Ulysses gears up for reunion
By FELIX CHAUDHARY fchaudhary@fijitimes.com.fj
FIFTY years after they rocked Fiji with their interpretations of ’70s classics, Ulysses is gearing up for a reunion in Sydney, Australia, on October 15.
If you’re into ’70s rock and pop, you would not want to miss this opportunity to witness some of the pioneers of Fiji’s contemporary music scene — and trendsetters for the local industry — perform the songs that took them to the top.
Sadly, a few of the founding members will not be there with bassist Joseph Singh and saxophonist Raoul Deoki, having passed on. Also, guitarist and vocalist Anil Valera is unable to travel from Vancouver, Canada, to participate in the event.
Event organiser and Ulysses keyboard player, Henry Foon, said while it was unfortunate they would not be able to field the original line-up, the remaining members were keen to get together, jam and reminisce about the “good old days”.
“We could not get all the original members because some are very sick and some have passed on,” said Foon from Sydney, Australia.
“So Johnny (Shankaran — Ulysses drummer) and I just have to make do with what we have.
“Colin Deoki is coming over from Melbourne, even though he hasn’t played for 40-plus years, and Chanel Columbus is coming over from San Francisco to play bass. “Patrick Chung will travel from
Brisbane and will also play the guitar.” Most Fijian baby boomers and Generation X will remember the name Praveen “Spooky” Sharan, a former popular radio personality, events coordinator and musician — who will also be a part of the show.
“We will have Spooky on percussion, George Knight will play guitar and sing some songs and I have asked Ken Janson to help us out and front the band.” George Knight is widely regarded as Fiji’s first pop star with his guitar playing prowess and an original song titled, “Time Will Heal The Pain”, which made it onto the pop charts on the then Fiji Broadcasting Commission in 1976. Foon said Fijian guitarist, vocalist and founder of numerous bands, including Sneak Preview and One2eight, Nesbitt Hazelman, has been invited to participate in the show. Raoul’s brother and Ulysses founding member, Deoki, said he was looking forward to getting back into the ’70s groove. “Surreal is the word that comes to mind thinking about it,” he said from Australia. “But I’m also feeling a little anxious and nervous because I haven’t played in a band for over 45 years.” Deoki said he was looking forward to being reunited with his old band mates, but he was also sad because his late brother Raoul and uncle Joseph would not be sharing the stage with the group.
“Also the fact that another founding member and the guy who was such an incredible inspiration to me taking up guitar, Anil Valera, unfortunately, won’t be able to make it due to personal challenges, which is also really sad.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime get-together as we’re all getting towards the pointy stage of life.
“But heck, what an opportunity to play again with my old buddies.”
Ulysses entered the Fiji music scene in 1972 and became the resident band at Lucky Eddies (now the Suva Business Centre).
They quickly developed a following and were regarded Fiji’s most popular live music act in the ’70s and ’80s and featured outstanding vocalists such as Eni Kumar, Ezra Williams and Sia Varea.
The repertoire for the reunion gig includes some of the most definitive songs of the ’70s like Deep Purple’s ‘Smoke On The Water’, Steppen Wolf’s ‘Born To Be Wild’, James Taylor’s ‘You’ve Got A Friend’, Procul Harum’s ‘Whiter Shade Of Pale’, and Stevie Wonder’s iconic ‘Higher Ground.’
The Garden Room at the Concord Bowling Club is where the action will kick off on Saturday, October 15 at 5pm.