Have you ever been to a gig where the audience gave the music?
On November 11, people gathered at Skinny Mo’s Jazz Club not just to clap their hands and tap their feet, but to witness a refreshingly original One Night Stand. Not the act, but a newly formed band, which took spontaneous melodies given by the audience and turned them into music; a literal DIY (do it yourself) gig.
My Kolkata saw the magic unfold, with Pradyumna Singh Manot aka Paddy on keys, Aditya Servaia on bass and Sambit Chatterjee on drums.
A long-running track
While the trio performed for the first time just a few months back, the seeds of their association were sown years ago. As a student of Birla High School, Sambit found mentorship in Paddy (whom he affectionately calls Paddy Sir), the school’s music teacher. He got to know Aditya, who was turning heads as a bassist in the school circuit, and was also being mentored by Paddy. “Paddy sir brought Latin jazz into my life in school. He used to keep nudging me to experiment and expand my brain in terms of music. His fresh and erratic approach to music hugely inspired me, and is synonymous with my style now,” said Sambit, who is also a part of the acclaimed band, aswekeepsearching.
This July, while playing a gig with Amyt Datta and his new quartet at Princeton Club, he ran into Paddy, who asked Sambit to join him and Aditya for a gig at The Brass Room. “When I asked about jamming he replied that since we were both busy, we would play whatever came to our mind during the gig. (laughs) When the day came, the three of us got onstage and played continuously for 2.5 hours without a single practice session ever!”
Sambit Chatterjee on drums for One Night Stand
Sambit came back from the gig energised by its impromptu and creative nature, and called up Paddy with the idea of doing a similar gig. “Paddy sir was down to play the very next day, but we finally got our schedules in place and decided to do it in November. He told me, ‘No need to discuss it, we’re ready to play whenever, wherever!’ He also suggested One Night Stand as the name of the band, remarking how we meet just for one night, and not before or after it. I suggested that this time, we should take the mic to the audience, asking them to hum anything, and create a track out of it. The idea was for them to be the creative force, and for us to be the creators.”
And that is exactly what happened. Sambit would take the mic to a random member of the audience with charming candour, urging them to give him a tune, or even a sound. Sometimes shy, sometimes testy, people came up with the most ingenious (and sometimes outrageous) ideas. The trio exchanged a glance and got to work.
Standing out
Susmit Biswas, emcee at Skinny Mo’s Jazz Club, suggested the first and last songs of the night and remarked that the night’s gig was a favourite because the band ‘stayed true to their word of creating a DIY gig’
When Sambit asked data analyst Aman Tibrewal for an idea, he mused, “Imagine a cat running on a keyboard, jumping onto the bass, and finally on the drums,” to which Sambit replied, “Let’s call your track Cat on a keyboard then.” What stood out was the sheer extent of inspirations, with people giving the band themes like Aman’s cat running through a keyboard to the Game of Thrones intro. The loudest cheers came when Sambit took the mic to guitar legend Amyt Datta and his father, tabla maestro Subhen Chatterjee.
Every face in the audience was contoured into meditative thought, trying to conceive a melody that would inspire the band’s next masterpiece. One Night Stand came through with an innovative twist to the tune, every time. “The audience were sometimes apprehensive about being put on the spot, so we decided to take those honest, jarred reactions and play with them too!” said Sambit.
Remarking on how his father, (right) tabla maestro Subhen Chatterjee and (left) guitar legend Amyt Datta’s musical styles complement each other, Sambit called their track, ‘Yin and yang’
Paddy admitted that the process involves a lot of attention to detail. “This format required much more communication than normal gigs as we were trying to read each other without using words. While it might seem like we came unprepared and were chilling on stage, we had to be on our toes to make the most random melodies sound like songs. The years of experience came in handy, as we subtly put in a lot of musical references.”
The sweet sound of teamwork
What made the gig successful according to Paddy? “Once you know each other as people, the music just prods you. It all comes down to split-second decisions, where if Sambit did something, Aditya and I needed to catch it with eye contact, body language, intuition and experience.”
Aditya agreed that it was all through teamwork. “When the audience gave an idea, Paddy came up with the harmony behind it. The three of us simply looked at each other, found a rhythm and went with it, and whatever happened on stage just happened!” Sambit concurred, “We’re all proficient in our instruments, and have been playing for years. The only thing that helped us through the gig was this confidence in our ability, and each other. It’s pure trust. Since we were playing in the moment without thinking, the music was a completely honest creation.”
‘The trio amazed me with their skill on how they pulled off every concept! It was a very thrilling, interactive and personal experience,’ said audience member Aman, who suggested the theme of a a cat running on a keyboard
The promise of an encore
When they finally finished their last track after close to two hours of playing, the band were greeted with thunderous applause by the audience. “We came here with nothing in mind and I was unsure of what would happen. It was an enjoyable challenge, as people even gave words and situations as ideas!” smiled Paddy.
Aditya also marvelled at how crazy the audience was with their melodies, identifying it as the key to great music.
“The ideas were a lot more random than we expected, making it very joyous to be on stage and focus on what was happening. This feeling of being present is actually what jazz is in the truest sense. The only difference was that our music wasn’t pre-structured in rhythm, melody or harmony, as we deliberately wanted to get away from structures. The three of us are definitely going to try this again.”
Jivraj Singh, one half of pop-duo Parekh and Singh, took over the drums for one of the tracks
New and exciting notes
With aswekeepsearching or his dad’s band, the gigs need practice, explained Sambit. "But with One Night Stand, Paddy, Aditya and I have never been in the same room and jammed. The feeling of vulnerability and risk, of not knowing what was coming our way made the music even more beautiful. It was like taking a bite of the forbidden fruit.”
Sambit added that not seeing anyone do such a format before made it even more exciting — a sentiment echoed by many in the audience. “This was something very fresh for me since I normally see musicians with a setlist. The trio not only came with a clean slate, but created songs from a cue that kept everyone engaged. This collaboration is what music is supposed to be like,” remarked actress and singer Chitrangada Satarupa.
Even for those familiar with the band’s members like entrepreneur and educationist Meghdut RoyChowdhury, this was a “unique concept”. “Sambit was my classmate and he actually got me into music, while Paddy Sir was my keyboard teacher in school, so it was great to see them play together live. I love how innovatively the band is expressing themselves.”
“Such improvised music is always for the moment. Its creativity goes beyond playing notes, and stretches the imagination of the audience by making them participate,” said guitarist Amyt Datta on the band’s performance of the night. “Back in college, we used to call this style of creation ‘Apocalyptic Music’. The band is challenging their creativity, and whatever the audience gets is absolutely fresh. I really think this movement should be supported,” added Subhen Chatterjee, tabla player and Sambit’s father.
Actress and singer, Chitrangada Satarupa and (right) entrepreneur and educationist Meghdut RoyChowdury were among those in attendance
Risks that pay off
The trio concluded that the format was a risk from the get go, which was precisely what drew them to it. “Normally we keep wondering what would happen if something goes wrong, but here, we kept thinking what if something goes right! This process of co-creation is an addictive loop, and we want to travel around and see what people come up with. Our tagline is literally, ‘tease your brain’ because we aren’t just teasing ours, but everyone else’s brain too. We want our audience to be completely invested, because you might just be the next one with the greatest idea!” signed off Sambit.