“BAILA, AT IT’S BEST” – By Des Kelly

  La Bambas, who are proud to call themselves  Moratu-kollo”, now sadly minus their leader Brian Fernando who passed, on 6th November, 2013, would have to be, in the opinion of music- collector extraordinaire Jude Goonewardane, in London, and this writer, in Australia, the BEST exponents of what is termed Sri Lankas favourite Party-Music, BAILA. 

          I am proud to say that I started my Music-career in that famous Town of Moratuwa, myself, at the tender age of six, meeting the Original King of Baila, Wally Bastiensz himself, when I was around nine, (Wally was about 18 years older than me), but seeing this very young Lansi-kolla who was so interested in Music, decided to teach me how to sing some baila verses, a few of which were rather ribald, putting it mildly. I was proud to learn baila from this guy, who was also a young Kossa, (Cop), at the time. I was even prouder to sing baila on-stage, to large audiences who laughed out loud, at some of the mild kunuharapa I was singing, not knowing what the hell I was singing about.  I didn’t care at all. If I was entertaining my audience, that was all that mattered to me.

Anyway, getting back to the La Bambas, one of my FB friends being Priya Peiris, a very famous name in Moratwa, himself, as a musician and Entertainer, who, together with the Band, recorded many “hits” on albums such as Cock-a-doodle-do, expertly and entertainingly, in what I would now term “BAILA, AT IT’S BEST”. 

One of my personal favourites is the song that I now feature for many thousands of baila-fanatics around the World, via the BEST Lankan Website in the World, quite definitely, e’Lanka..

Please listen to a Sri Lankan Band of many years ago, play and sing, so very well, my “Baila at it’s Best”. Please note however, I am not quite certain as to who wrote the Music & Lyrics to the song. Maybe Priya Peiris could advise us about the Composer.

          Desmond Kelly.
(Editor-in-Chief)  e’Lanka.