Dr. Gananath Dasanayaka was interested in the saxophone from a very young age. He is a product of S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, but during his schooling years we did not realize that there was a saxophonist in our midst. Melodies features Dasanayaka whose dream is now a reality.
“If you take Colombo, which is like the hub for English Music, within that hub also there is a very minute percentage of society who appreciate Jazz. However from the point of the industry lately we have seen younger people, taking up Jazz and appreciating it.
This is more than what they did 10 years ago. Then it was exclusively patronized by expats in Colombo. The monthly jazz event which happens in Colombo hosted by CR&FC used to draw a very expat crowd. Culturally also the Sri Lankan Colombo society has changed. Appreciation of this genre has become less, yet over the last few years I see a younger population getting into playing this kind of music. Ten years ago, a young jazz band was unheard of. But now you see young people in their 20’s playing jazz music based on the modern styles.
I personally stick to old school jazz. Within the genre there is swing jazz which is called traditional old school and Latin Jazz with a lot of Brazilian and Cuban beats,” explained Dasanayaka
The Saxophone had an allure to Dasanayaka and though he did not come from a musical family he fell in love with the Saxophone.
“I started playing the saxophone when I was 16 but even I don’t know why! I was just fascinated with the instrument from the time I was three or four years old. The first time I saw it was on TV. The sound of it and the look of it and the way it was played all really interested me.
I must say that I don’t have much of a musical influence. My father is not a musician and neither is my mother and I don’t aunts and uncles who were musicians.
Most musicians come from musical families, with me that is not so. I just took a liking to playing jazz and I pursued it. My father encouraged me. So I don’t have a very strong musical influence in my life. However at our house there was music and that was a sort of influence,” said Dasanayaka.
He started learning about music from the College Band Instructor Premasiri Gamhewa who taught him his ABC, and then met Gavin Senn who also played a role in Dasanayaka’s musical journey.
“Playing a Saxophone is like a human voice, and you have a lot of control making it sound the way you want it to sound. The remarkable thing about is, if you take one instrument and three people blow it, you will get three different sounds. It is not an instrument dependent sound, it is a player dependent sound and I think the Saxophone has the most of that quality. Saxophone is more personal. You make it your sound,” added Dasanayaka. Dasanayake wants to be a versatile and all rounded performer. In addition to being a talented Saxophonist he is also a talented singer.
“See I am very passionate about singing. Both singing and saxophone went hand in hand in terms of passion. I just had this interest in music. If you take music, it is totally controlled by the singer. Being a musician and an entertainer are two different things. I want to strike a right balance there. I don’t want to be a brilliant musician but who nobody wants to listen to. At the same time I don’t want to be a brilliant entertainer without music skills. I want to bring the right balance and being a singer gives you that,” pointed out Dasanayaka.
Even at school Dasanayaka shone academically. His family wanted him to devote his time to studies, yet his love for music was always there. That was one reason he won TNL Onstage.
“I don’t think my family ever envisioned me being a musician because that environment was not there at all. I suppose it came as a complete surprise. My family made it very clear that priority should be studies.
In a sense I may have foregone my opportunity to learn music and thankfully that did not happen! I am 36 right now and of course if you have the will you can still learn. So I have realized this dream of mine. Today I have made this a reality. I take this quite professionally. So this dream is still a journey for me.
I got the opportunity when I won TNL Onstage! That was the last thing on my mind. I did a few auditions and got my first contract in 2009. Since then I have been regularly playing at least once a week. Right now I have three contracts going,” explained Dasanayaka.
He will be singing on February 25 at the Grand Ballroom Colombo Hilton at 7.30pm titled – ‘The Great American Song Book’. It is a public show. This particular show is based on big band jazz music.
“My advice to anyone who wants to be successful in music is to follow your heart and be honest. Be dedicated. There are no short cuts. If you want to be good you have to practice and work hard. There is no substitute for that,” said Dasanayaka.
Atelier is a recently completed City Hotel in Kandy with six, well furbished rooms, an Art Gallery and a Café. Atelier portrays an abundance of art & architecture of Kandyan era and the Gallery will foster art & sculpture, mainly of artists of Kandy.
The maiden Exhibition of Paintings & Sculpture by well -known artists will also commence on March 10, and will be open from 10 am to 6 pm daily.
Atelier Kandy will launch its first musical talk ‘All that JAZZ’ by Dr. Gananath Dasanayaka on March 10 at 6 pm.
Entrance free. Contact 076 822 1572 or [email protected] to reserve seats.
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