Manzarek, Densmore and the legacy of Jim Morrison

IT’S been three weeks since Ray Manzarek passed away on May 20. As co-founder and keyboardist of the Doors, he played a huge role in giving the band a distinct sound with remarkable riffs that adorned songs like ‘Light My Fire’, ‘Riders On The Storm’, ‘When The Music’s Over’, ‘Break On Through (To The Other Side)’, ‘Strange Days’ and ‘People Are Strange’, to name just a few.

On hearing of his death, my first impulse as a music blogger was to write an obituary highlighting his immense contribution and also mentioning how he was also overshadowed by the sheer showmanship and even eccentricities of the band’s frontman, the late Jim Morrison. But naturally, tributes were being paid everywhere, saying more or less the same things, and much as I tried, I couldn’t say anything that somebody else hadn’t said.

Around the same time, I began reading the book ‘The Doors Unhinged: Jim Morrison’s Legacy Goes On Trial’, written by the band’s drummer John Densmore. It had a very interesting yet controversial subject — the bitter courtroom battles between Densmore and Morrison’s family in one camp, and Manzarek and the band’s guitarist Robby Krieger in the other. So this blog combines a Manzarek tribute with a review of that book, adding a few pertinent questions along the way.

In ‘The Doors Unhinged’, Densmore recounts his experience of suing Manzarek and Krieger for using the Doors name and logo without permission, even calling themselves ‘The Doors of the 21st Century’, using the band’s name in large font and the rest in small letters. The drummer also talks about how his former band-mates counter-sued him for a whopping 40 million dollars for vetoing a Cadillac ad that wanted to use ‘Break on Through’ as a slogan.

This is Densmore’s second book about his association with the band. His earlier ‘Riders on the Storm: My Life with Jim Morrison and the Doors’ was a bestseller. He’s even penned articles for various newspapers, and his passion for writing may have prompted him to begin this no-holds-barred account.

To recall from the past, the Doors were one of the world’s most popular rock bands in the late 60s and early 70s, till Morrison was found dead in a bathtub in Paris on July 3, 1971. Though they released only six studio albums till that fateful day, they created a huge impact on rock audiences worldwide with songs like ‘Light My Fire’, ‘LA Woman’, ‘Roadhouse Blues’, ‘Hello I Love You’, ‘Love Me Two Times’ and ‘The End’. Morrison was considered the ultimate rock icon of that era, his remarkable voice and his Greek God looks making up for all the instances of abusiveness, on-stage obscenity and self-destructive alcoholism that went against him.

When Morrison was alive, the Doors had gained an image of a band that didn’t sell out. The frontman laid down the condition that all four members were equal, and were also entitled to equal remuneration and credit, irrespective of their actual contribution in each song. He was also strictly against commercialisation of their songs, a famous instance being when he was upset with the others for agreeing to sell ‘Light My Fire’ for a Buick ad.

After his death, the other three members tried releasing a couple of albums (‘Other Voices’ and ‘Full Circle’), and put out a collection of Morrison’s recorded poetry set to their music (in ‘An American Prayer’). But they soon ended up doing their own things, sometimes with the help of each other.

The Morrison legend, of course, continued growing, and songs done by the original line-up kept increasing in popularity. Their tunes were in demand in Hollywood too, with Francis Ford Coppola using ‘The End’ at the beginning of ‘Apocalypse Now’ and Oliver Stone using their songs in his movie ‘The Doors’, based on the band. The soundtrack of ‘Forrest Gump’ also used ‘Break on Through’ in the soundtrack and some other Doors songs like ‘Hello I Love You’, ‘Soul Kitchen’ and ‘People Are Strange’ in the movie.

Problems started cropping up between Densmore and the others, and matters came to a head when Manzarek and Kreiger began performing as The Doors of the 21st Century, roping in the Cult’s Ian Astbury as vocalist and Stewart Copeland of the Police on drums. Things went to court, and it was full-on war between both parties.

Eventually, Densmore won the case in 2005, with the court finding Manzarek and Krieger “liable for false advertising,” and enjoining them from “performing, touring, promoting their band as The Doors, The Doors of the 21st Century, or using any other name that includes the words The Doors, without the written consent of all the partners of the old Doors partnership.” The court also enjoined Manzarek and Krieger from “using the name, likeness, voice or image of Jim Morrison to promote their bands or their concerts.”

Manzarek and Krieger continued performing together, and played Doors songs calling themselves Manzarek-Krieger. They were even meant to come to India earlier this year, but the entire festival got cancelled.

Overall, ‘The Doors Unhinged’ is a racy read, and gives a great insight into what made the band special in the early years. However, but for the times when the courtroom scenes depicting Manzarek’s and Krieger’s trials are described, this book is totally Densmore’s observation of things. Much as one agrees with and admires his stand against the corporatisation of music, it is a one-sided view where we only get to hear Densmore’s accusations of Manzarek and Krieger being greedy.

Yet, some of Densmore’s statements are remarkably pertinent and blunt. “The fact is that the Doors, the US version of the Fab Four, died in a bathtub in Paris in 1971… I don’t know whether Jim is up there resting in peace or not, but down here, we’re fighting like cats and dogs over his entrails,” he says.

‘The Doors Unhinged’ was released in April, over a month before Manzarek breathed his last. As such, one doesn’t know whether he had read some parts of the book, considering he had been ill. One doesn’t even know whether he could read the last chapter, where Densmore tries to justify through a direct letter to Manzarek and Krieger why he attempted to write it in the first place.

Here, Densmore says: “I don’t think I could handle losing you, Robby…. We were really kindled spirits, holding each other’s hands through Jim’s craziness and Ray’s arrogance. Okay, it’s hard to admit but I probably wouldn’t be able to handle losing you either, Ray, assuming of course that everyone is going to cross over before Yours Truly. The truth is that, way deep down, I have a reservoir of cherished memories of our early days together. Rapping with you, Ray, excitedly over our favourite jazz musicians… dreaming of the future, hoping this little dream of ours would actually come to fruition. It did. We had our glory days.”

In the book, Densmore makes it very clear how he admired Manzarek musically. The day the keyboardist passed away, the drummer was one of the first to issue a statement in his memory. He said: “There was no keyboard player on the planet more appropriate to support Jim Morrison’s words. Ray, I felt totally in sync with you musically. It was like we were of one mind, holding down the foundation for Robby and Jim to float on top of. I will miss my musical brother.”

That brings us to some other points. One, had Densmore been only half-way through the book when Manzarek died, would he have finished it in a similar manner or toned down some of his observations? Secondly, and more important from a fan’s point of view, where does all this leave us?

One wouldn’t know the answer to the first question. But certainly, most Doors fans would feel genuinely uncomfortable with whatever happened between the two parties. Yes, there have been squabbles in many of the great bands, right from the Beatles to Deep Purple to Guns N Roses. And there have also been cases like Queen, when two of its band members Brian May and Roger Taylor teamed up with singer Paul Rodgers many years after the demise of their frontman Freddie Mercury to form a group called ‘Queen + Paul Rodgers’. In this case, the other member John Deacon stayed away, but there was no bitterness or controversy about using the Queen name.

Whatever, all of us have loved the Doors for their music. Those glorious songs we have grown up on, and which we continue to relish today. No matter how much Densmore is justified in his stand, or for that matter whether Manzarek and Krieger really had the right to continue using the band name, it’s not fair for us fans to take sides.

Manzarek is no more. As a keyboardist, he definitely changed the game. Along with Steve Winwood of Traffic, Jon Lord of Deep Purple and Richard Wright of Pink Floyd, he was one of the main musicians from that era to give the instrument its own status in the guitar-driven world of rock. And he also produced bass riffs on his keyboard.

For the fans, the Doors shall continue to be a four-member band. Jim Morrison on vocals, Ray Manzarek on keyboards, Robby Krieger on guitar and John Densmore on drums. Let the bygones be bygones. Their music will never get over. Don’t turn out the lights.

‘The Doors Unhinged: Jim Morrison’s Legacy Goes on Trial’ has been printed by Percussive Press. Copyright, 2013, John Densmore

CD review – Raanjhanaa/ Music: A R Rahman

CD REVIEW
Raanjhanaa/ Music: A R Rahman
Genre: Hindi film music
Sony Music-Eros Music/ Rs 175
Rating: *** ½

FANS of A R Rahman have been anxiously awaiting his latest release ‘Raanjhanaa’. With his last two Hindi films ‘Ekk Deewana Tha’ and ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ receiving mixed reactions, a lot of hopes were pinned on the new film, whose audio rights were sold for a whopping Rs 6 crore.

To a large extent and despite a few flaws here and there, Rahman fulfils expectations in ‘Raanjhanaa’, using a good mix of classical-based, folk, Sufi and western-styled numbers. Indian instruments like the sitar, bansuri, shehnai and manjira have been used smartly. Most compositions have the Rahman stamp, and Irshad Kamil’s lyrics fit the tunes perfectly, whether the theme is romantic or rustic.

Yet, despite a few really marvellous numbers, we have one major complaint about the ‘Raanjhanaa’ music. And that concerns Rahman’s decision to sing certain songs himself, when he could have settled for singers whose voices and training would have been more suitable. Here, he completely messes up this number ‘Aise na dekho’. Even though it is a well-arranged smooth jazz composition with a hummable whistle part, it is marred by a completely insipid and expressionless vocal line.

To be fair, the composer has tasted reasonable success as a singer in the past. Songs like ‘Dil se re’ (from ‘Dil Se’), ‘Chale chalo’ (‘Lagaan’), ‘Yeh jo des hai mera’ (‘Swades’), ‘Khwaja mere khwaja’ (‘Jodhaa Akbar) and ‘Maa tujhe salaam’ (private album) have been fairly popular. This is besides many Tamil songs. But many of these were peppy songs which relied more on their tune and instrumentation, than on intricate singing technique. And in some of these songs, one has even noticed some obvious computer-generated pitch correction.

In ‘Raanjhanaa’ itself, Rahman also lends his voice to the electronica-meets-hip-hoppish number ‘Tu mun shudi’. Here, there doesn’t seem to be a problem, because it’s a song more dependent on the vocals of Rabbi Shergill, and on its orchestration. But then, Rahman isn’t a full-time singer, and should thus be choosy about what he sings. We’re sure there were many singers who could do better justice to ‘Aise na dekho’.

Barring that one huge flaw, ‘Raanjhanaa’ has quite a few highs. The title track, sung by Jaswinder Singh and Shiraz Uppal, uses the violin, sitar and dhol smartly. The lines “Raanjhana hua main tera, kaun tere bin mera, raunak hai tumhi se meri, kaun tere bin mera’ are simple yet effective.

The folk-classical number ‘Banarasiya’ contains some incredible vocals by Shreya Ghoshal, who is accompanied by Anwesha Datta Gupta and Meenal Jain. A nice sarangi and flute start, followed by a sitar interlude, give this a typical Uttar Pradesh feel.

The rhythm-heavy ‘Piya milenge’, featuring Sukhwinder Singh and the KMMC Sufi Ensemble, is one of the clear highlights. Lines like “Jisko dhoondhe baahar baahar who baitha hai chupke chupke, tere andar ek samandar kyon dhoondhe tubke tubke; akal ke parde peeche kar de, toh piya milenge” are simply outstanding, and the use of Sufi and classical elements adds class.

Also in the classical sphere is ‘Ay sakhi’, where Madhushree, Chinmayee, Vaishali and Aanchal Sethi sing sargams, taans and even some nonsensical syllables with great coordination.

If the first four songs are steeped in folk and classical flavour, ‘Nazar layee’ is a pleasant guitar-backed ballad, sung by Rashid Ali and Neeti Mohan, with the latter sounding very different from her chart-topping ‘Jiya re’ from ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’.

Next to follow are ‘Tu mun shudi’ and ‘Aise na dekho’, already discussed above. Strong rhythms and the faint sound of chants characterise the short piece ‘The land of Shiva’, which provides a brief diversion.

The album concludes with ‘Tum tak’, which is a pleasantly orchestrated number featuring Javed Ali, Keerthi Sagathia and Pooja Vaidyanath. It has a nice shehnai stretch and wonderful lyrics (‘Meri har dushwaari tum tak, meri har khumaari tum tak’), but the tune of the main line seems like a rehash of the ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ title song.

Some readers may wonder why this reviewer has given three and a half stars, and not four. Well, though this is his best set of songs after ‘Rockstar’ two years ago, only three of the nine numbers (‘Piya milenge’, ‘Banarasiya’ and ‘Ay sakhi’) can be called really extraordinary and one (‘Aise na dekho’) is a complete mess.

Many of the others have familiar overtones, as Rahman uses orchestral styles he has attempted before. Even his rhythm-structuring seem to follow the formulae that have worked in the past. Yet, though it doesn’t quite match up to his all-time best, it is definitely one of the better Rahman scores over the past three years. And that’s good enough reason to celebrate.

RATING SCALE: * Poor; ** Average; *** Good; **** Excellent; ***** Classic

The Ghulam Ali experience

THE special thing about Ghulam Ali’s style of concert singing is the way he takes specific words or phrases and repeats them in a variety of ways, altering their range or volume. Take the Adeem Hashmi-penned ‘Faasle aise bhi honge’. Whenever one hears it, one is simply enamoured by the way he keeps repeating the word ‘faasle’, almost making it sound like a different song each time. Likewise with Nasir Kazmi’s ‘Dil mein ek lehar si uthi hai abhi’, where ‘lehar’ gets the same magical treatment.

Both these songs were the high points of the Pakistani maestro’s concert at Mumbai’s Shanmukhananda Hall on Friday night. For over two hours, he charmed the appreciative audience with a set-list that also included Nasir Kazmi’s ‘Neeyat-e-shauq bhar na jaaye kahin’, Dagh Dehlvi’s ‘Tumhare khat mein ik naya salaam kiska tha’, Ibn-e-Insha’s ‘Yeh baatein jhooti baatein hain’, Athar Nafees’ ‘Sochte aur jaagte saanson ka ek dariya hoon mein’ and Masroor Anwar’s ‘Hum ko kiske gham ne maara’, before concluding with shorter versions of Hasrat Mohani’s ‘Chupke chupke raat din’ and Akbar Allahabadi’s ‘Hungama hai kyon barpa’.

While the evening was a surefire trip down nostalgia lane, one couldn’t help but notice how Ghulam Ali’s timbre has changed. He’s 72 now, and like most septuagenarian singers, his voice showed a certain coarseness, especially if one compares it with the sheer brilliance of the texture we all have grown up on. Strangely, it didn’t seem so obvious on the sargams and taans, which have been drilled to perfection through his Patiala gharana training and years of riyaaz. But one clearly noticed it when he was singing the straighter lines, mainly in the middle register.

That’s not to take away from the overall charisma he displayed throughout the concert, interspersing the music with witty remarks, sometimes targeted at errant members of the audience, and sometimes playfully teasing his accompanying musicians.

Musically too, the concert was of the highest quality, with perfect assistance on the tabla, sitar, violin, keyboard and guitar. With part of the proceeds going towards drought relief, it served a noble purpose too.

—

LIKE many Indian ghazal fans from my generation, I was first exposed to Ghulam Ali’s voice in 1982, when ‘Chupke chupke raat din’ was used in B R Chopra’s film ‘Nikaah’. I simply loved his voice, though it took me another year to hear his other songs.

The ghazal craze was in full swing in India, with Jagjit-Chitra Singh, Pankaj Udhas, Rajendra-Nina Mehta and Talat Aziz doing regular concerts and albums. After getting hold of a Ghulam Ali greatest hits compilation cassette, I was immediately hooked to ‘Hungama’ and Mohsin Naqvi’s ‘Yeh dil yeh paagal dil mera’, also known as ‘Awaargi’.

For over a year, I would listen to that compilation regularly, till the Ghulam Ali fever was broken the following year when I heard an LP of Mehdi Hassan singing Hafeez Hoshiarpuri’s ‘Mohabbat karne waale kam na honge’ and Ahmed Faraz’s ‘Ranjish hi sahi’.

At that point, my understanding of the technicalities of music was very basic, and knowledge of Urdu limited. But what I loved about both singers was the sheer beauty and expression of their voices. And though Mehdi-saab has remained a bigger favourite ever since, Ghulam Ali kept coming back in phases.

As a journalist covering the music beat for Mumbai’s Mid Day newspaper, I was lucky to have interacted with the legend thrice. One was during an interview, and one was at a select gathering hosted by Saregama HMV to mark the launch of ‘Visaal’, an album featuring Ghulam Ali and Gulzar. The third was during a private mehfil hosted at the place of an income-tax officer about 10 years ago, where Ghulam Ali sang for three hours, his voice in perfect shape. After each encounter, I would explore more and more of his music.

Many Ghulam Ali songs have been personal favourites at different points in time. Earlier on, it was Nasir Kazmi’s ‘Apni dhun mein rehta hoon’. Then, ‘Faasle aise bhi honge’ came along, followed by ‘Dil mein ek lehar’. Many years later, it was Syed Razid-e-Ramzi’s ‘Paara paara hua pairaahan-e-jaan’. For a brief while, it was Rifat Sultan’s ‘Bahaaron ko chaman yaad aa gaya hai’. Then ‘Hum ko kiske gham ne maara’. Khatir Ghaznavi’s ‘Kaisi chali hai abke hawa’. Qamar Jalalabadi’s ‘Kehte hain mujhse ishq ka afsaana chahiye’. Qateel Shifai’s ‘Kiya hai jise pyaar hamne zindagi ki tarah’. Gulzar’s ‘Mera kya tha tere hisaab mein’. The tradional Punjabi heer. Some songs whose poets I don’t know, like ‘Apni tasveer ko aankhon se lagaata kya hai’ and ‘Jinke honton pe hansi’.

My favourite Ghulam Ali song? There’s one obvious choice, and the poetry is so beautiful that I will put down the entire thing here:

Aye husn-e-beparwah tujhe shabnam kahoon shola kahoon
Phoolon mein bhi shokhi to hai kisko magar tujhsa kahoon

Gesu udhe, mehki fazaa, jaadoo kare aankhen teri
Soya hua manzar kahoon ya jaagta sapna kahoon

Chanda ki tu hai chandni, lehron ki tu hai raagini
Jaan-e-tamanna mein tujhe kya kya kahoon kya na kahoon

It’s definitely one of the most romantic songs I have ever heard. Strangely enough, the poet has always been credited in the cassettes and CDs as ‘unknown’. On the Net, however, some posts attribute it to Bashir Badr, though there’s no guarantee whether that is authentic.

Either way, I was hoping he would sing ‘Aye husn-e-beparwah’ at the Shanmukhananda Hall on Friday night. He had presented it with such mastery at the private mehfil a decade ago, but this time, it was one song I missed. Of course, his rendition of ‘Faasle aise bhi honge’ and ‘Dil mein ek lehar’ were more than good enough compensation.

Instruments from India — 9/ Harmonium

IN September 2012, I had begun a monthly series on Indian musical instruments. The aim was two-fold: one, to make Indian readers aware of certain artistes they might not have heard before, and secondly, to expose relatively new audiences, mainly from the West, to the melodic or rhythmic beauty that various Indian instruments offer.

In this series, I shall not go into too many technicalities and playing styles. I shall focus on how the instrument is used in different genres, and mention the leading performers in each style. However, while I have tried to name all the main musicians, the lists mentioned are by no means exhaustive or complete. In all parts of the series, I shall use a similar format to maintain uniformity, and some portions on the concert structure may be repeated verbatim if needed.

The earlier parts of the series talked about the violin, sitar, bansuri, sarangi, different types of veena, sarod, santoor and shehnai/ nadaswaram. This month, we feature the harmonium.

SOME purists reading the headline many instantly point out that the harmonium isn’t actually an Indian instrument. They are surely right, as its ancestral form was created in Denmark in the 18th century, and soon, began to be played in many regions of Europe.

The truth, of course, is that the harmonium has played such an important role in various genres of Indian music, including Hindustani classical, ghazals, qawwalis, bhajans, semi-classical, folk and film music, that it is now accepted as an Indian instrument. In fact, the first versions to be used in India were made in France and brought in by missionaries in the late 19th century. Over the years, Indian musicians incorporated many changes in keeping with Indian melodic styles. Today, the words ‘samvadini’ or ‘peti’ are also used for the harmonium.

The harmonium is hugely popular and is kept in many homes, played in group songs and even by street performers and underprivileged people in trains. Many children are in fact initiated into music through the harmonium.

However, in the concert circuit, it is used more as an accompanying instrument. Though some musicians have successfully played it solo and even recorded albums, it has most often been used to provide assistance to vocalists. Those who have seen legendary vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi perform live would have also admired the way harmonium greats like Appa Jalgaonkar, Tulsidas Borkar and Purushottam Walawalkar created their own aura in the concert.

Here, we shall talk of the features of the instrument, its limitations, how it became popular in Indian music, its use in various genres and the main players associated with it.

Features: The Indian harmonium is normally played with the musician seated on the ground, pumping what are known as bellows with the left hand, and playing the notes with the right (in case he/ she is right-handed). In Sufiana music, it is sometimes played by keeping one end on the musician’s lap and the other on the ground. Some people even wear it around the neck using a strap, and play it while standing or walking. All these styles differ from the western technique where the musician is seated on a chair, pumps the bellows with both feet, and plays the notes with both hands.

The harmonium belongs to the family of free-reed aerophones, where sound is produced when air passes a vibrating reed or strip in a frame. Besides the harmonium, such a free-reed feature is used in various global folk instruments, and also in the harmonica and accordion.

The biggest advantage of the harmonium is that, like the basic keyboard, it is relatively easier to learn. One can get a hang of the notations fast, as one can see all the keys upfront. However, it takes a huge amount of practice to actually make it sound more melodious and reach levels of perfection. A high-quality harmonium can have 39 keys and therefore a range of up to three octaves.

Drawbacks: The limitations of the harmonium are more technical by nature, and revolve around its inability to produce meend (the slides between notes, typical in Indian music) and the fact that, once tuned, it cannot be adjusted during the course of performance. Some connoisseurs of Indian music, and even some traditional-minded musicians, are against the instrument because of its foreign origins, and prefer the bowed string instrument sarangi which sounds closer to the human voice.

Because of its disadvantages, it was banned by All India Radio for many years in the mid-20th century, a move that still raises huge debates.

Growth in Indian music: After being brought to India, the harmonium was first used as an accompanying instrument for stage musicals and in devotional music like keertan. But its ability to play sustained notes was seen as a benefit by some classical vocalists, who began using it as an accompanying instrument.

The harmonium as one currently knows it began to be manufactured in India around 1925, but became commercially available only after 1940. Among the instrument-makers, HP Bhagat is considered one of the pioneers, and his make pleased the connoisseurs too.

Use in different genres: We’ve already mentioned that the harmonium is used across various genres. Let us talk briefly about how it is used.

In a Hindustani classical concert, the harmonium player often accompanies the main vocalist, sitting to his or her left. Besides providing the accompanying music, they often repeat or improvise upon the phrases sung by the performer after they have completed the line. The harmonium is also used to provide the ‘lehera’ or melodic accompaniment in a tabla recital.

In ghazals and bhajans, the singer usually plays the harmonium himself, as we’ve seen in performances by Mehdi Hassan, Jagjit Singh, Ghulam Ali, Pankaj Udhas, Anup Jalota and others. Some singers may have an extra player to providing contrasting melodies. In a qawwali, two or three harmonium players perform simultaneously, and add vibrancy to the performance.

In Hindi films, the harmonium has been filmed in song sequences, often with the player standing and playing. Two well-known examples are ‘Leke pehla pehla pyaar’ from CID and ‘Deewane hai deewane ko na ghar chahiye’ from Zanjeer. It has also been in countless songs, one weird example being the intro to ‘Sheela ki jawani’ from Tees Maar Khan.

Main players: Though there were many accomplished harmonium players before, Pandit Govindrao Tembe was the first to popularise it as a solo instrument, an effort which he passionately pursued till he passed away in 1955. He was also a renowned accompanist to many great vocalists and wrote many compositions for Marathi natya sangeet (drama music).

Jnan Prakash Ghosh (known more for his mastery of the tabla), P Madhukar and Bhishmadev Vedi were also responsible in popularising the instrument in the middle of the 20th century. From the 1950s onwards, some of the great players were Appa Jalgaonkar, Tulsidas Borkar, Purushottam Walavalkar, Rambhau Bijapure, Govindrao Patwardhan and Manohar Chimote.

Many years later, Aravind Thatte and Vidyadhar Oke created fresh innovations. While the former played the complicated form called the tappa on the harmonium, the latter created an improvised and more intricate variety of the instrument called a melodium, which can play 22 microtones. Later-day harmonium players include Jyoti Goho, Sudhir Nayak, Ravindra Katoti, Seema Shirodkar, Deb Kumar Banerjee, Kedar Naphade, Suvendu Banerjee and Shriram Hasabnis.

At classical concerts across India, one can see many talented harmonium players. Some of them may not be famous but play with true passion and genius. The harmonium, after all, has its own melody and magic.

CD review/ The Next Day — David Bowie

The Next Day/ David Bowie
Genre: Rock
Sony Music/ Rs 399
Rating: ****
ON his 66th birthday on January 8, David Bowie released his new single ‘Where are we now?’, announcing that it was part of his 24th studio album ‘The Next Day’. While the song got instant recognition, lots of airplay and loads of viral hits with its moody, melancholic feel and its subject revolving around Berlin, many fans were indeed surprised that the veteran English musician was actually releasing something new.

Bowie had released his last album ‘Reality’ a decade ago, and many people felt he had retired for good, as he had cut down appearances following heart trouble and angioplasty in 2004. So they waited eagerly for the new album to hit the stores, till it finally came out on March 8. For those who have admired older hits like ‘Space Oddity’, ‘Hunky Dory’, ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’, ‘Diamond Dogs’ ‘Aladdin Sane’, ‘Heroes’ and even the commercial hit ‘Let’s Dance’, this was a huge comeback.

While the CD has 14 tracks, the special vinyl edition has three additional bonus tracks. What’s interesting is that Bowie has kept his songs short and snappy, with only five songs over four minutes in length, and has focussed mainly on the guitar and peppy rhythms to embellish them. The lyric-writing shows a certain maturity, using metaphors stylishly.

The title track, whose video attracted controversy for its alleged excesses, opens the show. Here, Bowie uses an energetic rock sound and a crisp guitar-and-drums intro. The lines “Here I am, not quite dying, my body left to rot in a hollow tree, its branches throwing shadows, on the gallows for me, and the next day, and the next, and another day” fill the chorus.

The second track ‘Dirty Boys’ is more artistic and innovative, using the baritone saxophone to good effect, specially in the coda. ‘The stars (are out tonight)’ has an infectious tune, and lines that go: “Stars are never sleeping, dead ones and the living, we live closer to the earth, never to the heavens, the stars are never far away, the stars are out tonight.”

‘Love is lost’ is graced by a punchy and cyclical rhythm line with smooth guitar and keyboard overlays, and terrific lines like: “Your country’s new, your friends are new; Your house and even your eyes are new; Your maid is new, and your accent too; But your fear is as old as the world.”

The other highlights include ‘Valentine’s Day’, with its trademark 70s feel, ‘Boss of me’, with its nice, sing-along hook, ‘Dancing out in space’, with its uptempo ambience and wah-wah lacings, and ‘How does the grass grow?’, with its catchy chorus. But the best lines are reserved for ‘You feel so lonely you can die’ and ‘Heat’.

The former, set to a haunting melody line, goes: “No one ever saw you moving through the dark, leaving slips of paper somewhere in the park, hidden from your friends, stealing all they knew, love is thrown in airless rooms, then vile rewards for you.” And the latter, an apocalyptic, brooding number, says: “Then we saw mission is dark, trapped between the rocks, blocking the waterfall, the songs of dust, the world would end, and night was always falling, the peacock in the snow.”

Of the bonus tracks, the instrumental ‘Plan’ offers variety with its jangling guitars and psychedelic feel. And in the entire set, the only number that seems out of place is ‘If you can see me’, which is a bit too noisy and more on the punk-rock side.

The cynical may argue that his latest effort comes nowhere near the class of Bowie’s gems from the 70s, and that its front sleeve is just an unimaginative improvisation of the ‘Heroes’ cover. But to give Bowie due credit, he’s come up with a set of highly likeable songs at a time when people had never imagined he would ever do so. The numbers grow after a few listens, and some are good enough to play repeatedly.

‘The Next Day’ has its highs, and a must for his fans.

RATING SCALE: * Poor; ** Average; *** Good; **** Excellent; ***** Classic

Take Five: The pioneers of electronic music

Giorgio Moroder (top) and Kraftwerk

In November 2012, we started a series called ‘Take Five’, which would recommend five albums or artistes from various genres of international music. This series will be carried once in two months. The first three parts talked of British alternative rock, classical crossover and world music, respectively. This month, we look at five pioneers of electronic music.

TODAY, the world is tripping on electronic dance music, or EDM, as acts like David Guetta, Avicii, Deadmau5 and Swedish House Mafia are attracting thousands of fans at packed venues. With its Sunburn festival and various standalone events, India too has attracted the top DJs, right from Paul Oakenfold and Paul van Dyk to Armin van Buuren and Tiesto.

EDM is only one of the forms of electronic music, where music is produced through synthesisers and computers, avoiding acoustic instruments. Over the years, there have been various other categories, and it’s not necessary that all of them have to be danced to. Without getting into details, some popular styles include electronica, big beat, techno, trance, dubstep, ambient, trip-hop, electronic rock, breakbeat, drum ‘n’ bass, jungle, synthpop, industrial, garage and, of course, good old disco, in which many EDM artistes trace their roots.

Hardcore fans are very touchy about their specific tastes, often looking down at those who listen to any other kind of electronic music. For instance, a house music fan will find a trance follower weird, and a trance addict will wonder what’s so great about electronic rock.

What’s more is that each of these is further broken down into numerous sub-categories. For instance, trance itself is divided into psychedelic trance, progressive trance, tech trance, Euro trance, Goa trance, Ibiza trance, acid trance, dream trance, etc etc. Confused? Never mind, the fans know what they are listening to, or at least they think so.

These days, electronic music has become so popular that every other day, one hears of some new stars. The younger generation, in particular, loves this genre, and adores the latest biggies. Not many would, however, know or bother about how electronic music started, and who were the early pioneers.

Keeping that in mind, this column mentions five such acts which have played a major role in establishing electronic music in some form or the other. But before that, a few bits of important information about the actual roots.

To begin with, the first electronic instrument ever made was called the theremin, developed by Russian physicist Leon Theremin back in 1924. Another major figure was German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, who inspired a generation of musicians across all genres, including electronic music.

These two people were arguably the fathers of electronic music. But when we think of electronic music in the popular sense of the term, the following five acts have played a pioneering role. There are others too, no doubt, and we shall mention some of them at the end of this feature. But the role played by these five has been immense.

Kraftwerk: Formed in 1970 by Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider in Dusseldorf, Germany, Kraftwerk was one of the earliest groups to popularise electronic music. Though it used harmony inspired by western classical music, its sound was strictly electronic, creating vocals through a vocoder or computerised speech software.

The group became a huge success with its 1974 song ‘Autobahn’, and its albums ‘Radioaktivitat’ and ‘Trans Europe Express’ became popular. However, its super-success came with the 1978 album ‘Man Machine’, which had its biggest hit ‘The Model’. It later released ‘Tour de France soundtracks’ in 2003, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the famous cycle race.

Kraftwerk was a huge influence on various artistes, including electronic music groups Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Ultravox, Depeche Mode, The Human League and Soft Cell, besides acts like Joy Division, New Order, Talking Heads, Pet Shop Boys and Bjork. Its song ‘Neon Lights’ was covered by U2 and Simple Minds.

Giorgio Moroder: Best known for his collaboration with singer Donna Summer on songs like ‘I Feel Love’ and ‘Love To Love You Baby’, Italy-born, US-settled Moroder was the most path-breaking producer of the disco era.

He also worked with artistes like Irene Cara, Blondie, Three Degrees and David Bowie, and was much in demand for his electronic disco sound, besides contributing to the films ‘Midnight Express’ and ‘Flashdance’.

While the late 70s and early 80s spawned similar artistes like Chic and the genre-defining Cerrone, Moroder was a hero for acts like New Order, Daft Punk, The Human League, Air, Royskopp, Yellow Magic Orchestra and even Madonna, besides a whole range of current EDM acts.

Brian Eno: He first became famous playing synthesisers for the art rock band Roxy Music, but boredom with touring and his rifts with frontman Bryan Ferry made him branch out on his own. Today, Eno is considered to be one of the biggest influences in electronic music, especially ambient sounds.

A self-professed ‘non-musician’, he popularised what is called ‘generative music’, where system-generated music keeps changing as several independent musical tracks blend. He collaborated with various artistes like David Bowie, Robert Fripp of the band King Crimson, David Byrne of Talking Heads to produce some experimental sounds.

The list of musicians followed by Eno includes the Chemical Brothers, Devo, Depeche Mode, Ultravox, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Moby, Robert Miles, the Prodigy, Deep Forest and Groove Armada.

Tangerine Dream: Founded by Edgar Froese in Berlin, Germany, in 1967, Tangerine Dream inspired a lot of instrumental music of the 80s and 90s, and also on new age, space music and EDM. Along with Kraftwerk and other German bands of the 70s, it developed Krautrock, a form of electronic rock.

Best known for albums like ‘Phaedra’, ‘Rubycon’ and ‘Ricochet’. Tangerine Dream set norms for early trance music, with its use of lush soundscapes and synth pads along with repetitive synthesiser sequences. It influenced ambient artistes like Moby, The Orb, Aphex Twin, Deepspace and the Future Sound of London, besides bands like Radiohead, Porcupine Tree and Kasabian.

Jean Michel Jarre: The Frenchman is known as the European electronic music community’s premier ambassador, and has influenced a range of ambient and new age musicians. Like Greek composer Vangelis, he elevated the synthesiser to newer heights in the 70s and 80s, releasing acclaimed albums like ‘Oxygene’, ‘Equinoxe’ and ‘Rendez-vous’.

Jarre’s shows were characterised by blinding lights, flashy laser displays and ample pyrotechnics, and he holds the world record for the largest attendance at an outdoor event, attracting more than a million people at his shows. He is also the first western musician to perform in China.

Besides being a role model for the early generation of trance musicians, Jarre has been admired and followed by new age greats like Yanni and Kitaro.

–

While these may be five of the biggest pioneers of electronic music, the list is by no means complete. Over the years, many other artistes have impacted the way the genre sounds today.

Among the earlier lot, German musician Klaus Schulze is considered a progenitor in trance, and Greek composer Vangelis is known to create new styles in the use of the synthesiser. Depeche Mode, Gary Numan and Ultravox played a huge role in popularising electronic music commercially.

Of the 90s musicians, Moby has been a huge influence on various styles ranging from EDM, electronica, house and ambient music. Robert Miles set trends in ambient and house music, Basement Jaxx wrote some of the biggest progressive house anthems, whereas Massive Attack and Portishead defined the trip-hop sound. St Germain added a jazz sound to house music, and Radiohead has used a lot of electronic music in its alternative rock.

The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, the Prodigy, Fatboy Slim and Morcheeba have written fresh rules in electronica and big beat. Paul Oakenfold, Paul van Dyk and Sasha were among those who helped popularise the DJ culture, and over the past four or five years, David Guetta has played a huge role in making EDM a household name.

The list of trendsetters is long. But the truth is that electronic music is not only huge today, but also promises to be the sound of the future.

The amazing grace of Gangubai Hangal

WHEN I interviewed Gangubai Hangal for Mumbai’s Mid Day newspaper back in 2001, she was 88 years old. She was staying at the Hilltop hotel in Worli, Mumbai, with her daughter Krishna and son Baburao, and had chosen that place as it was close to Nehru Centre, where she was scheduled to attend a function.

Keeping in mind her age and seniority, the staff photographer Suresh KK chose to take pictures of her as she was sitting on the sofa and speaking. She was happy to know I belonged to the Dharwad-Hubli region of north Karnataka, and thus conversed in Kannada, reminiscing about the olden days and how classical music had changed.

The interview over, she asked Suresh whether these were all the photographs he wanted. Before he could reply, Gangubai joked: “Take some nice action photographs. We can go to the terrace and you’ll get some good shots there, and a nice background view. Come, I’ll walk up there. Do you think I am an old lady?”
—
ON Sunday, May 5, this incident came to mind, as I sat at the Karnataka Sangha auditorium in Matunga, Mumbai. The occasion was an audio-visual presentation cum listening session on the life and music of the great Hubli-based singer, who charmed music lovers for decades with her distinct, somewhat-masculine voice. In attendance were 100-odd diehard classical music fans, many of whom were above 70 years of age.

For a generation which has grown up on Gangubai and her guru-bhai Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, who both carried forward the Kirana gharana teachings of their guru Sawai Gandharva, the event was a treat. Presented jointly by Omkar Sur Mandal and Kalabharati, the performing arts circle of the Karnataka Sangha, it was compered by connoisseur and senior critic Prakash G Burde, who provided many interesting glimpses of the doyenne’s life.

Besides snippets of her television interviews given in Marathi, the two-hour session showcased her renditions of ragas like Adana, Todi, Yaman, Kalawati, Jogiya and Bhairavi, and the Carnatic piece Madhyamavati, besides a thumri in Tilang. Most often, she would be accompanied by daughter Krishna, whose mellifluous voice provided a wonderful contrast, but in Chandrakauns, Gangubai was featured alone. Another highlight was a live rendition of raga Prabhat Bhairav, which she sang at least five times at the Sawai Gandharva festival in Pune.

The event was also held as part of Gangubai’s birth centenary celebrations. She was born on March 5, 1913, just 16 days before the great shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan, and just less than two months before Indian cinema was born. And while the media has correctly highlighted the film landmark, it has unfortunately ignored the birth centenaries of two of India’s greatest musicians.

Gangubai’s life had many interesting facets. She was initiated into music at a young age by her mother Ambabai, who was a Carnatic singer. As Hindustani music was growing in popularity in the Hubli-Dharwad region, the young girl was keen to learn that style. In fact, besides Sawai Gandharva, Bhimsen-ji and her, north Karnataka also produced stalwarts like vocalists Mallikarjun Mansur, Kumar Gandharva and Basavraj Rajguru, and sitar maestros Rehmat Khan and Bale Khan.

Gangubai’s family settled down in Hubli so that she could focus on singing, even though people criticised her decision as her mother belonged to a lower caste where music wasn’t considered honourable. Her early gurus included Krishnacharya Hulgur and Dattopant Desai, but it was only through Sawai Gandharva’s guidance that she cultivated her unique style.

Gangubai would travel 14 km every morning from Hubli to Kundgol, and return at night after a hectic day of musical education. But slowly, she imbibed the finer nuances of the Kirana gharana, and was regularly giving concerts when she was 20, sometimes referred to as Gandhari, besides Gangubai. In 1933, she recorded a Marathi song ‘Tu tithe an mi etha ha’ with G N Joshi, and in 1936, appeared and sang in the film ‘Vijayache Lagne’.

Initially, she had a feminine voice, but there was a sudden change after a throat operation when she was in her early 30s. Instead of being disappointed, Gangubai was actually thrilled because it now sounded closer to that of her guru, and she could sing the lower notes more fluently. The rest is history, as it was that voice which made her different from most of the established female singers, including luminaries like Kesarbai Kerkar, Mogubai Kurdikar and Hirabai Badodekar, and her contemporaries like Saraswati Rane and Roshanara Begum.

Gangubai passed away on July 21, 2009, at the age of 96. Though she was very active for most of her life, her last few years had a couple of setbacks. She overcame bone marrow cancer in 2003, but was completely shattered when Krishna passed away in 2004 after suffering from cancer. Yet, Gangubai made a comeback in 2006, to give a concert to mark 75 years of her musical career.

Those who’ve seen Gangubai live in concert or even in pictures would have one lasting image of hers. Very often, she would cover her left ear with her palm, and sing in deep concentration. Like her voice, that image will stay forever.

For those fortunate to know or even meet her, memories of her spontaneous sense of humour and zest for life linger on. One just can’t forget the way she climbed the stairs as an 88-year-old, posing for photographs with the enthusiasm of someone 70 years younger.

CD review/ Aashiqui 2; Music: various

Aashiqui 2/ Music: Jeet Gangulli, Mithoon, Ankit Tiwari

Genre: Hindi film music

T-Series/ Rs 175

Rating: ****

BACK in 1990, the songs of Mahesh Bhatt’s Aashiqui had become a rage, catapulting music directors Nadeem-Shravan and singer Kumar Sanu to stardom, and giving Anuradha Paudwal some of her biggest hits. Even today, songs like ‘Main duniya bhula doonga’, ‘Ek sanam chahiye’, ‘Dheere dheere se’, ‘Nazar ke saamne’, ‘Dil ka aalam’, ‘Jaane jigar jaaneman’, ‘Ab tere bin’ and ‘Tu meri zindagi’ are hummed by many.

Naturally, for those who’ve grown up on those classics, the first reaction to the music of Mohit Suri’s Aashiqui 2 would be to compare the two. But then, such a comparison would be unfair and pointless as there is a huge 23-year gap between these two films. If one listens to the new album with that mind-block, one may never appreciate it in its truest sense.

Remove that bias, and you slowly discover that Aashiqui 2 is one of the best music albums to come out over the past three or four years. At a time when composers are experimenting with sounds, going in for dance numbers. Punjabi and Sufi flavours or alternative approaches, Aashiqui 2 works because it is simple, clean and lyrically-appealing. And what’s really commendable is that though it features three music directors (Jeet Gangulli, Mithoon and Ankit Tiwari) and four lyricists (Irshad Kamil, Mithoon, Sandeep Nath and Sanjay Masoomm), there’s a certain consistency and coherence in the sound and songwriting.

A clear highlight of the 11-track CD is the quality of the arrangements. The acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, bansuri and santoor have been used charmingly, and the production and recording are of the highest standard. And even if one senses a bit of monotony in some of the later tracks, it is offset by the smart instrumentation.

The set begins with ‘Tum hi ho’, composed and written by Mithoon. It begins with a pleasant keyboard stretch after which Arijit Singh renders the lines “Hum tere bin reh nahin sakte, tere bina kya wajood mera.” Sung with depth and feel, it impresses on the lines, “Tera mera rishta hai kaisa, ik pal door gawaraa nahin, tere liye har roz hai jeete, tujh ko diya mera waqt sabhi.”

Mithoon contributes to two other numbers. ‘Meri Aashiqui’, written by Irshad Kamil and sung by Palak Muchhal and Arijit, continues from ‘Tum hi ho’, retaining the lines ‘Kyunki tum hi ho, ab tum hi ho, zindagi ab tum hi ho; chain bhi, mera dard bhi, meri aashiqui tum hi ho’. Then, there is ‘Aashiqui —The Love Theme’, a soothing piano-based instrumental using the same tune as ‘Meri aashiqui’.

One of the film’s clear highlights is ‘Sunn raha hai’. Composed and sung by Ankit Tiwari, and written by Sandeep Nath, it uses a rock power ballad style, with a repeated guitar line in the beginning, a sudden burst of electric guitar, charming use of the zitar (a cross between the sitar and guitar) and a pumped-up crowd-clapping backdrop at the end. The lines ‘Sun raha hai tu, ro raha hoon mein’ are the kind that’ll make you sing along.

The female version of this song, sung by Shreya Ghoshal, changes the orchestration completely, using acoustic guitar, bansuri, santoor and the claypot percussion instrument ghatam, reminding you of the Shiv-Hari style.

The other numbers are composed by Jeet Gangulli, who once worked as part of a duo with Pritam before concentrating on Bengali films. ‘Chahun mein ya naa’, written by Irshad Kamil and sung by Palak Muchhal and Arijit Singh, is a pleasant love song, with some striking orchestrations, a melodic electric guitar passage and wonderful lines like “Mere chhote chhote khwaab hain, khwaabon mein geet hain, geeton mein zindagi hai, chaahat hai, preet hai.”

‘Hum mar jaayenge’, sung by the sweet-voiced Tulsi Kumar and Arijit, boasts of some incredible flute portions, set mostly to acoustic guitar and keyboard backdrop. ‘Piya aaye na’ (Tulsi Kumar and KK) is one of the peppier tunes, using vocal overdubs and back-up singers.

‘Bhula dena’, sung by Mustafa Zahid, is melancholic and pathos-filled, and has an outstanding lead guitar passage in the middle. Both the keyboard-driven ‘Aasan nahin yahan’ and guitar-backed ‘Milne hai mujhse aayi’ begin with brilliant lines by Irshad Kamil, and both have been sung powerfully by Arijit. While the former starts with “Aasaan nahin yahaan aashiq ho jaana, palkon pe kaanton ko sajaana; aashiq ko milta hai gham ki saugaatein, sabko na milta yeh khazana,” the latter begins, “Milne hai mujhse aayi, phir jaane kyon tanhai, kis mod pe laayi aashiqui.”

To be sure, a couple of songs take time to grow on you. But the more you listen to them, the more refreshing they sound. Only time can tell whether they will match the popularity of the original Aashiqui, with today’s audiences being more impatient and exposed to wider choice. But on its own, the Aashiqui 2 music stands out. It’s the kind of CD you’ll want to play on loop, discovering something new each time. That happens rarely these days.

RATING SCALE: * Poor; ** Average; *** Good; **** Excellent; ***** Classic

Instruments from India — 8/ Shehnai & nadaswaram

IN September 2012, I had begun a monthly series on Indian musical instruments. The aim was two-fold: one, to make Indian readers aware of certain artistes they might not have heard before, and secondly, to expose relatively new audiences, mainly from the West, to the melodic or rhythmic beauty that various Indian instruments offer.

In this series, I shall not go into too many technicalities and playing styles. I shall focus on how the instrument is used in different genres, and mention the leading performers in each style. However, while I have tried to name all the main musicians, the lists mentioned are by no means exhaustive or complete. In all parts of the series, I shall use a similar format to maintain uniformity, and some portions on the concert structure may be repeated verbatim if needed.

The earlier parts of the series talked about the violin, sitar, bansuri, sarangi, different types of veena, the sarod and santoor. This month, we feature the shehnai and nadaswaram.

WHEN one talks of the shehnai, only one name comes to mind. For over six decades till he passed away on August 21, 2006, Ustad Bismillah Khan was single-handedly identified with this wind instrument, making it popular in Hindustani classical music and elevating it to concert stage status.

Khan was a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, and his records were, and still are, compulsorily played on many auspicious occasions like marriages and religious ceremonies.

While the shehnai is immensely popular in north India, a similar instrument — nadaswaram — is played in the south, again mainly on auspicious occasions and in temples. Both belong to the family of double reed instruments, and are made of wood, with a metal bell at one end. However, the nadaswaram is much longer, and even louder. In fact, it is considered to be the world’s loudest non-brass acoustic instrument.

Here, we shall discuss both instruments separately, mention the main musicians playing them, and talk about how some western musicians have also played them. But before that, we shall try and figure out what reed instruments are.

Reed instruments: They use reeds, which are thin strips which vibrate to produce sound, and can be classified into single reed, double reed or free reed.

In a single reed, one piece of cane vibrates against the mouthpiece, whereas in a double reed, two pieces vibrate against each other. In a free reed, which need not necessarily be found in wind instruments, sound is produced when air passes a vibrating reed in a frame.

Single reeds are mostly used in saxophones and clarinets, whereas double reeds are found in the oboe, bassoon, English horn, the European shawm, the Arabic mizmar and many ethnic instruments, besides the shehnai and nadaswaram. Free reeds are used in various global folk instruments, and also in the harmonica, accordion and harmonium.

Shehnai: Like the santoor, discussed in the previous part of the series, the shehnai has relatively fewer practitioners compared to the sitar, sarod and bansuri (bamboo flute). Yet, it remains hugely popular among Indian classical music fans, mainly because of the serene and spiritual music it produces.

The shehnai is played largely in north and west India, but one hears it even in Pakistan and Iran. There are various theories about its origin. One is that is a derivative of a Persian instrument called surnai. Another is that it was played by a barber (Hindi word: nai) in the court of a Shah (king), and hence the word shehnai. A third is that it was named after a musician called Shehinia. A fourth is that it is a combination of the words ‘sheh’ (meaning breath) and ‘nai’ (reed or flute). And there are some who believe it combines the words ‘Shah’ and ‘nai’ (flute), and is thus a ‘king’s flute’.

The shehnai has between six and nine holes, and requires immense breath control. It has a range of two octaves.

How shehnai is played: In any concert, the musician sits cross legged. He could either play it alone with tabla accompaniment, or as was often done by Bismillah Khan, assisted by three or four other shehnai players.

At times, the instrument is also used as a duet (called jugalbandi) with other instruments. While the jugalbandis between Bismillah Khan and sitar legend Ustad Vilayat Khan are simply outstanding, the maestro has also played with violinists VG Jog, N Rajam and L Subramaniam, the last being in north-south encounters.

A concert usually begins with the rendition of a classical raga, the melodic mode used in Indian music. After that, shehnai players usually play many light, folk pieces or devotional pieces like the thumri, kajri, chaiti, hori or bhajan.

Main players: Though Bismillah Khan became synonymous with the shehnai, those who have followed Hindustani classical music closely would have also heard Pandit S Ballesh, Anant Lal, Ram Lal, Raghunath Prasanna, Ali Hussain Khan, Krishna Ram Chaudhury, Lokesh Anand and Ali Ahmed Hussain.

For his part, Bismillah Khan symbolised the instrument. Among his numerous achievements, he played at the Red Fort, Delhi, on the eve of India’s Independence in 1947 and also at the ceremony held a day before the country became a republic in 1950. For years, India’s national television channel Doordarshan telecast his live performances after the prime minister’s speech on August 15, India’s Independence Day.

Bismillah Khan rarely accepted disciples, but because of his close association with Sikh spiritual leader Satguru Jagjit Singh JI, taught a few musicians who played the stringed instrument tarshehnai at their religious functions, and guided them on how to play the wind instrument. His other disciples included Sailesh Bhagwat and Bageshri Qamar, who is also one of the few females to play the instrument. The maestro has also guided thumri singer Soma Ghosh, his adopted daughter.

Nadaswaram: Like the shehnai is in north India, the nadaswaram is considered very auspicious in south India. It is played in many Hindu weddings and even in temples, accompanied by the percussion instrument thavil, and sometimes by a wind instrument called ottu, which provides the backdrop drone.

The nadaswaram has seven finger-holes, and five holes at the bottom which can be blocked to modify the tone. It has a range of two and a half octaves, similar to the bansuri. However, because of its high volume, the nadaswaram is said to be more suited for outdoor concerts.

Main players: The well-known nadaswaram practitioners include Thiruvavadudurai Rajaratnam Pillai, Thiruvengadu Subramania Pillai and Thiruvidaimaruthur P S Veerusami Pillai, besides the Keeranur, Thiruveezhimizhalai, and Semponnarkoil brothers.

Use of shehnai and nadaswaram in other music: Both instruments have been used regularly in film music and also by jazz musicians, who see a similarity with the saxophone and oboe.

Bismillah Khan played the shehnai through the 1959 Hindi film Goonj Uthi Shehnai, which even had a duet between him and sitar maestro Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan. He also played in the 1977 Kannada movie Sanadi Appanna, which is about a shehnai player.

Some film songs have used the shehnai appropriately. Music director Naushad often used it, notable examples being ‘Dil mein baji pyaar ki shehnaiyan’ in Kohinoor and ‘Khuda nigahbaan ho tumhara’ in Mughal-e-Azam. Khayyam used it in the title song of Kabhi Kabhie, along with the lines “Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai, ke jaise bajti hain shehnaiyan si rahon mein.” A R Rahman had shehnai stretches by Madhukar Dhumal in the instrumetal version of ‘Yeh jo des hai mera’ in Swades and by S Ballesh in the Rockstar instrumental  ’The dichotomy of fame’. Recently, Amit Trivedi used the instrument in the Kai Po Che song ‘Shubharambh’.

In jazz, the shehnai was sometimes used by American saxophonist and flautist Yusuf Lateef. The Rolling Stones song ‘Street Fighting Man’ has a small shehnai stretch played by Dave Mason, originally from the group Traffic.

Likewise, the nadaswaram was played by jazz alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano, who studied it on his Indian visits. The instrument was also attempted by German saxophonist Roland Schaeffer.

On the classical side, American musician Phil Scarff has incorporated shehnai technique to play his soprano saxophone, rendering full-length ragas.

While the fusion experiments have been few and far between, the best way to get into the shehnai is to hear the recordings of Bismillah Khan. A good beginning would be his Shaadi Ki Shehnai CDs released by Saregama HMV,his ragas Malkauns, Yaman, Bhimpalasi, Gunkali, Shivranjani and Bhairavi, or his duets with Vilayat Khan on sitar. It’s pure magic all the way.

The timeless melodies of Guru Dutt films

I RECENTLY watched a DVD of Nasreen Munni Kabir’s documentary ‘In Search of Guru Dutt’, made in 1989 for Channel 4 TV, UK. It’s an elaborate and well-made 85-minute feature, focusing on the oeuvre of the legendary filmmaker and containing interviews of various people associated with him. One of the highlights, obviously, is the music used in the backdrop.

The films directed or even produced by Guru Dutt have been characterised by exceptional music. Ranging from the serious to the funny, the romantic to the pathos-filled, many of the songs are hummed even today, 50 or 60 years after they were released. How can true-blue followers of Hindi film music ever forget the gems that graced Aar Paar, Mr & Mrs 55, Baazi, CID, Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Chaudhvin Ka Chand and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam?

In the documentary, ace lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri has said that the beauty of Guru Dutt movies were that they were artistic and commercial at the same time, which was a rare combination.

The same can well be said about the songs. They were artistic in that they definitely had depth, and in fact some of the most intense lyrics ever written. And they were commercial, not in the general sense of the term, but definitely because they were successful and their appeal lasted over time.

The list of hit songs from Guru Dutt films is long, and those who’ve followed music from that era would obviously know them. But let’s take a few songs from each film mentioned, just to travel down melody lane.

• Baazi: Tadbeer se bigdi hui, Aaj ki raat piya
• Aar Paar: Babuji dheere chalna, Yeh lo main haari piya, Sun sun sun zaalima, Kabhi aar kabhi paar
• Mr & Mrs 55: Thandi hawa kaali ghata, Jaane kahan mera jigar gaya ji
• CID: Leke pehla pehla pyar, Boojh mera kya naam re, Aankhon hi ankhon mein, Yeh hai Bambai meri jaan, Kahin pe nigahen kahin pe nishana
• Pyaasa: Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye, Jaane wo kaise log the jinke, Hum aapke aankhon mein, Sar jo tera chakraye, Jaane kya tune kahee
• Kaagaz Ke Phool: Waqt ne kiya, Dekhi zamaane ki yaari, San san wo chali hawa
•  Chaudhvin Ka Chand: Chaudhvin ka chand ho, Babul se milan hoga, Mile khaak mein mohabbat
• Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam: Na jaao saiyyan, Bhanwra bada nadaan, Meri jaan o meri jaan.

Besides these, Jaal had the eternal favourite ‘Yeh raat yeh chandni’, and Sailaab had ‘Hai yeh duniya kaunsi’ and ‘Yeh rut yet raat jawaan’. And we have listed only some of the songs from each film.

These songs clearly stood out because of their melody and, in many cases, their words. Obviously, the people behind these songs made a huge contribution. Let’s look at them, from the music directors to the lyricists to the singers.

A majority of Guru Dutt’s films were divided between two music directors. OP Nayyar did Baaz, Aar Paar, Mr & Mrs 55 and the Raj Khosla-directed CID, and SD Burman did Baazi, Jaal, Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool. So there were two distinct styles that characterised most of the Guru Dutt films

Besides these two, there were one-off films by music directors Mukul Roy (Sailaab), Ravi (Chaudhvin Ka Chand) and Hemant Kumar (Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam). Again, they had outstanding music, and though Sailaab’s score wasn’t as popular as the others, it had some gems too.

From the lyrical perspective, Guru Dutt’s films had major contributions from Sahir Ludhianvi, Shakeel Badayuni, Majrooh Sultanpuri and Kaifi Azmi. Majrooh wrote for Aar Paar, Mr & Mrs 55 and CID (which also had one Jan Nissar Akhtar song ‘Aankhon hi aankhon mein’). The brilliant Shakeel wrote for Chaudhvin Ka Chand (the title number being one of the best-written songs in the history of Hindi cinema) and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam.

For their part, Sahir and Kaifi came up with truly path-breaking work in Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool, respectively. The former, which is said to be loosely inspired by Sahir’s own life, had the lyrical masterpieces ‘Jaane wo kaise log the jinke’, ‘Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye toh kya ho’ and ‘Tang aa chuke hain kashmakash-e-zindagi se’. As for Kaagaz ke Phool, Kaifi was in brilliant form on ‘Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam’ and ‘Dekhi zamaane ki yaai’. Needless to say, each of these songs inspired scores of songwriters.

That brings us to the singers. Rafi and Geeta Dutt were the two obvious favourites. The wife of Guru Dutt, Geeta had major hits in practically each film, with ‘Waqt ne kiya’, ‘Babuji dheere chalna’, ‘Aankhon hi ankhon mein’ and ‘Hum aapki aankhon mein’ being among her biggest hits.

Rafi sang a lot of songs picturised on Guru Dutt, and his voice suited the actor perfectly, though an odd exception was Hemant Kumar singing ‘Jaane wo kaise log the jinke’ in Pyaasa. Interestingly, Rafi also sang songs picturised on Johnny Walker  ‘Jaane kahan mera jigar gaya ji’ in Mr & Mrs 55, ‘Yeh hai Bambai meri jaan’ in CID and ‘Sar jo tera chakraye’ in Pyaasa. All these songs had a certain frothiness that made them memorable.

The other two singers who made a mark in Guru Dutt were Shamshad Begum, who passed away yesterday, and Asha Bhosle, more in the later films. Shamshad sang ‘Kahin aar kahin paar’ in Aar Paar, besides the three CID classics ‘Boojh mera kya naam hai’, ‘Kahin pe nigaahen’ and ‘Leke pehla pehla pyar’.

Asha, who was also part of ‘Leke pehla pehla pyaar’, had three songs in Chaudhvin Ka Chand and four in Sahib Bibi Ka Ghulam, including ‘Bhanwara bada nadaan’ and ‘Meri jaan o meri jaan’.

The combination of all these legends made the music of Guru Dutt films so charming. When one looks at Hindi film music from that era, one normally thinks of Raj Kapoor films, the Dev Anand/ Navketan banner, Mehboob Khan movies and some of music director Naushad’s musico-historicals, if such a term exists.

But obviously, Guru Dutt paid close attention to the music. Just like his films had VK Murthy’s distinct stamp of photography and Abrar Alvi’s marvellous style of dialogue-writing, their music had their own magic. That’s why those songs are so timeless.