‘GOOD TIME MUSIC’ ALL THE WAY

FRANCOPHONE GROOVE

When George Hull asked me to write about this programme conducted by Alliance Française Hyderabad (AFH), and organised by him, on the 14^th of March 2026, he urged me not to hold back criticism. But that couldn’t happen, because I had given myself up to the 'good time music’, and enjoyed every moment of the music which rocked Alliance Francaise with energy and good cheer. In such a situation what is there to criticise?! 

It was an evening of an unusual collocation of music, beginning with classical music and going on to pop, folk, rock, blues, soul and hint of jazz.

The programme started with Nathalie Soulie  on Oboe, Isabelle Lendvai Jastrowski on Cello, and Ritu Gopal on Violin playing the haunting, lyrical melody of ‘Pavane’. Pavane was originally an orchestral work by the influential French composer Gabriel Fauré, but this evening Pavane was played by this unusual trio of instruments and they carried it off well. 

The trio next played ‘Duo des Fleurs’ The Flower Duet, from Léo Delibes' opera Lakmé. In the opera it is a vocal duet, but the musicians adapted it to be an instrumental.     

The Trio of Nathalie on Oboe, Isabelle on Cello, and Ritu on Violin then played another work by Gabriel Fauré ‘Berceuse’, this gentle and serene piece was originally arranged for solo violin and piano but was later arranged for various combinations and this arrangement was for oboe, violin, and cello. 

Nathalie then sang the French song 'Ensemble' by Jean-Jacques Goldman, 
accompanied by the George Hull Collective which is George Hull on the tenor saxophone, Praharsha on Bass, Kaivalya on drums, Danny Geiles Lead guitar, and Keith D’Rosario on Rhythm Guitar and Ritu on violin. Nathalie generated smiles in the audience and good audience participation in this song.

The 5^th item in the programme was Malini who with such a delightfully sweet voice sang a heartbreakingly pretty folk pop song by The Weepies called 'They’re in Love – Where am I'. Malini was accompanied by the George Hull collective.  

The sixth performer was again Nathalie, she sang ‘Sympathique’ - a French chanson by American band Pink Martini in which the chorus is “I don’t want to work, I don’t want to lunch, I only want to forget and so I smoke”, Natalie was backed by the George Hull collective,

Hima in a black gown and arm sleeves charmed and engaged us singing the Stacey Kent version of the Brazilian French samba, ‘Samba Saravah’. The warm tone of George’s saxophone added to Hima’s pleasing vocal lent a completeness of the piece.  

Patrick Dempsey, not the movie star, but a Hyderabad resident, turned up the heat with a lively, spirited and countrified version of the prolific Chicago Blues songwriter, bassist and bluesman Willie Dixon’s, ‘Feel like Steppin’ Out’. Patrick sang the song while playing the Upright electric bass. The music was infectious and The George Hull Collective seemed to be in their element and ‘in the groove’ as they accompanied Patrick in this song.

Ninth in the programme was the versatile singer Keertana and featured Nathaniel in duet, they sang the ‘Best Part’, which was written by Matthew Burnett, H.E.R. (Gabriella Wilson) and Daniel Caesar, both the singers sang this difficult, emotionally charged, romantic R&B ballad rather well.

Keertana was in her element singing the modern Tamil romantic pop anthem ‘Adiye’. As she announced, it was her first time singing in Tamil, but she sang it really well, adding her own rock inspired individuality to the song, taking it to another musical dimension. 

Shakila Dausi and the George Hull Collective took the stage next to sing the powerful and funky soul song, ‘Dig a Little Deeper’, 

Shakila, with ease, took on the persona of the wise Mama Odie, the character from the animated feature film The Princess and the Frog. I don’t know why this song with music and lyrics by Randy Newman has not won any awards anywhere -- no Grammy, no Oscar, no nothing, because it is an iconic, powerful song. And Shakila, and the chorus comprising Hima and Malini, put her whole heart and soul into the song. (I have been forgetting to mention that Hima and Malini have been taking the stage to sing harmonies for many of the singers). 

Next in the programme we had the talented guitar player Danny Geiles, an internationally known YouTube star since he was probably 10 years old. Danny along with the George Hull Collective played the beautiful Bobby Womack instrumental composition ‘Breezin’, that has become a fusion jazz standard. Danny did the George Benson version, displaying very good technique and feel for jazz.

Nathalie performed once again, this time the catchy 1969 French-language song ‘Les Champs-Elysées’, by the American singer Joe Dassin. The chorus says, you’ll find anything you’d like on the Champs-Élysées. And again Nathalie with her sunny personality, got enthusiastic audience participation which always makes everybody, performers and the audience happy.

The last singer on the programme was Suparna who preceded her song by saying “The Palestinian poet Marwan Makoul once wrote; If you want me to write something that is not political, I need to listen to the birds. I can only hear the birds when the airplanes stop.    This I thought, was the perfect preamble to the song she was about to sing, ‘Imagine’, by John Lennon -- a hymn for a more compassionate and equitable world without war, religion, borders, or greed, and where humanity lives in peace and shares the planet equally. Suparna with Ritu on violin, rendered this sweet melody, this musical embodiment of peace, unity, and hope with conviction that could inspire each one of us to develop our humanity and connect equitably with our own and with other species.  

‘Imagine’ was a fitting end to a wonderful evening of music where everybody had a good time and left us in the audience entertained and yet, thoughtful. However, it didn’t end there, Nathalie brought an end to the programme with an encore, a French song in which the audience once again participated.

Anyway, what’s important is that everybody had a good time and we must thank Maud Miquau, 

the director of Alliance Francaise, and coordinator Jwalitha, who conceived of Francophone Groove along with George Hull and made this happen. 

We must also acknowledge George Hull for his quiet, unflustered and efficient organising skills, for making this evening happen and also for the band, George Hull Collective.