Instruments from India ― 14/ The jugalbandis

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 have not gone into too many technicalities and playing styles. I have focused on how the instrument is used in different genres, and mentioned the leading performers in each style. So far, I have focused on melody instruments, and shall begin another series on Indian percussion instruments next month, with the tabla.

The earlier parts of the series talked about the violin, sitar, bansuri, sarangi, different types of veena, sarod, santoor, shehnai/ nadaswaram, harmonium, Indian adaptations of the guitar, Indian adaptations of other western instruments, other instruments used in Indian classical music, and instruments used in folk and devotional music.

In the concluding part of this series, I shall talk of combinations of melody instruments in classical and fusion music.

BY and large, Indian classical music is a solo art, where one vocalist or instrumentalist unfolds a raga or a light composition. However, there have been several times when two, and sometimes three, instruments have been played together in a concert or recording.

The simultaneous use of two instruments is known as a ‘jugalbandi’. Such a combination also exists in vocal music, popular artistes being Ustads Nazakat Ali Khan and Salamat Ali Khan, and Pandits Rajan and Sajan Mishra in the khayal form of music, and the Dagar brothers and Gundecha brothers in the older dhrupad.

In instrumental music, sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar and sarod genius Ustad Ali Akbar Khan came together in the 1960s and did a few such concerts. One of the most successful early collaborations was between santoor master Shivkumar Sharma, flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia and Indian-style guitarist Brij Bhushan Kabra, who recorded the album ‘Call of the Valley’ in 1967.

While jugalbandis were initially done between Hindustani classical musicians, they were later used in Carnatic music too. Over the years, there were also instances when Hindustani and Carnatic musicians played together.

There have also been instances when two or more musicians, mostly from the same family, played the same instrument in a concert ― like Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka on sitar, Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan and Ayaan on sarod, and Shivkumar Sharma and his son Rahul on santoor. In Carnatic music, brothers Ganesh and Kumaresh have excelled as a violin duo, and these days violinist L Subramaniam is often accompanied by his son Ambi.

Though such jugalbandis have been popular among the masses, they have been criticised by purists, who believe Indian classical music is a solo art. Thus, people conducting such a practice have been accused of selling out or gimmickry.

However, what needs to be noted is that all musicians who have done jugalbandis have essentially concentrated on solo performances, and (barring probably Ganesh and Kumaresh) worked as a duo only occasionally, often on public demand. Some of these recordings have been pathbreaking. But in comparison to the overall number of solo recordings and concerts, the number of jugalbandis has been only a small fraction.

Here, we shall look at some of the combinations of instruments that have been successful.

Sitar and sarod: The best-known examples are Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, on their recording of ragas Sindhu Bhairavi, Manj Khamaj and Hem Bihag in the double live album ‘In Concert 1972’. With accompaniment from tabla legend Allarakha, the concert was recorded at the Philharmonic Hall, New York, as a dedication to Baba Allauddin Khan, Ali Akbar Khan’s father and guru, and Ravi Shankar’s guru.

The duo has also recorded ragas Khamaj, Durga and Bilaskhani Todi.

Sitar and shehnai: Sitar maestro Vilayat Khan and shehnai legend Bismillah Khan got together in many recordings and concerts. Their famous album ‘A Rare Jugalbandi’ features ragas Yaman and Nand Kalyan, and a mishra dhun (light piece in a mixed raga). Their recordings of ragini Yamani and a light-classical thumri in Bhairavi are also outstanding.

Santoor and bansuri: As mentioned earlier, Shivkumar Sharma and Hariprasad Chaurasia got together with guitarist Brij Bhushan Kabra in 1967 on the album ‘Call of the Valley’, where they recorded Ahir Bhairav, Nat Bhairav, Piloo, Des and Pahadi, besides some light compositions. Later, Sharma and Chaurasia also recorded two volumes of ‘The Valley Recalls’, including an elaborate rendition of Bhoopali. They have done numerous concerts as a duo.

In the late 1990s, flautist Ronu Majumdar and santoor player Satish Vyas also did a few concerts together.

Shehnai and violin: Bismillah Khan and violinist VG Jog used this combination successfully, recording ragas Todi and Durga. Bismilllah Khan also combined with Carnatic violinist L Subramaniam on the album ‘Live in Geneva’, featuring raga Yaman.

Carnatic saxophone and bansuri: Veteran saxophonist Kadri Gopalnath has done jugalbandis with flautists Ronu Majumdar and Pravin Godkhindi. Their combination has had an overwhelming response.

Fusion collaborations: Though they aren’t jugalbandis in the real sense, Indian melody instruments have often been combined with western ones in experimental music and Indo-jazz fusion.

In the 1960s, Ravi Shankar’s sitar joined Yehudi Menuhin’s violin. In the following decade, violinist L Shamkar and guitarist John McLaughlin were together in the band Shakti, and these days, McLaughlin is accompanied by mandolin wiz U Shrinivas in Remember Shakti. The ace guitarist has played only one piece with santoor maestro Shivkumar Sharma ― ‘Shringar’, based on raga Kirwani, which was like an actual jugalbandi.

Saxophonist Jan Garbarek has played with violinist L Shankar and flautist Chaurasia, and saxophonist George Brooks has teamed up with Chaurasia and harp player Gwyneth Wentink. Jazz guitarist Larry Coryell was joined by flautist Ronu Majumdar on the album ‘Moonlight Whispers’.

Among same or similar instruments, violinist L Subramaniam released the classic album ‘Conversations’ with violinist Stephane Grappelli, and has also played with Menuhin. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, who plays the modified guitar Mohan veena, released the Grammy-winning album ‘A Meeting By The River’ with American guitarist Ry Cooder.

The examples in fusion abound, and are much larger in number as compared to classical jugalbandis. In both cases, they have been successful, despite opposition from the purists. In many ways, they have helped in attracting newer and younger audiences. For that singular reason, they have played a role in spreading the reach of Indian classical music.

Memories of Manna Dey

THOSE were the early 1970s, when I first got exposed to Hindi film songs. At the age of seven or eight, I didn’t know what a music director or a lyricist did. But the names of Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar and Mukesh were mentioned regularly on Vividh Bharati and Radio Ceylon, and as such, they were the first playback singers I knew of.

No, I wasn’t aware who Manna Dey was. I would run to the radio set each time they played ‘Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo’ (from ‘Mera Naam Joker’), ‘Tujhe suraj kahoon ya chanda’ (‘Ek Phool Do Mali’) and ‘Zindagi kaisi hai paheli’ (‘Anand’), but I never knew or cared about who sang them. It didn’t matter, as long as I loved the songs.

The legendary singer’s name was registered in my mind only a couple of years later, when ‘Yaari hai imaan mera’ (‘Zanjeer’) became a rage. Even then, I never realised the same person had sang my three early favourites. Or that he had actually sung ‘Pyaar hua ikrar hua’ (‘Shree 420’) and ‘Aaja sanam madhur chandni mein hum’ (‘Chori Chori’), tunes which I then erroneously felt Mukesh had rendered because I thought Mukesh sang all Raj Kapoor songs. In the same year, 1973, Manna also featured on ‘Na maangoon sona chandi’ in ‘Bobby’, but I was more familiar with the name of the new find Shailendra Singh.

—

CUT to October 24, 2013, and these memories came immediately to mind when I heard of Manna Dey’s demise. I was in the middle of a family holiday in Nepal, and was just about to board a bus to visit the famous Fewa Lake at the picturesque town of Pokhara for a boat ride, when one of our tour members announced the news. My first thought was, “An era has ended.”

Truly, Manna Dey was the longest-living and last representative of the golden age of male playback singing. Despite competition from the likes of Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Talat Mahmood, Kishore Kumar, Hemant Kumar and Mahendra Kapoor, he carved a niche of his own. He was equally adept at Bengali and other regional language songs, but sadly, I was never exposed to them, and will thus focus on Hindi cinema.

Much has been written about how Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore were at an advantage because they represented Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, the leading heroes of the day. On the other hand, Manna did hit songs for Balraj Sahni (‘Aye mere pyaare watan’ from ‘Kabuliwala’, ‘Aye meri zohra zabeen’ from’’Waqt’, ‘Tu pyaar ka saagar hai’ from ‘Seema’ and ‘Tujhe sooraj kahoon ya chanda’ from ‘Ek Phool Do Mali’), Mehmood (‘Aao twist karein’ from ‘Bhoot Bangla’ and ‘Ek chatur naar’ from ‘Padosan’) and Pran (‘Kasme vaade pyaar wafaa’ from ‘Upkaar’ and ‘Yaari hai imaan mera’ from ‘Zanjeer’). Yet, the other three singers invariably got the biggest stars.

Still, looking back at Manna’s immense and priceless contribution to Hindi film music, he had five qualities that put him on par with the others — technique, originality, versatility, consistency and song memorability. Let’s look at each of them.

Technique: With his intense classical training and mastery over the ragas, Manna could sing even the most difficult songs effortlessly. Add to that his pure and clear voice, and a god-gifted power of expression, and the end result was pure magic.

His classical brilliance was evident in ‘Laaga chunari mein daag’ from ‘Dil Hi To Hai’ (in raga Bhairavi), ‘Poocho na kaise’ from ‘Meri Surat Teri Aankhen’ (in Ahir Bhairav), ‘Jhanak jhanak tori baaje payaliya’ from ‘Mere huzoor’ (in Darbari Kanhada), ‘Kaun aaya mere man ke dwaare’ from ‘Dekh Kabira Roya’ (in Rageshri) and ‘Sur na saje’ from ‘Basant Bahar’ (in Pilu).

Check out the ‘antara’ of ‘Tu pyaar ka saagar hai’ (‘Seema’, raga Darbari Kanhada) and notice how he made even the most complex passages seem like child’s play. And for sheer expression, ‘Kasme vaade pyaar wafaa’ (Upkaar’), ‘Aye mere pyaare watan’ (‘Kabuliwaala’) and ‘Zindagi kaisi hai paheli’ (‘Anand’) are the ultimate.

Originality: Though each male singer from that era had his own style, Manna’s distinct timbre and manner of delivery made him unique. One perfect example would be ‘Lapak jhapak tu aa re badarwa’ from ‘Boot Polish’. One simply can’t imagine anybody else doing justice to the song. Likewise with ‘Laaga chunari mein daag’ from ‘Dil Hi To Hai’, ‘Bhay bhanjana’ from ‘Basant Bahar’ and his cameo in the Lata-dominated ‘Chadh gayo paapi bichua’ from ‘Madhumati’. For that matter, even his private album rendition of poet Harivanshrai Bachchan’s ‘Madhushala’.

There is a theory that more aspiring musicians were inclined to imitate Rafi, Kishore and Mukesh, in comparison to Manna Dey. To that, his fans would react that Manna was so original that it would require real in-depth training and practice to blindly follow him. That assumption may not be totally off the mark.

Versatility: For some strange reason, many people have associated Manna Dey mainly with classical songs. Yes, he was a master at them, but if you really study his repertoire, the truth is that he could sing anything and everything under the sun.

For instance, he was equally fantastic with comic or lighter songs, examples being the unforgettable ‘Ek chatur naar’ (with Kishore in ‘Padosan’), ‘Aao twist karein’ (‘Bhoot bangla’), ‘Dil ka haal sune dilwala’ (‘Shree 420’), ‘Meri bhains ko danda kyon maara’ (‘Pagla Kahin Ka’), ‘Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo’ (‘Mera Naam Joker’) and ‘Na maangoon sona chandi’ (‘Bobby’).

Manna could sing straightforward and simple numbers like ‘Dil ki girah khol do’ (‘Raat Aur Din’), ‘Mud mud ken a dekh’ (with Asha Bhosle in ‘Shree 420’), ‘Chunari sambhaal gori’ (‘Baharon Ke Sapne’) and ‘Yeh dosti’ (with Kishore in ‘Sholay’). And when it came to romantic songs, there were these Raj Kapoor classics like ‘Pyaar hua ikraar hua hai’ (‘Shree 420’), ‘Yeh raat bheegi bheegi’ and ‘Aaja sanam madhur chandni mein hum’ (both ‘Chori Chori’), all duets with Lata Mangeshkar. And with Asha, he sang ‘Tu chupi hai kahaan’ in ‘Navrang’.

Of the singers from that era, Mukesh, Talat Mahmood, Hemant Kumar and even SD Burman had their typical styles, whereas Mahendra Kapoor was used to represent only certain stars. When it came to versatility, Manna was on the same level as Rafi and Kishore.

Consistency: From the 1950s right up to the mid-1970s, Manna Dey regularly came up with hit numbers. There were times when he sang only one song in a film whereas other singers got three or four songs, but that one song made its own mark.

When you think of ‘Waqt’, for instance, the first tune that comes to mind is ‘Aye meri zohra zabeen’. Talk of ‘Zanjeer’, and you immediately think of ‘Yaari hai imaan mera’.

All singers have their share of hits and flops. With Manna Dey, the successes clearly outweighed the ones that didn’t make a mark. Though some felt he was offered fewer songs than the others (or that he himself was more selective), the relatively high hit ratio was enough proof of his consistency.

Song memorability: This point doesn’t require elaboration. Just look at the songs mentioned above, and there’s no denying that each of them is memorable in its own way. Even 40 or 50 years after they were first rendered, they move you with their sheer melody and meaning. And while the music directors, lyricists and co-singers had a major role to play, Manna Dey made them special by adding his own touch.

—

YES, an era has ended. Over the past four days or so, so many other memories have been revived, some in colour, some in black ‘n’ white. I thought of whether I first heard the songs on the radio, or saw them in the cinema halls, or on television programmes like Chitrahaar in Delhi or Chaaya Geet in Mumbai. I remembered songs I actually began to appreciate only much later ― like ‘Laaga chunari mein daag’ and ‘Tu chhupi hai kahaan’. Each memory has been special.

Still, as a music journalist who came on the beat in 1995, I have one personal regret. I never met the legend even once, not even casually at a music industry party. It was always a dream to interview him, but that sadly remained unfulfilled.

Thank you for the timeless music, Manna Dey. Your voice lives on forever.

CD review/ Cosmic Chant — Rajeev Raja Combine

Cosmic Chant/ Rajeev Raja Combine

Genre: Indo-jazz fusion

Available on iTunes India, OKListen and other digital space

Rating: *****

BESIDES focusing on his career in advertising, and then starting his sonic branding company BrandMusiq, Rajeev Raja has been involved with his other passion of playing the flute for three decades. He’s studied both the western concert flute and the Indian bansuri, doing numerous gigs as frontman and accompanying various Indian musicians.

Keeping that introduction in mind, it comes as a surprise that he’s just released his debut album, ‘Cosmic Chant’, along with his band Rajeev Raja Combine. However, even if you wonder what took him so long, it’s obvious from the first time you hear this set that it is a labour of love, and a stunningly brilliant one at that.

The sound is a smooth mix of jazz and Indian classical, with elements of rock, Latin sounds and world music. Each of the eight tracks bears the stamp of rich quality, pure melody and crisp instrumentation. While the album is dominated by the flute, Chandana Bala’s accompanying classical vocals are an asset, and there’s some super-tight work by guitarist Hitesh Dhutia, keyboardist and saxophonist Tala Faral, bassist JD, drummer Vaibhav Wavikar and tabla player Vinayak Netke.

The flute is, of course, not new in Indo-fusion. However, most other flautists essentially belong to the Indian classical tradition, and thus stick to the classical rudiments of bansuri or venu playing, with their accompanying keyboardists, guitarists, bassists and drummers bringing in the jazz, rock and world music flavours. As Rajeev focuses on the metal concert flute, and has himself grown up on the best of both western and Indian music, he plays a cross-section of styles effortlessly.

Thus, what we have is an album with great variety. The opening piece ‘Drone’ starts with a pleasant melody line, followed by charming vocal sargams that flow into a marvellous piece of flute improvisation, which then leads to a neat saxophone solo. Just the ideal album opener.

‘Nightingale’s Song’ is another beautiful tune, beginning with melodic guitar lines, and then making way for flute and vocals, which complement each other perfectly. Somewhere down the line, bass and tabla join the action.

‘Mulligan’s Mood’, dedicated to jazz saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, was composed by Rajeev back in 1982, and has been one of his concert regulars. After a steady build-up, the tempo increases suddenly, with some striking guitars and keyboards. Kenneth Rebello makes an appearance on bass here, and some breathtaking flute portions seem straight from the Jethro Tull/ Ian Anderson style sheet.

On the title track, which appears next, Rajeev gets into flamenco-Indian classical fusion mode. Beginning with a Paco de Lucia-styled guitar riff by Hitesh, this one has good coordination between the vocals, flute and rhythms. Chandana’s mid-composition sargam portion is a highlight, and the flute solo and tabla playing act as the right follow-up.

As its name suggests, ‘Grunge’ gets into rocksier territory, with energetic guitar and flute passages. ‘Friday Night Funk’ is a blend of Indian melodies and funk, and one finds shades of European folk in the later flute parts. Despite a title hinting at Middle Eastern music, ‘Turkish Delight’ is actually a stylish amalgamation of Latin and Indian music, with bossa nova and samba guitars and rhythms interacting with Carnatic vocals and haunting flutes.

Finally, ‘Peace’ acts as an ideal climax. Based on raga Hamsadhwani, popular in both Carnatic and Hindustani traditions, it boasts of wonderful interplay between vocals and flute, and an uplifting keyboard stretch.

What’s most impressive about ‘Cosmic Chant’ is that there’s not a single moment when you feel that the fusion is forced or artificial. There are absolutely no gimmicky show-off moments, no sudden displays of unnecessary energy outburst, no random intrusion of unwanted semi-spoken rhythm syllables — things which have become characteristic of most contemporary fusion projects.

The beauty of this album lies in its simplicity, variety and use of syncopation, and the fact that it has melody written all over it. It’s the kind of music you can play again and again, and yet it grows on you. Clearly, this is one of the best Indo-fusion albums released in the past decade or so.

RATING SCALE: * Poor; ** Average; *** Good; **** Excellent; ***** Simply outstanding

The sob story of the CD

Dear music lovers,

All of you recognise me by the name audio CD, or even more simply put, the CD. My full form, as you know, is Compact Disc. Strangely, in the next couple of years, all that may change, and I might stand for ‘Certified Dinosaur’. Technology, once my creator, has now become my destroyer, and it’s only a matter of time before I become old-fashioned, or even extinct.

Some of you may wonder why I have become so sceptical, cynical or pessimistic. Well, I am smart enough to read the writing on the wall, and see what’s going on around me.

Let me tell you precisely what’s happening in India. Over the past few months, one major exclusive music chain has shut shop. Another similar chain cut down music quantities and decided to hawk mobile phones, gadgets and movies instead. Some outlets which sold a mix of books, music and other related categories have either shut down, or banned any music from entering their doors. In such a scenario, only a few old stores are fighting against the odds to survive.

The concept of a music retail chain doesn’t exist any longer. The physical music format is dying.

The change in the environment will have other consequences too. The biggest to be affected will be the record labels. With so many stores shutting down or changing their business models to exclude music, these companies will have no one to supply to. Manufacturing quantities have already come down drastically, and the situation will only get worse. Some of them have been talking of selling more music digitally, but it’s been some seven or eight years they have been trying that, without much success. Only a miracle can change their fortunes now.

Because of all this, I will be seen in fewer places. I can already see the change. One of my followers went to pick up the brand new Krrish 3 CD at a store he’s been frequenting for the past few years, only to be told the store isn’t stocking a single CD now. Another person went looking for John Mayer’s latest release ‘Paradise Valley’ and Sting’s ‘The Last Ship’, only to be told they hadn’t received it. A third person looked for a Bhimsen Joshi compilation, and discovered that stores which once had loads of classical music now only stocked a handful of new Bollywood releases.

What pinches me is that all this music is now available illegally for free. Somebody just downloads it from a site, and passes it around on a pen-drive. Sometimes I exist in the stores, albeit in smaller quantities, but nobody will pick me up because they have already got a free copy, or because they checked it out — again for free — on YouTube. Even if the sound is terrible, people will listen to it just because they didn’t have to pay a single paisa. The industry’s sales revenues have obviously gone for a toss.

Another group to suffer will be the artistes, be they singers, composers, lyricists or musicians. Earlier, they would get royalties accrued from sales of physical albums, though even there, they kept wanting a bigger chunk of the pie. In the case of digital sales, a lot is downloaded for free, and there is no exact account of that, or means to monitor it. So barring the few legitimate companies which honestly declare digital revenues, one will never know what is exactly due to the artistes. Also, those planning to release new music will need to think of other ways to reach out to audiences. For them, the organised retail route no longer exists.

It’s not that I am the first musical format to face such a thing. My forefathers underwent a similar fate too. Many years ago, the spool came and went unnoticed. The Long Play Vinyl Record or LP, and his brothers, the Extended Play EP and the 78 rpm were popular from the 1950s to the 1970s, but fizzled out. Though LPs have been back in fashion over the past couple of years, I fear that their availability will decrease too, and they will probably be sold in a few exclusive outlets whose promoter is in the field more for his love for music than for the money.

My predecessor, the cassette, was a superstar in his own right, not only selling great quantities himself but also ensuring sales of Sony Walkmans, car stereos and tape decks. Today, nobody listens to him, and the latest music systems don’t even have a cassette facility. If cassettes exist, it’s only in heavily fungus-bitten or mangled forms in the cupboards of people who don’t know what to do with them, except retain them for pure nostalgia.

Now look at my fate. When I suddenly became famous some 20 years ago, people thought I would last forever. Though the old-timers always preferred the analog sound of the LP, they didn’t find large quantities after that whole vinyl craze died down. My digital sound attracted its own set of followers, and as I was less likely to be damaged and thus had a longer life compared to a cassette, people started believing in me and relishing my sound. Even though some people felt I was expensive, they could not argue about the quality of sound I produced.

Over time, I became friendly with different types of formats. Besides music systems and portable Discmans, I could be played in home theatre units, and even in computers and laptops —something which wasn’t possible for other formats. Though I was threatened by this ghost called audio piracy, industry associations took extra steps to ensure that was reduced, at least by ensuring that my duplicate and fake clones were not available in the market.

I survived for a long time, but my downfall came out of the blue. Yes, I still exist in the fairly large collections of hardcore music lovers, who have admired me and nurtured me for years. These people have treated me like a king, making sure I stay clean and that I am not misused. They liked owning the physical copy, and they shall continue to be proud of my presence. Sadly, in today’s world, their lot is decreasing.

What ever happened, and that too so suddenly? The general response to this question is that people have changed the way they ‘consume’ music. Yes, ‘consume’ is the word they use, as though I am a Maharaja Mac burger or a Thums Up cola.

I hate the word ‘consume’, as it sounds like a word used more by the jargon-oozing marketing wizards who now throng the music industry, unlike the true music-loving artiste promoters who existed in the past. But I must admit that people have changed the way they listen to music.

I got my first scare about a decade ago, when there was a sudden increase in the demand for iPods. People could store an endless list of songs on these tiny gadgets, and listen to them either on their headphones or by connecting them to their computing systems. They would choose exactly the songs they wanted, and build their own personal library. Since the iPod could be carried everywhere, unlike most systems that played CDs, I slowly became redundant for such tech-friendly users.

Slowly, youngsters began looking for alternate means of listening to music. And if it was free, better for them. They looked for music more in the form of single songs, instead of complete albums. There was little patience to appreciate a work of art in its entirety.

Things kept changing with each passing year. Today, people want music on insipid MP3 files, USB drives or even on those creaky mobile phones that can make even the great Beethoven sound like a baboon. They want it on YouTube, because they can find anything under the sun free of cost, listen to these songs and then attach them on Facebook statuses to impress scores of virtual friends. Today, in the era of Smartphones, who wants a not-so-smart CD?

I agree that times change, and with it, so does technology. The latest technology has done wonders in fields like cinema, animation, advertising, banking, the very functioning of corporate offices, so on and so forth. Thanks to technological advancement, the world has become a smaller and more comfortable place.

Ironically, technology has actually had a devastating effect on the physical music industry. On the one hand, we have the most advanced systems and gadgets. But on the other, the best forms of transmitting good sound — the analog LP and the digital CD — have fewer takers today. With fewer stores retailing them, we may soon become history. And by the way, why on earth am I still associating myself with the world ‘digital’ when I should actually be detesting that word?

Ask anyone who’s grown up on the best music of the past 50 years, and that too by listening to it on good music systems, and they will tell you that slowly, the age of great sound is slowly making way for the era of cacophony. Just look at the person sitting next to you in the train, at office or in a restaurant, blaring a song on his mobile phone, and you’ll know what I mean. Melody has turned into malady.

This may well be my view, and I am sure thousands may disagree with me, simply because they haven’t felt the real thing in the past, and are happier boasting of the latest fads. But today, if you talk of listening to recorded music as a purely aesthetic, aural and amazing experience, what’s happening is everything except music to the ears.

Technology, for music’s sake, please use your charm to make things sound as good as they did.

CD review/ The Last Ship — Sting

The Last Ship/ Sting

Genre: Singer-songwriter

Universal Music/ Rs 495 (imports)

Rating: ****

AFTER a memorable stint with the Police, Gordon Sumner aka Sting has had a somewhat strange solo career. Between 1985 and 1993, he released a string of outstanding albums, namely ‘The Dream of the Blue Turtles’, ‘Nothing Like the Sun’, ‘The Soul Cages’ and ‘Ten Summoner’s Tales’.

Sadly, much of his later effort has been predictable. Though the albums ‘Mercury Falling’, ‘Brand New Day’ and ‘Sacred Love’ had their highs and their hit songs, they didn’t match the earlier masterpieces in terms of both consistency and freshness. In his 2010 collection ‘Symphonicities’, he played symphonically re-arranged versions of his older songs, with the assistance of the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. But barring a brilliant take on ‘Roxanne’, the effort fell flat.

Sting’s latest set ‘The Last Ship’ is being marketed as his first full-length album of original material in a decade, after ‘Sacred Love’. It is also inspired by Sting’s forthcoming play of the same name, scheduled to be released on Broadway next year.

Has Sting got over the shadow that has hung over him for quite some time? The first couple of hearings of ‘The Last Ship’ may make you feel he hasn’t, and an early reaction is that his vocal texture has lost a fraction of its spark. But give the album four or five listens, and the old magic begins to unfold slowly but steadily, like a ship that takes its own sweet time to move out of the harbour, but sails smoothly once in full flow.

Though old-time fans may argue that isn’t anywhere in the class of ‘The Soul Cages’ or ‘Ten Summoner’s Tales’, the truth is that it is clearly his best effort over the past two decades. The sound is a blend of Celtic flavours, British folk, sea shanty and the trademark Sting style. Filled with fiddles, accordions, whistles and bagpipes, the tunes at times remind you of solo Mark Knopfler and even the ‘Les Miserables’ music. What’s most impressive, however, is the quality of the lyrics, with the songs being poetic and recitation-friendly.

Check him on the last lines of the opening title track, which go, “In the name of the Father, in the name of the son, And whatever the weave of this life that you’ve spun, On the earth or in heaven or under the sun, When the last ship sails.” He’s moulded his famous timbre, but the song hits you with its sheer punch.

Of the other songs, ‘Dead Man’s Boots’ sounds more from the Knopfler style book, and ‘August Winds’ is sung with a melancholy that makes it haunting. ‘So to Speak’ is a charming duet with British folk singer Becky Unthank, who comes in mid-way, and ‘Ballad of the Great Eastern’ has an old-fashioned charm, with its lilting Brit-folk interlude. ‘Practical Arrangement’ is wittily written song about a man wooing a woman on how they should end their respective solitude, and ‘What Have We Got’ is a peppy song with theatrical seaside shouts.

There are other beauties. With its moody guitars, ‘And Yet’ seems like it’s an extension of the earlier albums, with the lines, “This town has a strange magnetic pull, Like a homing signal in your skull, And you sail by the stars of the hemisphere, Wondering how in the hell did you end up here?”

‘Language of Birds’ has the outstanding words “And across that sea is an island, A paradise we are told, Where the toils of life are forgotten, And they call it the Island of Souls.” On this song, Sting also gets into nostalgic mode, with the lines, “It was him who was trapped in the soul cage, son.”

‘I Love Her But She Loves Someone Else’ is a lyrical masterpiece, with Sting singing “There are times when a man needs to brave his reflection, And face what he sees without fear, It takes a man to accept his mortality, Or be surprised by the presence of a tear.”

To be sure, this is the kind of album that’s likely to appeal more to the lyrical-minded than to those who focus on pure melody. Here too, it takes a while to get a hang of many songs, and it is advisable to keep a print-out of the lyrics handy. There are times when the compositions sound bland, only to be saved by the words.

Sting’s change in voice may spark some debate too. He’s sung in a pitch lower than what one is accustomed to hearing, and there are occasions when he’s gone in for a more countryside accent which sounds forced. His timbre is also showing the signs of strain that appear with age — he turned 62 on October 2.

These minor observations, however, don’t take away from the overall quality of the songs. As mentioned before, this is the kind of album that takes time to grow on you. But once it does, it simply seems like it’s the best thing Sting has done in years. Enjoy the ship ride.

RATING SCALE: * Poor; ** Average; *** Good; **** Excellent; ***** Simply outstanding

Instruments from India — 13/ From the folk & devotional world

Parvathy Baul with the ektara string instrument and duggi percussion instrument, and the late Sakar Khan on the bowed instrument kamaicha

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, shehnai/ nadaswaram, harmonium, Indian adaptations of the guitar, Indian adaptations of other western instruments, and other instruments used in Indian classical music. This month, we feature some instruments that are played in Indian folk and devotional music.

With this, I complete the portion on different types of melody instruments. Next month,I shall conclude this series by talking of combinations of melody instruments that have worked. Then, I shall begin the series ‘Percussion from India’, which shall talk about various drums. This series will start with the extra-popular tabla.

IN this series, I have covered various instruments used in Indian music. These have been used in either Hindustani music of north India, or in the south Indian Carnatic music. Besides the classical styles, these instruments are played in film music, ghazals and fusion.

There are certain instruments, however, that find specific place in Indian folk and devotional music. Many of these are played in select geographical regions, to go along with the local forms of music, and even as an accompaniment to folk dance.

Let’s look at some of these instruments. We shall only talk of melody instruments, and the rare percussion instruments will be featured in the next series. While I have tried to cover various folk instruments from across India, there may be few which I might not have been exposed to. Readers are requested to send details of any such melody instruments,

STRING & BOWED INSTRUMENTS

Ektara: It is a one-stringed instrument most often used in traditional music from Bangladesh, India, Egypt, and Pakistan. It was initially played by wandering bards and minstrels from India and is plucked with one finger. A similar two-stringed and bass instrument is known as dotara.

The ektara is used in traditional Baul music of Bengal, and in Sufi and Punjabi folk music too. At the Ruhaniyat Sufi and mystic music festival organised across India, one has often seen Baul singer Parvathy Baul play the ektara while singing, and using the percussion instrument duggi at the same time.

In Punjabi music, a single-string instrument called the tumbi is used, mainly in bhangra music. It was popularised in the 20th century by folk singer Lal Chand Yamla Jatt.

Other types of ektaras used in east and north east India are the kenda, pena and bana. Among certain tribes of western India, the single-stringed tuntuna or chohokode is used.

Esraj, dilruba and sarinda: The esraj is a string instrument which is only about 200 years old. The dilruba has a similar structure, and both are played with a bow.

The esraj is found in central and east India, particularly in Bengal, where it is used as an accompanying instrument in Rabindra Sangeet. The dilruba is found in the north, mainly in religious and light classical music. It is a derivative of the taus, another folk instrument.

Pandit Ranadhir Ray was known to be a well-known exponent of esraj. The instrument was also played by music director Roshan, and by spiritual guru Sri Chinmoy.

Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar once played the dilruba in the 1930s, and in south India, Dilruba Shanmugham played it in old film music. A R Rahman also used the instrument in ‘Dil Se’ and ‘Vande Mataram’.

A similar instrument is the sarinda, which is like the sarangi but uses a different kind of bow. It is played in folk music from Rajasthan, Assam and Tripura, besides Baul music. It is primarily used as an accompaniment for folk singers. In Rajasthani folk music, the Sindhi sarangi and ravanhatta are also used.

Sadly, the esraj and dilruba have declined in popularity, almost becoming extinct, and the sarinda is used in limited forms of music.

Kamaicha: It is one of the oldest bowed instruments in the world and is a key presence in Rajasthani folk music. Made from a single piece of wood, the kamaicha consists of a spherical bowl extended into the neck, a fingerboard, and a resonator covered with leather. It usually has four main strings passing over a thin bridge and is played with a bow, producing a haunting melody.

Among kamaicha players, the late Sakar Khan is very well-known. He belonged to the traditional Manganiyar folk musician community of Rajasthan, and had performed with renowned American violinist Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison of The Beatles, besides appearing in numerous international festivals.

Bulbul tarang: It is an Indian string instrument which evolved from the Japanese taishōgoto, and has been played since the 1930s. It has two sets of strings, one set for drone, and one for melody.

A well-known player is Kapil Sharma, Jazz saxophonist and flautist Henry Threadgill was also fascinated by the instrument, and used it in some recordings.

Rabab: This lute-like instrument originated from Afghanistan, and is similar to the sursingar and sarod. In India, it has been played in Sikh religious music right from Guru Nanak’s time, when Bhai Mardana played it. Among today’s musicians, Chintoo Singh Wasir plays the rabab, besides being known for his guitar.

WIND INSTRUMENTS

Pungi or been: It is a wind instrument played by snake charmers. The ‘been’ is also used in religious and folk music, and by street performers.

The sound of the ‘been’ was reproduced on a keyboard instrument clavioline by Kalyanji in the ‘Nagin’ song ‘Man dole mera tan dole’, composed by Hemant Kumar. The ‘been’ is also used in religious and folk music, and by street performers.

Shankh: The shankh is a conch shell which is blown to create music in devotional music, often to the accompaniment of percussion. The sound created by the shankh is called the shankhnaad, and the instrument is used across India, both in temples and during home poojas.

Algoze: It is a pair of woodwind instruments adopted by Punjabi, Sindhi, Rajasthani and Baloch folk musicians. It resembles a pair of wooden flutes. The musician plays it by using three fingers on each side, and breathing into the flutes.

Kombu: Also known as kombu pattu, it is a wind instrument played in Kerala temple music, accompanied by different percussion instruments. It can only produce three notes — sa, pa and higher sa — but musicians show their dexterity through improvisation. One of the most famous players is Kumath Raman Nair.

Karnal: This is a large, straight brass trumpet, over a metre long, played in parts of north India and Nepal. It is used on ceremonial occasions, such as the processions of village deities.

Another trumpet used in north and east India is the ransingha, which is made of two metal curves, joined together to form an ‘S’ shape.

RARE INSTRUMENTS

Besides these instruments, certain other types are found in different parts of India.

The riwana is a type of fretless lute played in Himachal Pradesh, generally with four strings, and an additional string starting from mid-way down the neck, like the American five-string banjo.

The banam is a class of folk fiddles found among the Santal people of North East India and Bangladesh. The bommbanshi or bombashi is a fipple flute found in Bangladesh, and is also played in Bengal. The kasht tarang is a type of xylophone or marimba used in north India, but is not very common.

India has a rich variety of folk instruments. Unfortunately, many of them are known only in certain states, and that too in specific districts. People from the north are normally unaware of the instruments played in the east and south, unless they happen to travel to these regions and attend folk recitals.

The beauty, however, is that there is so much richness in sounds from across India. While the classical instruments have made inroads across the country, and even abroad, the folk instruments have their own charm that needs to be devoured.

Take Five: The Motown stars

Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross

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 four parts talked of British alternative rock, classical crossover, world music, electronic music and early female blues legends, respectively. This month, we look at five artistes from the famous Motown label.

THOSE initiated into international music in the 1970s or early 1980s would have had some exposure to the Motown Sound. If not for anything else, this may be because even Michael Jackson had his roots with this style.

Motown, of course, was actually the name of a record label formed by the dynamic Berry Gordy Jr. It was based out of Detroit, the Motor Town, and thus got its name. Besides Motown Records, he also set up Tamla Records and Gordy Records, besides many subsidiary labels, to avoid making payments due when DJs played too much music from one label.

While Gordy was the brain and the brawn behind the label, the term Motown Sound was also associated with songwriters Brian Holland, Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier who went by the name Holland-Dozier-Holland or HDH, and with the Funk Brothers, a group of musicians who played for most of the artistes.

As HDH wrote, produced and arranged many songs for the labels, they created a specific style which blended pop with soul and rhythm ‘n’ blues. After they split over royalty issues in 1968, Gordy continued to employ other songwriters, and kept the label going despite ups and downs. While focusing on soul and RnB, he also diversified into other genres like rock, jazz, country and hip-hop. Motown operations were taken over by MCA in 1988, and today, its music is managed by the Universal Music Group.

Motown has a very interesting story, which has been wonderfully captured in J Randy Taraborrelli’s biography of Diana Ross, which this blogger just read. It has a huge roster of celebrity artistes too, and shortlisting five wasn’t an easy task. We shall thus list the most prominent ones, and mention the rest at the end.

A note: Though Michael Jackson began with Motown as part of the Jackson 5 with his siblings, he achieved solo success after signing up with Epic Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records. His is another story, and thus doesn’t figure in this list. The five that we choose are:

Diana Ross & The Supremes: Originally called the Primettes, the Supremes consisted of Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross and Betty McGown. Betty quit early on and the others performed as a trio.

However, Gordy got increasingly involved with Diana Ross, and was to even father her first child. With problems caused by Florence’s drinking habit, he decided that Diana sing all the leads and renamed the group Diana Ross & The Supremes. Cindy Birdsong was to replace Florence. Eventually, Diana became a solo star, but differences with Gordy made her shift to the RCA label.

Five songs to check: Where Did Our Love Go?, Stop In The Name of Love, I Hear A Symphony, Love Child, You Keep Me Hangin’ On

Marvin Gaye: He was called the Prince of Motown and Prince of Soul. Besides a string of successful solo albums, he teamed up with other Motown artistes Tammi Tarell and Mary Wells.

Marvin started singing in church at age four, and was initially more keen on jazz standards. He never imagined himself to be an RnB singer. But with the Motown Sound slowly getting its own audience, and the fact that HDH wrote his songs, Gaye changed his style, and became one of the most sought after singers for the label. He eventually quit Motown, and died a tragic death at age 44, shot by his father following a dispute over misplaced business documents.

Five songs to check: I Heard It Through The Grapevine, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (with Tammi Terrell), Let’s Get It On, Sexual Healing (post-Motown song)

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: Besides being a singer-songwriter and frontman of the group The Miracles, Smokey was also known as a record producer in his own right. He had a long association with Motown, ever since he met Gordy in 1957 and had a say in selecting many artistes for the label.

Signed on to the Tamla label, Smokey also wrote many Motown songs, and after his marriage to Miracles singer Claudette Rogers, named his children Tamla and Berry. He pursued a solo career from the early 1970s, and was involved with the Motown group till it was sold in 1988, at which time he was its vice-president.

Five songs to check: Stop Around, You Really Got A Hold On Me, Baby Its Backatcha, Cruisin’, Being With You (first two with the Miracles, the other three solo)

Stevie Wonder: Blind since shortly after his birth, Stevie Wonder was a child prodigy who was signed on to Motown at the age of 11, and became one of the group’s biggest successes. He had his first hit ‘Fingertips Part 2’ at age 13 and has never since looked back.

Wonder became a huge commercial success in the 1970s and his 1980 Tamla album ‘Hotter Than July’ his first platinum seller. Many successful songs, his soundtrack for ‘The Woman In Red’, and collaborations with Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, and Julio Iglesias made him one of the most sought after stars in the 1980s. He continues to perform prolifically today.

Five songs to check: My Cherie Amour, Sir Duke, Ebony & Ivory (with Paul McCartney), I Just Called To Say I Love You, Part-Time Lover

Lionel Richie & The Commodores: The popular Lionel Richie started off as frontman of the Commodores in 1968. Initially, they were part of Atlantic Records before they moved to Motown as a support group for the Jackson 5. Lionel began concentrating on songwriting and soon moved to a solo career, even writing the Kenny Rogers hit ‘Lady’ in 1980.

Like Stevie Wonder, he peaked in the 1980s,following the success of his self-titled solo debut album, its follow-up ‘Can’t Slow Down’ and ‘Dancing On The Ceiling’. Today, he appears at numerous prestigious concerts, and performed ‘Jesus Is Love’ at Michael Jackson’s memorial service in July 2009.

Five songs to check: Three Times A Lady, Endless Love (with Diana Ross), Hello, All Night Long, Say You Say Me

Other Motown/ Tamla artistes: As we said, the Motown/ Tamla/ Gordy Records group had a list of many famous other artistes. The groups included the Jackson 5, the Four Tops, the Marvelettes, the Temptations, Boyz II Men and Martha & The Vandellas. Solo artistes were Mary Wells, Brian McKnight, Erykah Badu, Rick James and Teena Marie.

Subsidiary companies signed on Gladys Knight & The Pips, the Four Seasons and the Elgins. The group also had the rock subsidiary Rare Earth Records, which promoted the brilliant group Rare Earth, known best for its song ‘Get Ready’.

That’s some catalogue, really. Berry Gordy remains one of the biggest entrepreneurs in American music, having developed such an outstanding roster of artistes.

Need to promote younger Hindustani classical music talent

Sawani Shende (left) and Manjusha Kulkarni-Patil

FOR the past couple of weeks, I have been trying to catch the newly-launched InSync music channel early in the morning or late at night. The brainchild of violinist and event organiser Ratish Tagde and his company Perfect Octave, the channel shows what it appropriately calls ‘music to experience’, focusing on Indian classical music, ghazals, Sufiana, folk, fusion and specific film music based on classical ragas.

So far, I have been mainly able to watch the Hindustani classical programmes, besides a few film and devotional songs. And the first reaction is that this is the first television channel which promises to regularly show the best talent the country has to offer. Besides well-known names like vocalists Pandits Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Mohan veena exponent Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, what’s really creditable is that it provides a perfect platform to a lot of younger or lesser-known names.

It was a special delight to hear singers Sawani Shende on raga Charukeshi, Vijay Koparkar on Todi, Gayatri Joshi on Bageshri, Ruchira Kedar rendering Kedar and Manjusha Kulkarni-Patil singing a Kabir bhajan, and sitar player Vinayak Chittar play Bhatiyar. All of them are extremely talented, though probably not as well-known as some of their contemporaries. And InSync is an ideal channel to showcase their potential.

The channel obviously maintains the right balance between the known names and the lesser-known ones. Plans are to organise 40 to 50 shows over the next year, and telecast them.

Over the past decade or so, there have been individual programmes, channels like etc and shows like Idea Jalsa which have contributed to showcasing Hindustani classical music. But this is the first time followers will receive a daily dose of their favourite genre. Its focus on young artistes is truly welcome.

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FOR some strange reason, there has been a rather erroneous impression that the future of Hindustani classical music is bleak, and there aren’t enough young musicians to carry forward the legacy of the earlier masters.

The truth, however, is that one finds more than adequate talent across the country. Some of them are below 30, and others in their 30s and 40s. They have their own small groups of followers, but are yet not as recognised as some of their contemporaries.

When you talk of musicians below 50, known artistes that many people instantly think of are vocalists Rashid Khan, Jayateerth Mevundi, Sanjeev Abhyankar and Kaushiki Chakraborty, flautists Ronu Majumdar and Rakesh Chaurasia, sitar players Niladri Kumar and Anoushka Shankar, santoor player Rahul Sharma, sarod players Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan, and tabla player Anuradha Pal, besides some other names. All of them are prolific and some of them absolutely brilliant, no doubt.

But then, there are also so many musicians who are just not known among the majority of audiences. They play at smaller venues and less-glamorous festivals, often in the presence of only 50 to 100 people. They don’t get the media footage that the others do, even though they are equally talented.

This trend can clearly be attributed to the way things have been functioning in the Hindustani classical music scene for quite some time. And much of this has to do with the ‘star culture’ that has permeated the system, and the tendency of some musicians to market themselves better.

Whether it’s the organisers, record labels or the media, the overall tendency — barring a few healthy exceptions — has been to highlight only a select few. Let’s specifically take the existing classical festivals as an example.

Every October till the following February, many large music festivals and some big one-off events are held in various parts of India. Most of these concerts are extremely well-attended and offer the highest quality of music. But if one notices the line-up of artistes, one sees more or less the same names repeatedly. In a bid to attract more audiences, organisers ensure that each festival features at least three or four ‘crowd pullers’.

While it’s absolutely fair if they think that way, and while it’s always a pleasure to hear the known names every time, one would be even more delighted if some of the lesser-known and younger musicians are given a chance to perform at these extravaganzas. Instead, they get the smaller festivals or individual concerts which attract limited crowds and lesser publicity.

Talking of publicity, one instantly thinks of the role of the media. Barring a few publications, coverage of most younger artistes is restricted to listings of their concerts, followed perhaps by a short one-paragraph bio-data, Here too, some of the better-known names are given more prominence, as their pictures are larger and they are interviewed too. ‘Star children’, or children of famous musicians, get more mileage.

As far as television is concerned, barring InSync channel and the occasional programme on Doordarshan, and shows like Idea Jalsa, most music television is hell-bent on only showing Bollywood or popular music, or over-dramatised song ‘n’ dance reality shows.

The same goes with radio. There was a time when classical fans looked forward to All India Radio recitals, but now, the time devoted to Hindustani classical has come down, and the lesser-known artistes rarely get a chance. The media thinks in terms of only one genre, which is Bollywood.

To come to recorded music, the industry has been going through a rough patch. Most of the bigger labels, and even some smaller classical-specific companies, have cut down on the number of new Hindustani releases. They are banking on the rich catalogue they have accumulated over the years, specially focusing on the older masters and some of the more recent stars. Their recording of younger artistes has been rather erratic, and even when done, marketing has been low-key.

While this is the general state of affairs, some musicians get more footage because they are public relations champions, or because they dabble in fancy fusion projects to attract attention. One also hears of the existence of lobbies and groupism, in that some musicians try to push only a select few disciples or followers, or are so strong in certain cities that they try to ensure only musicians from that city get opportunities. Those in the thick of things are aware of such incidents, and the ones to suffer most from this is the young, upcoming artiste.

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THERE have been some positive signs too, as some concert organisers have made concerted efforts to promote younger musicians. Pancham-Nishad has been organising the Aarohi festival for over a decade, and has featured some really good artistes. This year’s line-up featured vocalists Dhanashree Ghaisas, Aditya Khandwe, Krishna Bongane and Sonal Shivkumar, sitar player Chintan Katti, sarod exponent Pratik Shrivastava and tabla players Ojas Adhiya and Yati Bhagwat. Not one of them is famous, but yet, they are really good.

Similarly, Banyan Tree Events started Swara: The Tree of Life two years ago, with the aim of having one younger musician and one senior artiste each evening, in concerts held in the smaller cities. Some years ago, Durga Jasraj’s Art & Artistes organised a day-long concert in memory of late sarod monarch Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, where the focus was only on young musicians.

Besides these, there are many other organisations and venues which do their bit to promote lesser-known artistes. Understandably, the scale of these events is much smaller in comparison to the big-star festivals, but at least they play their role in giving a chance to people whom one normally doesn’t hear.

A couple of other instances come to mind. To begin with, at the recently announced nominations for the Global Indian Music Academy (GIMA) awards, it was heartening to see some different names like vocalist Sangeeta Bandopadhyay, flautist Paras Nath, sarod player Abhishek Lahiri and tabla player Parthasarathi Mukherjee in the list of Hindustani classical nominees. This was alongside some of the biggest names on the circuit.

Recently, one also came across some publicity material sent by Lucknow-based Sangeet Milon for its ‘Classical Voice of India 2013’ competition, inviting entries in three age groups up to 24 years, to sing either khayal or dhrupad/ dhamaar.

Spic-Macay, one of the main bodies which has been educating youngsters about Indian classical music, has initiated ‘Naad Bhed’, a national reality show on television in association with Doordarshan and All India Radio, inviting entries in both Hindustani and Carnatic music. Efforts like these will surely help discover talent in Hindustani music, just like Indian Idol Junior did for children singing film songs.

What one sees in all this is that while there has been some strong individual effort in this direction by certain organisers and groups of people, in the overall perspective, things have been haphazard or sporadic. On the one hand, it is natural to push the stars and better-known names, and one isn’t complaining against that. But on the other hand, it is important to pay greater attention to the equally talented, yet less fortunate lot of younger talent. InSync channel is a great move in that direction, and one wishes more people follow suit.

Instruments from India — 12/ Other classical gems

Annapurna Devi on surbahar and (right) vocalist Kishori Amonkar using a swarmandal

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, shehnai/ nadaswaram, harmonium, Indian adaptations of the guitar, and Indian adaptations of other western instruments. This month, we feature other instruments used in Indian classical music.

Just to note, some readers have requested a piece on the tabla, India’s most popular percussion instrument. However, this series aims to complete the melody instruments first, before going on to types of drums. Hence, that wish will be fulfilled sooner than later.

SO FAR, we have talked of melody instruments that are commonly played in Indian music today. There are other instruments too, which one has seen classical, devotional, film and folk music.

In this part of the series, we shall talk of the balance classical melody instruments, which can be divided into two categories. The first comprises those which were earlier played in classical music, but are not too common these days. These are surbahar and sursingar. The second includes instruments used as accompaniment in classical music, like the tanpura and swarmandal. The other accompanying instruments, harmonium and sarangi, have been covered separately before, as they have attained a status in solo performance as well.

Let’s look at these instruments in detail.

OLDER CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Ustad Imrat Khan on surbahar

Surbahar: A bass version of the sitar, it used to be commonly played about 60 or 70 years ago, but today, is seen much less than most other instruments. It has a lower tone than the sitar.

Typically, a surbahar has four rhythm or chikari strings, four playing strings, and 15 to 17 unplayed sympathetic strings. It has two bridges, with the playable strings passing over the greater bridge. The instrumentalist plays the strings using a metallic plectrum, the mizrab, which is fixed on the index finger of the player’s right hand.

A concert usually begins with the rendition of a classical raag, the melodic mode used in Indian music. The first piece comprises a three-part movement beginning with the slow alaap, increasing tempo with the jod and reaching an energetic climax with the jhala.

The instrumentalist may then play compositions in the same or any other raag. Here, tabla accompaniment is provided, though in the dhrupad style, pakhawaj is played.

There are conflicting views on who invented the surbahar. Some researchers believe it was invented around 1825. Though its creation is generally attributed to Ustad Sahebdad Khan, some musicologists believe Lucknow-based sitarist Ustad Ghulam Mohammed invented it.

Well-known surbahar players include the great Ustad Imdad Khan, his sons Ustad Inayat Khan and Wahid Khan, and his grandson Ustad Imrat Khan, who has done some excellent recordings on the instrument, Though Imrat’s brother Ustad Vilayat Khan also learnt the surbahar, he was better known as one of the greatest sitar players ever.

Annapurna Devi, daughter of the legendary Baba Allauddin Khan and first wife of Pandit Ravi Shankar, is also known for her adeptness at surbahar. She however stopped performing in public.

Another old-timer was Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan. Contemporary players include Irshad Khan and Buddhaditya Mukherjee, Ravi Shankar’s disciple Kartick Kumar also gives surbahar recitals, besides being a prolific sitar player.

The popularity of the sitar in the 1950s is said to have led to the falling demand for the surbahar.

Sursringar: It is like a sarod but larger in size and providing a deeper sound. It is also older than the sarod. A typical sursringar has four main strings and four chikari strings, and is played with a mizrab.

Well-known sursringar players were Maihar gharana doyen Baba Alauddin Khan and Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra. Among the recent players, Joydeep Ghosh has made a name.

Just like the surbahar was affected by the sitar’s popularity, the sursringar is said to have been replaced by the sarod.

What sursringar looks like

ACCOMPANYING CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Vocalist Prabha Atre with a tanpura

Tanpura: Popularly known as the drone instrument, the tanpura or tambura is one of the most important instruments as it is used as an accompaniment in both Hindustani and Carnatic forms, in vocals and in instrumental music.

The tanpura is a long-necked lute whose body shape resembles a sitar, but has no frets. Ideally, it has four strings, though some tanpuras have five strings too. While instrumentalists normally use one tanpura or a smaller ‘tamburi’, vocalists prefer two or even three tanpuras as an accompaniment.

The name is said to be a combination of ‘taan’, which is a musical phrase, and ‘poora’, which means completion. Some vocalists prefer to play the tanpura themselves, whereas others have disciples or professional tanpura players play it in the backdrop.

Some musicians also use a electronic tanpura, which is easier to carry around while travelling. In Carnatic music, the shruti box which is similar to a harmonium is also used to provide the drone. However, in both north Indian and south Indian music, purists prefer the standard form of the tanpura, which provides the perfect ambience.

Vocalist Pandit Jasraj with a swarmandal

Swarmandal: Also called the surmandal, this is an Indian harp or Indian zither used by some vocalists. While Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Ustad Salamat Ali Khan used it in the past, others to use it include Pandit Jasraj, Kishori Amonkar, Ajay Pohankar, Rashid Khan and Ajoy Chakraborty.

The advantage of the swarmandal is that can produce a large number of notes in succession. It can have between 21 and 36 strings, depending on what the vocalist wants.

Interestingly, even the Beatles were fond of the swarmandal, and used it on songs like ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, ‘Within You Without You’, ‘Across the Universe’ and ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’.

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These were some of the other instruments used in classical music. Besides them, a huge variety of instruments is used in Indian folk, devotional and even film music. The next part of the series will focus on some of these gems.

CD review/ Paradise Valley — John Mayer

Paradise Valley/ John Mayer

Genre: Folk/ country-rock

Sony Music/ Rs 499

Rating: ****

HE first hit the headlines a little over a decade ago, with his Grammy-winning pop-rock song ‘Your Body Is A Wonderland’. His debut album ‘Room for Squares’ became a hit, and he quickly gained international fame.

Today, John Mayer has turned out to be one of the most prolific singer-songwriters and talented guitarists of modern times. He has matured as an artiste, moving from pop-rock to a soul-meets-blues-rock sound on the albums ‘Continuum’ and ‘Battle Studies’, to more folk and country-driven music in the 2012 release ‘Born & Raised’. On the live circuit, he formed a blues-rock group John Mayer Trio, and on his own played with hip-hop stars like Kanye West and Common, blues biggies Buddy Guy, BB King and Eric Clapton, and jazz guitarist John Scofield. That’s some versatility.

On his latest album ‘Paradise Valley’, Mayer continues from where he left in ‘Born and Raised’, sticking to tunes reminiscent of Crosby Stills Nash & Young, the Byrds and early Grateful Dead. The sound is a neat blend of country, folk-rock and the California sound of the 70s, with ample use of pedal steel guitar and dobro. What’s really creditable, of course, is that he’s created such brilliant songs after two throat surgeries.

Like ‘Queen of California’, the opening song of ‘Born & Raised’, Mayer begins with a number that’s pretty inspired by the Grateful Dead. ‘Wildfire’ has an infectious hook, and the catchy lines “Say, say, say, Ain’t it been some kind of day, You and me been catchin’ on, Like a wildfire.” Charming work on the pedal steel and a smart, extended blues-rock guitar climax add to its beauty. The song has a shorter version, with singer Frank Ocean, used more like a filler in the middle of the album.

‘Dear Marie’ takes a nostalgic look at a past relationship, with incredible lines like “From time to time, I go looking for your photograph online, Some county judge in Ohio is all I ever find.” This is followed by a pleasant, optimistic ballad ‘Waiting on the Day’, which has a burst of melodic slide guitar.

‘Paper Doll’ is a rejoinder to ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift’s dig at him in ‘Dear John’, as Mayer sings, “You’re like 22 girls in one’, an obvious reference to her single ‘22’. Next up is a crackling version of the late JJ Cale’s classic ‘Call Me The Breeze’. It’s played marvellously, though one wonders why it comes to such a sudden end.

Mayer’s on-off girlfriend, Katy Perry co-writes and does a guest singing appearance on the ballad ‘Who You Love’. She sings soulfully, but this is probably the only weak song on the album, thanks to a hackneyed tune and mundane lines like “You’ll love who you love who you love.”

Mayer, however, gets into reflective mood on ‘I Will Be Found (Lost at Sea)’, where he sings, “I’m a little lost at sea, I’m a little birdie in a big old tree, Ain’t nobody looking for me, Here out on the highway, But I will be found, I will be found, When my time comes down, I will be found.”

The last three tracks are absolute beauties. With its country pedal steel backdrop, ‘You’re No One Till Someone Lets You Down’ talks of heartbreak and breach of trust, as Mayer sings, “You believed that all people are kind, And that you’d never mess with your mind, You gave her your trust, And she busted your crown, You’re no one ’til someone lets you down.”

‘Badge and Gun’ has a wonderful melody, and the opening lines “Give me my badge and gun, Give me the road that I may run, Give me that peaceful, wandering-free I used to know” brim with nostalgia. The album concludes the folk-driven ‘On The Way Home’, with Mayer singing, “But just remember on the way home, That you don’t ever have to feel alone.”

Like ‘Born & Raised’, ‘Paradise Valley’ is co-produced by the veteran Don Was. If the earlier album had more diverse orchestration, using keyboards and harmonica too, this one concentrates mainly on guitars and basic rhythm back-up. The songs are never long, and use just the right amount of orchestration. Most important, they sound better and better on repeated hearing, winning you over with their simplicity.

The only question is: Now that he’s released two marvellous country-based albums, what sound will Mayer choose in his next album?

RATING SCALE: * Poor; ** Average; *** Good; **** Excellent; ***** Simply outstanding