Fewer vehicles on Juhu Tara road is always a good omen, and so it was that, me and Sudeep – after much cajoling – landed up at the JW Marriott for launch Rahul Sharma & John Clayderman's latest album. It was a pleasant evening. Speakers who tend to be tedious at events, all spoke eloquently and kept to the point – Respect to the Chairman of SaReGaMa, Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma and Amitabh Bachchan.

Even Goenka (which one?) who gave a vote of thanks excercised restraint and kept to a couple of lines. The only disappointment was the eye-candy hostess, sporting a Disclosure-style, Demi Moore-ish push-up bra. She faltered, stumbled and spoke in an accent that wasn't meant to be. Oh, well, isn't that all of MTV?After the flurry of speeches, Rahul Sharma took to the stage. His mastery at the santoor is admirable and both, Sudeep and I were stunned by the discipline it takes for that kind of controlled velocity on each hand. The album, Confluence II, said Sharma, is a meeting of the musical styles and influences of its artists - Sharma and pianist John Clayderman.

I was pleasantly surprised that their first video is a clichéd but well-done drum n bass track titled The Chase. Sharma even performed the track live, but the rock n roll drum kit lacks the particular sound of a drum n bass set-up. Clayderman was conspicuous by his absence, but thanked everyone via an edited video message. He especially thanked Bachchan, who quipped that although Clayderman sported such a thick French accent, he still got Bachchan's name right. Touche.
.......OZNEK