JOIN USPune-based singer-songwriter Gowri Jayakumar, also known as ‘Kozmi Cow’, performed a beautiful set at The Humming Tree recently. Her soulful voice, honest lyrics and guitar playing coupled with Kolkata-based jazz guitarist Srinjay Banerjee’s improvisational skills made for an evening of catchy tunes and smiling faces.
Being a mid-week gig, the turnout was not more than 50. However, the small but appreciative audience made it an intimate and enjoyable gig. The lack of stage banter was welcomed and the duo made quick but smooth transitions from song to song.
The set offered a fair amount of variety, ranging from the blues to country to honest, quirky songs. It included her English ones like ‘See The Pussy Run’ and ‘Coffee Before Poo Poo’ as well as Hindi ones like Aunty Ko Kya Hua and ‘Hindi for Dummies’, which were crowd favourites.
Some promising covers were also performed like Douce Ambiance by Django Reinhardt and Madeline Peyroux’s ‘Lovesick Blues’. Srinjay, who has his own quartet, also performed his own compositions. What added to the evening was the fact that one could sit back and enjoy the music on the terrace, allowing the gig to remain an auditory experience.
“It was nice to see Gowri perform in the City after ages. Srinjay’s jazz influenced guitars was a nice complement to her rather bohemian style,” said Vishal, a frequent concert goer.
Shantanu Verma, another attendee, added, “She has a very raw voice. Both of them have a really good sense of music, which came through in the performance. I’d even say she sounded a bit like Joan Baez!” he said.
Gowri was more than pleased with the response she got. She said,“I love this place. They’re treating us like artistes, not scoundrels. A little advanced pushing could have helped draw more people but it was still a great gig not in terms of numbers but quality.”