Deborah Mannas and the band
Jazz holds a special place in the hearts of music lovers in the city. The Kiara Academy of Performing Arts in Bengaluru will present Hong Kong-based artistes Deborah Mannas and Mike Inot, in concert with The Soul Quintet and the Kiara Academy Choral Ensemble.
Singer-songwriter Deborah grew up in Bengaluru and moved to Hong Kong at the age of 25. Musically proficient from the age of 11, Deborah has two solo albums and six singles to her credit. Influenced by classical music and jazz as well as rock and pop during her formative years, Deborah’s music today is a unique blend “of soulful melodies and inspiring lyrics” in a style that encompasses world music.
During her concert in Bengaluru, Deborah will be accompanied by Mike Inot, also a Hong Kong-based musician. A saxophonist, Mike has performed with Deborah and other jazz bands at various venues.
The duo will be joined by The Soul Quintet featuring four of Bengaluru’s well-known names on the jazz circuit — pianist Joshua Costa, guitarists Suvankar Ghosh and Joshua Lance, and drummer Vivian Rajan. The event will see as many as 20 original compositions by Deborah and other popular covers, being performed.
“Deborah has performed extensively in Hong Kong and wanted to bring her work to India too, and she chose us,” says Suvankar Ghosh. “While we will be playing her compositions which are heavily influenced by soul and R&B, we will also be taking a few of her tunes and playing them in our own style.”
Suvankar says Deborah wanted to play with Bengaluru musicians who would improvise and “bring something new to the table,” adding to her own existing sound.
“As musicians we enjoying the process when someone asks to contribute to their work. We learn their songs and try to do justice to those compositions which we will be playing in our own way. There’s a lot of room for us to improvise, to mix and match both worlds,” he adds.
“We channel what the situation demands because at the end of the day, the song is boss and as musicians, our duty is to serve the song.”
The Kiara Academy Choral Ensemble directed by Wendy M Dickson will also perform at the show which will be an hour and half long.
Deborah and The Soul Quintet with the Kiara Academy Choral Ensemble will perform at the Koramangala Club Auditorium, on February 10, at 5pm and 7pm. Tickets priced at ₹499 are available on Paytm Insider.