademarks that followed her for many years. The First Lady of Song, Queen of Jazz or Lady Ella, however, you wish to call Ella Fitzgerald, she was a musician who was flexible, wide-ranging, accurate and ageless. She could sing sultry ballads, sweet jazz and imitate every instrument in an orchestra. Aretha Franklin had come to be known as ‘The Queen of Soul’ by the end of the 1960s. Her vocal flexibility, interpretive intelligence, skillful piano playing and her experience made her a great singer and musician.

The reason why this show needs to be attended, “We are looking forward to recreating some of our favourite tunes by these artists which we can relate most with and rearranged some of them. Tunes that talk about love, heartbreak, society, and dreams.”

Ballads such as Embraceable You and I Never Loved a Man to swing tunes such as Blue Skies and Love for Sale. It is a tribute to the songwriters, the musicians who they played with and the singers themselves.

International Music General Manager Farrahnaz Irani said, “We, as the NCPA have always stood by to our vision andmission of preserving and promoting performing arts. One such initiative towards this vision is their tribute to Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin who are artists that have contributed so much to the world of music with their magical voices that have left the audiences in absolute awe. Sanjeeta, on the other hand, is a young singer with a powerful voice and we are glad that she will be the one paying homage to these legendary ladies.”

The evening has been curated to mesmerize the audience and leave them reminiscing about the golden days.

When: 22^nd September 2018

Where: Tata Theatre

What Time: 7 PM onwards

Box office for the event is open with ticket prices ranging from 1000/800/500/300 + taxes as applicable.