It’s World Music Day or Fête de la Musique, if I may be fancy. Here’s a little compilation of my musical ‘experiences’ during my travels. I’ll start with the most recent…
Tanya Sen and Hip Pocket at Someplace Else, Kolkata
On the eve of my birthday, travel buddy and I retired for the evening at Someplace Else a pub in Kolkata’s Park Hotel’s pub. Live bands perform there regularly and the night we were there, a band called Hip Pocket was on stage. They were joined by Tanya Sen for a few numbers, who Google tells me is the lead singer of another local Kolkata band called Zoo.
Not only was the band super talented but, to my happiness, the music they played was the kind I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoy. Take a look.
Lal from Elephant Foot in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka
I stepped into Lal’s percussion instrument shop – Elephant Foot – on my way to the beach one evening in Hikkaduwa. He was nice enough to give me a five-minute lesson on the jambe, which I truly failed at. After that, he showed me how it’s done.
Elephant Foot is also the name of the band that Lal is part of. You can check out their website here and YouTube channel here, if you like.
John Lennon on Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain
Among the many living statues on Las Ramblas, you’ll find John Lennon posing for change.
Street musicians in Madrid, Spain
The best thing about exploring a city on foot is that you stumble upon masterpieces like this.
I don’t know who they are or what their story is but they’re pretty brilliant, don’t you think?
The Jimi Hendrix Shrine in Vancouver BC, Canada
Did you know Jimi Hendrix spent a summer or two with his grandmother in Vancouver BC? I found out about this before I visited my brother, who was staying in Vancouver back in 2012. There’s a little shrine dedicated to the late legend in the city’s Chinatown, which I had to visit, especially since the words “Jimi Hendrix” hold a special meaning in my house. Here’s why.
Happy World Music Day everyone!
Later Alligator 