Sri Lankan Jazz by Rukshan Perera

I decided to feature two original jazz songs in English by Sri Lankan singer Rukshan Perera in a blog post. Rukshan has been a member of the popular Sri Lankan bands “The Golden Chimes” and “The Super Golden Chimes” in the 1970s. Rukshan’s main instrument is the guitar, but he’s a multi-instrumentalist who is also an exceptional keyboardist. I will be embedding the songs “What Time Is It?” and “Cool Cats” from Rukshan Perera’s YouTube channel.

What Time Is It?

Rukshan describes this as a jazz funk song. This song features piano playing by Rukshan with accompaniment by the jazz fusion band Thriloka. The song opens with Rukshan playing only with his right hand. He then is joined with his left hand playing a chord featuring light accompaniment from the bass and drums. After the intro, the piano changes to a more energetic part and the whole band comes in. There is an interesting subtle electric guitar strumming part. Rukshan brings back the notes with both hands from the intro briefly twice where it’s just his piano. In parts of the song, Rukshan speaks with the instruments stopping.

There is a long upbeat piano solo. Following the piano solo, Rukshan does jazz scatting after the piano solo where he plays the piano and sings musical sounds to match the piano notes. He plays another solo and starts singing again. Rukshan does ad-lib singing relating to the time at the end. Rukshan sings soulfully. This song reminds me of the Chicago jazz rock song “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”. That song is also performed by a singing pianist (Robert Lamm) and I had featured it in my article about non-relationship rock songs.

Cool Cats

This video features the lyrics displayed. There is a prominent bass part by Ray Gomes in this song. This song is a tribute to singers George Benson and Ella Fitzgerald with Rukshan singing in praise of them. There is the lyric “I bow my head to my masters when I do my scat”. Rukshan performs with a guitar in the first half including a section where he does the scatting and guitar playing that George Benson does (Rukshan performed the piano version of scatting in the previous song) and just sings in the second half.

After Rukshan’s scat, we have Ricky Senn’s saxophone solo followed by Herschel Rodrigo’s piano solo. Rukshan sings another scat towards the end of the song. In this case, there are no guitar notes accompanying his singing. His scatting in the second scat is more intense and adventurous. I hear what seems to be African influences in this scat. I like how in this song Rukshan sings in the Sri Lankan/British pronunciations instead of the American pronunciations. It is even cooler as he’s a US citizen. Rukshan lived in the US from the 1980s to the 2000s. I both have an interest in the US and like the international approaches of doing things. I’m not a US citizen, but I’m also a Sri Lankan dual citizen like Rukshan.

These are two melodic jazz songs by Rukshan Perera. Rukshan showcases his creative singing, songwriting and instrumentation skills in these songs. There is a contrast in the songs as “What Time Is It?” is fast with “Cool Cats” being a slower ballad. Rukshan gave us two great universally accessible jazz songs.

Virtually Exploring Five Asian Cities

 Colombo, Sri Lanka

Ever since I began my blog in 2016, I’ve featured one blog post every year featuring embedded content from Google Street View. I decided to write a blog post featuring Google Street View views of five cities in Asia. There are two views of each city and it’s possible to explore these embedded views further. You can click the “View on Google Maps” button to view it in another window if the embed does not load. The order I’m using for this post is from left to right geographically.

Amman, Jordan 

We’re beginning in the Middle East which is on the left edge of Asia. Amman is a historical city in Jordan.

A look at the Abdoun Circle.

A roundabout with a hotel in the background. I find it interesting that the traffic island & roundabout are painted blue & purple instead of the black & white painting that are used in my country Sri Lanka. 

Colombo, Sri Lanka

We’re now moving into South Asia going to Sri Lanka which is a topic I write about on this blog. Colombo is my hometown which holds a special place in my heart. 

This is Union Place which features the Columbo style of having big trees on an urban road.

A view of Beira Lake.

Dhaka, Bangladesh 

Bangladesh is also in the South Asian region. Dhaka is its capital and most populous city.

This overpass reminds me of the overpass that used to exist in my Sri Lankan childhood.

A view of Hatirjheel Lake.

Singapore 

Singapore is a developed city-state in South East Asia. I notice that it is an advanced city with several buildings while also having a lot of trees and greenery.

This is from the road featuring the Marina Bay Sands. The Marina Bay Sands has a cool overpass. 

A Singaporean intersection.

Seoul, South Korea

The last city Seoul is in South Korea, another developed Asian nation. This is in East Asia and is located in the right edge of Asia being a fitting end as we began from the left edge of Asia.

Here’s a look into the city of Seoul with its big buildings. I find it interesting that while English isn’t spoken widely in South Korea, the road signs are bilingual and English is used in some shop signs.

Looking at skyscrapers over the Han River with the Wonhyo Bridge to the left.

So that was a selection I made of Asian cities. We have covered historical cities (Amman), South Asian cities of developing countries (Colombo & Dhaka) and leading global cities of developed Asia (Singapore & Seoul). Feel free to comment. I’m interested in hearing if you’re from any of the places on this list.

Ten Great Jackson Browne Songs by Ten Different Piano Players

s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

I am a fan of piano so I decided to write an article of great Jackson Browne songs featuring piano with each piano player being different. Jackson has musical similarities with my two favourite singers Elton John & Bob Seger. Also, Elton played piano on one of Jackson’s songs which is on this list. This is the Jackson Browne version of my Bob Seger article “Ten Great Bob Seger Songs by Ten Different Piano Players”. Two of the piano players are the same in both articles. I’ve previously featured Jackson Browne songs in my articles about piano rock songs, non-relationship rock songs and songs David Paich played on. I’m using the same song from my David Paich article with an added sentence. The first song comes from Jackson’s self-titled debut album.

Jamaica Say You Will - Jackson Browne (1972)  

This is a melodic and gentle ballad featuring piano played by Jackson himself. This song sounds like Elton John. This is a piano driven song whose guitar part is only a little acoustic guitar. David Crosby’s harmony vocals mix well with Jackson’s voice. Jackson’s piano sounds full and powerful giving the best kind of playing for a ballad.

These Days - David Paich (1973)

This song begins with just Jackson and his acoustic guitar with some slide guitar parts. It continues that way until just before the chorus when David Paich’s piano comes in at just under a minute. David’s piano is a welcome addition that makes the song whole. He gives good accompaniment including being a good match for David Lindley’s slide guitar. This song is a piano and guitar driven rock ballad.

Red Neck Friend - Elton John (1973) 

We’re now increasing the pace to a full on rock song. It opens with David Lindley’s slide guitar which is soon joined by the piano. The piano is played by none other than Elton John. This slide guitar is prominent. Elton’s piano goes very well with David’s guitar playing. Eagle Glenn Frey provides noticeable harmony vocals during the chorus. The piano is most prominent in the chorus. Elton plays incredible rock & roll piano in the chorus featuring four glissandos in a row. In the final chorus he gives an instance of eight glissandos in a row. His piano playing is reminiscent of the piano in Bob Seger’s “Katmandu” (1975). I’m pleased that the Jackson Browne song Elton John played on is an intense rock song as that enabled him to feature his great rock & roll piano playing.

Fountain of Sorrow - Jai Winding (1974) 

This is the first epic long song on this list. It opens with Jai’s piano which is soon joined by Jackson’s soothing vocals. The piano is supported by David Lindley’s guitar which provides interesting subtle accompaniment. The harmony vocals by Don Henley, Dan Fogelberg & J.D. Souther are gentle which match well with Jackson’s singing. At the five minute mark, there’s a short section with only the piano. It’s great how Jai plays the piano in a slow way while giving a clear rock vibe. 

Your Bright Baby Blues - Roy Bittan (1976) 

The song is initially driven by acoustic guitar and organ. About forty eight seconds into the song, the piano comes in. The piano gives off a gentle pop rock vibe. At three minutes and seventeen seconds, we get a slide guitar played by Lowell George that comes in via a solo. The slide guitar comes back in a subtle way in the last chorus before closing with another guitar solo. Roy Bittan’s piano playing is warm. This song reminds me of Bob Seger’s “Like A Rock” (1986) as they are both six minute rock ballads having acoustic guitar and organ in the first verse before the piano comes in and two slide guitar solos. Bill Payne who played the piano on “Like A Rock” (1986) plays the organ on this song and piano on the next one. 

Here Come Those Tears Again - Bill Payne (1976)

We are now going to a shorter song after two long ones. This song starts with the song title being sung. The only instrument we hear is the piano for the first eighteen seconds. It’s interesting how the piano does sudden jumps in places. Mike Utley’s organ is featured prominently in parts of the song. It’s interesting that Jackson sings “You might look like a friend of mine” as he would later have a hit duet “You’re a Friend of Mine” with Clarence Clemons in 1985. Bonnie Raitt and Rosemary Butler sing powerful harmony vocals. This is a mid-tempo rocker with a full band sound. This song is driven by Bill’s melodic piano. 

Running on Empty - Craig Doerge (1977) 

This is one of Jackson Browne’s big hits. It opens with Craig’s piano notes. His piano notes in the song are iconic and instantly recognisable. This is a live song as no studio recording has been released. It rocks very well. Craig plays his piano fast and delivers good accompaniment to David Lindley’s two incredible slide guitar solos. While this song is more guitar driven, the piano has a good prominent place.

My Problem Is You - David Garfield (1995)  

This is from an album by Cuban percussionist Luis Conte. It was recorded by Jackson a few years earlier which Luis played on. The original version has a pop rock sound whereas this version has a latin jazz sound. Luis plays congas and maracas on this. David Garfield’s latin piano playing gives off a relaxed lounge vibe. His playing is warm. A saxophone is featured. Parts of the song are sung in Spanish which wasn’t in the original version. The next two songs also have a latin vibe.

Lausoa Kristalean - Mikel Azpiroz (2011) 

This is a duet with Basque singer Jabier Muguruza, who along with pianist Mikel Azpiroz are from Basque Country, an autonomous community in Northern Spain. It’s the only song on this list not written or co-written by Jackson. It’s an unusual collaboration which isn’t widely known. I hope this song is a nice surprise for Jackson Browne fans, finding a duet of his which they didn’t know existed. It opens with Mikel’s piano which is soon joined by Jabier’s singing in the Basque language Euskara. After the first verse, there is an accordion played by Jabier. 

Jackson then sings a verse in English. His English singing offers a good contrast to Jabier’s singing in Euskara. We have another verse from Jabier with accordion before and after it. This is a slow ballad with few instruments that works very well. It has a good melody. Mikel and Jabier do a good job to make this song captivating with mainly the two instruments of piano and accordion. As the piano is my favourite instrument, I enjoy discovering a new style of music featuring piano. Special thanks to Mikel for answering my questions about this song via email.

A Song For Barcelona - Jeff Young (2021) 

This is a new song which Jackson co-wrote with the five musicians in his band who play on it alongside Spanish musician Raúl Rodriguez who plays palmas (a Flamenco form of hand clapping). This song has a great beat. This is an epic eight and a half minute long latin rocker bringing back rock to this list. This is a very musical song with a great melody. It’s interesting to hear Jackson make reference to the “ninety-nine words for snow”. I wonder what that means. 

Jeff fuses the latin and rock styles in his piano playing very well. The two guitarists Greg Leisz & Val McCallum provide great guitar playing. I like how Jackson refers to many different places in the world where people visit Barcelona from. Places he mentions include the US, Canada, Norway & China. Close to the seven minute mark, the song stops seemingly concluding especially by the specific piano notes. Four seconds later the song comes back powerfully with Jeff’s piano notes. It’s soon joined by Catalan singing by Jackson and the backing vocalists. The band gradually comes back, has a brief instrumental section followed by places in or near Barcelona sung solely by Jackson. This song is not only a celebration of Barcelona, but also a celebration of humanity. 

While the first song “Jamaica Say You Will” is referring to a girl’s name, I am interested in different countries so I’m pleased how we’re both beginning and ending with an international destination in this list. This list went into rock and beyond. The rock songs covered rock ballads, soft rock, pop rock, mid-tempo rockers, intense 70s rock & roll and heartland rock. The latin flavoured songs cover jazz, Basque music and a latin rocker. The latin rocker “A Song For Barcelona” comes full circle fusing the two styles thus going back to rock, the primary genre of this article. Jackson Browne is known for being a rock artist. Jackson used piano less over the years and I’d like to see him make an album with a lot of piano again. Even though his debut album which opens this list was released in 1972, it was recorded in 1971 so these songs cover a 50 year period from 1971 to 2021.

New Udurawana Jokes

There is a set of popular Sri Lankan jokes known as Udurawana Jokes, which are about a Sri Lankan

who doesn’t know English well. I had made reference to Udurawana Jokes previously on this blog

where I said they could be presented in comic book form in my article “The Potential of Sri Lankan

English Comics”. I decided to write my own set of Udurawana Jokes to add to the existing ones. As

Udurawana was a real person, I thought I’d mention that I intend no disrespect to him. I’m using the

name Udurawana due to the iconic nature of these jokes in Sri Lankan society.

Threw in the Towel

Udurawana was talking with his office colleagues about someone who left their workplace.

Colleague: “He really threw in the towel.”

Udurawana: “No wonder he’s gone! He must have thrown in his towel at work leading to him getting

fired.”

Web Designer 

Udurawana was drawing spider webs on paper. His friend asked him “Why are you drawing spider

webs?” Udurawana replied “I’m studying to be a web designer.” 

All Greek to Me

Udurawana’s friend Rukshan was reading a document which he was finding hard and said “It’s all

Greek to me.” Udurawana responded with “No Rukshan. This is English.”  

Farther

Udurawana was in conversation with an acquaintance Nilakshi who asked him “How farther away are

you?”

Udurawana: “My father lives 15 minutes walking distance from my house.”

Maldives

Udurawana was reading that the capital of Sri Lanka’s neighbour the Maldives is Malé so he thought

“Why do the Maldives have all the males in their capital and all the females elsewhere?”

Chairman

Udurawana met a company chairman. He remarked “So you’re responsible for buying and dealing with

your company’s chairs.” 

Candy 

Udurawana was travelling overseas and he saw Candy in a shop. He got excited and bought four

packs as he believed it was the food of his hometown Kandy, Sri Lanka that he was missing.

Sighted 

Udurawana was at a dinner when an acquaintance said “I sighted you at the University.”

Udurawana: “You couldn’t have cited me in your University assignment. I haven’t written any articles.”

Book

Udurawana was calling a restaurant that he was considering going out for dinner that day and was

asking questions about the food.

Restaurant Staff: “Shall I book you in?”

Udurawana: “I don’t want to buy a book. I want to find a place to eat out for dinner.” 

Let’s Eat and Meet

Udurawana was chatting online with his friend Rukshan who proposed “Let’s eat and meet.”

Udurawana responded with “What type of meat?”

Tweet

Udurawana’s friend said “I’ve been tweeting my excitement about this new film.” Udurawana not

knowing that a tweet relates to social media site Twitter said “Stop acting like a fool making bird

noises. That’s the wrong way to express excitement.”

Cruise

Udurawana’s friend was talking about a cruise ship that arrived in Sri Lanka. Udurawana responded

“What’s special about that? We get ships with crews all the time.”

Dust

Udurawana was involved in setting up a big event. He was dusting a food dish with pepper. Following

that, he was asked to dust the room. Udurawana got dust and sprinkled dust all over the place making

it more messy than it already was.

Bigger Fish to Fry

Udurawana was visiting his parents in the afternoon and offered to take them out to dinner that night.

Udurawana’s mother said “We’ve got bigger fish to fry.” Udurawana then went to the supermarket,

bought some big fish and came back to his parents home to fry this fish as a meal for dinner. 

Cut the Mustard

Udurawana was attending cooking school and was instructed to make a fish curry. Udurawana’s

instructor tasted Udurawana’s curry and wasn’t pleased with it saying “This doesn’t cut

the mustard.” Udurawana responded “But sir. There is no mustard.”

Udurawana’s Definitions 

Manslaughter: Man’s laughter 

Facebook: A book with people’s faces.

Postmaster: Company boss in the future.

Copywriter: A person who copyrights things.

Blackmail: Mail used for illegal purposes. 

Brainwash: An operation where a surgeon washes your brain.

Wears Many Hats

Udurawana was at a party and his friend Rukshan was introducing him to someone.

Rukshan: “This is Thilan. He is a very talented person who wears many hats.”

Udurawana: “Hi Thilan! How many hats do you own?” 

So that was my collection of Udurawana Jokes. I hope to write more Udurawana Jokes on this blog. If you enjoyed this, you might be interested in my previous blog post “Humorous and Interesting AI Talk on Sri Lanka”.