Last Friday we excitedly went off to collect our complimentary tickets to the CD launch of one of Peak Performances most exciting musical finds so far this year, with Babu.

Their CD, titled Up Roots, is a coming together of the snippets I’ve received from them as part of their promotional EPK, and when I first got bitten during my allotted 15 minutes as a ‘press blogger’ at this years Cape Town International Jazz Festival. I can tell you now, that its so much more than I expected, that I’m even more pleasantly surprised now, than I was!

When we arrived at the SABC Studio’s auditorium in Sea Point, it was interesting to see the array of people that made up the audience. Yes, I was sad that there weren’t many black faces seated in the steeply sloped rows that make up the cosy atmosphere of the venue, but there were people of all other sizes, shapes, heights, ages and cultures. There were even a host of people we know, like Fiona Fury, Rus Nerwich, Evan Milton (it was his birthday), Rayelle Goodman (formerly Coda), DJ Rene and well as some friends.

From the moment the 4 members stepped on stage there was a relaxed, and actually quite humble, energy in the air. Babu, who was often spoken of in the first person, was humbled that there were so many of us there to hear them (there were even people sitting in the aisles); and we were humbled to be able to be there to appreciate the music within 5-minutes of the spectacular starting.

It is spectacular! Ronan Skillen (on tabla, extended percussion and didgeridoo) brings an intricately delicate beat into the sounds that duo of guitars played by Reza Khota (Archtop electric) and Shane Cooper (bass) weave around each other. And then the power-base that props up the entirety comes with Kesivan Naidoo (drums).

There are times that the music show-pieces each individual artist, for which the audience burst into spontaneous applause in the middle of several pieces; yet in terms of the stories that Babu wants to tell, they all four remain very much part of the whole. Babu. The personality; the character; it’s is almost the fifth member that becomes when the guys are in the moment of creating.

Babu is alive! Very much alive.

Reza bends in a hunch over his guitar, seemingly with 6 fingers to each hand, letting them fly and swoop and pluck. Shane, who has cut his dreads since I last saw him, is just unbelievable on his bass, his sounds are much larger than the instrument you see when you open your eyes after being bounced along behind him. Kesivan can man-handle his equipment during certain tracks, with us all wanting to reach forward to just keep the drums there for him, to be able to again tap them lovingly and control the energy of the group.

But if Reza is the head of Babu; Shane the arms; and Kesivan the dancing legs and stomping feet, then Ronan is definitely the heart-beat, with his percussion and tabla nimbly adding the most exquisite flavour to Babu. We gave them a standing ovation when they tried to leave the stage, and were rewarded when they came out to jam a piece of unrehearsed material. Awesome stuff.

I have been listening to Up Roots since then; in my car, my office and at home, and know that this is one that will stick around for a long time!

It’s just that when you witness Babu in real life, you don’t really know exactly how high you are going to fly during the show. It was pretty high on Friday night!