KARACHI: The word unique comes to mind. Admirers of unconventional, non-mainstream music got to listen to a delectable variety of fusion melodies presented by the French ensemble Eshareh at the Alliance Francaise on Wednesday evening. Eshareh, according to the musicians, is a Persian word that means allusion.

The name of the group is just about perfect because its sound or the sound it creates alludes to a few artistic cultures and traditions that people in our part of the world are familiar with and, in some cases, own.

Three members of the band — Simon Degremont (guitar, vocals), Matteo Pastorino (clarinet) and Julien Lahaye (percussions) — engaged the audience for a little more than an hour with some unusual melodies and relatively recognisable rhythm patterns.

The first track began with Degremont’s chant using phrases repetitively. Soon the clarinet joined in. But it was more of an ambient setup than a melodic display. It is when the roll of the percussion started to complement the sounds that the song blossomed. A couple of minutes into the composition and the clarinet got a bit softer, as if it was wailing. The influence of Arabic music was obvious.

The second number had a somewhat regular rhythmic structure and the melody lilting like mellifluous ballad. Amidst all of that was the masterful musicianship of the three artists. This became a lot clearer to a few of the discerning music buffs in the next song which had a sombre feel to it. At this point one would like to mention that our audiences have yet to understand that it is not right to clap during a performance because it disturbs the musicians’ concentration. Unlike Eastern classical music (where you can applaud to every improvisational master stroke) Western classical or its variants have notations which the musicians follow.

Next up was an original composition with a touch of traditional songs from the Brittany countryside. Again, it was well received.

This was followed by a song that Degremont said was about love —between a man and a woman. It had an elaborate solo chant, signifying the longing for the beloved. Once the rhythm took over, the tune took a different trajectory, completing the story narrated by the vocalist.

The following two compositions were entirely different from one another — one was jovial in tone, the other a bit meditative. And the final track of the evening was an improvisational piece.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2017