What started off as blurred spectres of a vision, swirling in a complex nebula of images in drummer/vocalist/composer Debashish “DEBU†Banerji’s mind, emerged as a project in the year 2003. The main object of the endeavour was to infuse the sound of Bangla Rock bands with colours of jazz, funk, R&B, soul and to create a versatile, colourful and embryonic sound which would reflect the modern existentialist lifestyle and urban funk - rock culture. As time passed the fissure between the conception and expression dissolved into the emergence URBAN REFLEKTIONS, a band ushering in a new sonic perspective into the lives and minds of audiences in Bengal. The band’s quest for a new sound resulted in the subsequent album “ Nagar ratri “ released in the fall of 2005 . As the album topped the charts, being one of the top selling Bangla albums in all the music stores in Kolkata, it eventually got nominated under the best fusion music album for the year, in the prestigious Zee Bangla Music Awards. Moreover, recently, the opening track of the album “ Shurer Shandhaney “ has also been chosen by HMV SaReGaMa for the Kolkata Chapter of their compilation cd named The Underground Vol.1.Debu's foray into music began in the year 1987 while he was in high school, playing the drums. He has always been an ardent patron of jazz and all its forms from a very young age, much before he actually started playing the drums or any instuments, as a matter of fact. Since then, he has been involved with various local bands playing jazz, fusion, rock, blues and pop. He has also had the honour and oppoprtunity to jam with the legendary Herbie Hancock, Matthew Garrison, Seamus Blake, Scott Kinsey, Kirk Covington and Sanjay Mishra when they had come down to Kolkata. The above mentioned album "Nagar ratri" which is in bengali language, showcases some of his influences in jazz and its various forms.The band has performed at the Marakesh Lounge, I’Lounge, CC & FC, Bengal Club, City Centre, Taj Bengal, Planet M, etc.Calcutta Rowing Club, Calcutta Club, just to name a few.
Urban Reflektions is also the only band in India to have performed jazz fusion music in Dacca, Bangladesh at three prestigious venues to a packed audience of Bangladeshis and foreign diplomats.
It has also performed with the renowned jazz guitarist from India of international repute, Mr.Amit Heri at the Someplace Else, in the Park hotel.
The band has performed for the prestigious Bakery Carnival held at the Calcutta Club in 2006.
URJ has performed at Fusion9 at Hyderabad and also at the Jazz Fest in Pondicherry.
The band recently performed at The Blue Frog in Mumbai and at the Shisha Jazz Café in Pune.
The band has also collaborated with quite a few eminent Indo Jazz Fusion artists from all over the world, like Bickram Ghosh, Tanmoy Bose, S.Shekhar, Pandit Debashish Bhattachrya, Sanjay Mishra, Usha Uthup, Matthias Mueller, Dhruv Ghanekar, Paban Das Baul, just to name a few.
Urban Reflektions also performs regularly at The Princeton Club, and at Someplace Else from time to time...
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