They laughed, cried, rocked and rolled, and had the time of their lives at the Ulysses 50th anniversary reunion show in Sydney on Saturday, October 15.
While the members of one of Fiji’s greatest all-time musical acts were showing physical signs of age, there was nothing lacking in their powerful performances – taking the huge crowd of invited guests back to the disco, funk and rock era of the ’60s, ’70s. ’80s and ’90s.
“I had to pinch myself seeing all of my old band buddies, some for the first time in over 45-plus years,” said founding member and composer of four of Ulysses original tunes, Colin Deoki.
“It felt like a beautiful dream that I wanted to bottle and keep revisiting.”
The band performed Colin’s songs – Tin Pan Alley Cat Blues, Lady With a Red Dress, Dance to the Sound of Love and his ode to his wife Glenda, My Island Princess.
Colin, his brother Raoul who played drums and saxophone (RIP), along with keyboardist Henry Foon, guitarist Patrick Chung and bassist/guitarist/harmonica player Anil Valera formed Ulysses in 1972.
And for those young enough to remember, the band held a residency at the Lucky Eddie’s nightclub (now Suva Business Centre and Victoria Wines) on Victoria Pde, Suva, in the ’70s and ’80s.
After a sterling almost three decades on the local music scene – before disbanding in the ’90s – the ensemble regrouped last month to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
They were joined by Ken Janson and Tom Mawi who travelled from Fiji, and Chanel Columbus who jetted in from the United States to perform at the event.
Without a doubt, the “engine room” behind Ulysses and a man many would say contributed hugely to their success was keyboardist and music director Henry Foon.
He said the anniversary gig was really important. He felt he owed the band a lot because it started and created a pathway for him to play live music.
“Having the anniversary was a great opportunity to come together and share our experiences, learn from each other, catch up and play for each other as in the case of Colin’s originals,” Henry said.
“For me the real excitement began with the buildup – discussing and putting forward song choices and allocating songs and parts to various individuals – that just gave me a huge rush.”
Founding member and guitarist Patrick Chung said he was pleasantly surprised to be invited to perform at the show, having left the music scene for about 48 years.
“The 50th anniversary was a wakeup call, to think that 50 years have passed since those heady days – days of fond memories of youth, energy, music, friendships and good times,” he said.
“It was a surreal experience to look over and realise I was playing alongside legends in Ken Janson, Tom Mawi and George knight.”
Drummer John Shankaran said the event brought back a lot of memories.
“Jamming with the same guys almost 50 years later was a real blessing,” he said.
“How I wished Joe Singh (RIP), Raul Deoki (RIP), Bobby Shankaran and Anil Valera (lives in Canada and could not make it because of health reasons) were there as throughout the night I felt something was missing.
“On the other hand, watching the very familiar faces dancing the night away just as they did 46 years ago at Lucky Eddies nightclub was so uplifting.”
Ulysses took live music in Fiji to a whole new level by introducing new technologies as they emerged and along the way the band evolved as it took on and shed members.
Ulysses members from 1972 to the 1990s included Anil Valera, Henry Foon, Colin Deoki, Raoul Deoki, Patrick Chung, Chanel Columbus, John Shankaran, William Amputch, Homer Fare, Naca Naceba, George Knight, Victor Buchanan, Joseph Singh, Vimal Raj Prasad, Bobby “Blue” Shankaran, Aneil Kumar, Eni Kumar, Michael “
