Saaz: Unique Music by Ustad Zakir Hussain

Saaz was a film OST which released around 1995.  It had music by multiple composers like Ustad Zakir Hussain, Raj Kamal and Vanraj Bhatia.  Ustad had composed 3 tracks for this movie and all 3 had a stamp of class written all over them. The other tracks were good too but these 3 were outstanding! The tracks composed by Ustad were:

  1. Kya Tumne Hai-Sung by Kavitha Subramaniam-It starts with beautiful hummings, finger sounds (thats Zakir for you!) with tabla bols and taals.  Besides having a merry tune, the song has great rock guitar pieces and use of multiple voice layerings for Kavithaji’s voice.
  2. Raat Dhalne Lagi-Sung by Kavitha Subramaniam-This song is what I call a vintage song because Ustad uses so many Indian sounds/instruments making it a must-listen.  Sarod is rarely heard in film music and this song has awesome Sarod interludes adding to the melody.
  3. Phir Bhor Bhaee-Sung by Devki Pandit-Another very melodious number based on Raag Bageshri characterized by soothing sitar interludes. Again very PURE Indian music.

I wish Ustad had composed for more Hindi movies, though he has composed for a few movies like Mr & Mrs. Iyer. I think Saaz is Ustad’s best film music album. I searched for this album in many music shops for almost 5 years but in vain. Recently, I found it on the net and had no option but to download it.

A.R.Rahman Felicitation: A Splendid Show

I consider myself blessed to have watched the A.R.Rahman felicitation function yesterday on T.V. I thought it must be like any other function where they celebrate a film’s success and I wanted to see it only because the legends MSV, Ilaiyaraja and Rahman were sharing the same stage (as you can see from the photos in the previous post below). The most striking feature of the function was that almost all the composers, singers, musicians from the Tamil music industry attended the function to congratulate and celebrate the achievement of their own son A.R.Rahman. This was the underlying spirit of the whole function and that is what made it so memorable. The function avoided all the trappings of a formal function and it was in fact very informal as it was a  family get-together. The compering by S.A. Rajkumar was top notch and his introduction of all the speakers was highly eloquent. All the speeches were from the heart (especially MSV Sir’s loving speech) and were brief except for Ilaiyaraja’s speech which was for about 10 mins (still short considering the other discourses we hear!). But Ilaiyaraja had me asking for more as his speech was simply spellbinding! The genuine affection that the music composers, singers showed for each other touched my heart. Many composers shed a few tears hearing the outpourings of love towards each other and towards music as music united all of them. Even Rahman did shed a few tears when S.Janaki spoke about Rahman’s father R.K.Shekhar sir. The defining moment for me was when MSV and Ilaiyaraja draped a shawl around Rahman just before his speech. The 3 trendsetters of Tamil music were seen together which will be one of the rarest moments in the chapters of Indian music. Towards the end, the ever-humble A.R.Rahman beautifully reciprocated the same feelings as he declared that the love that people have for composers (referring to Ilaiyaraja’s and MSV’s  huge fan following) is even more valuable than awards like Oscars. He signed off by saying that nobody should abuse other’s works and he said you can abuse me but not them as they are MY people!! I am not sure if we will see such a fantastic programme again but what we saw will remain etched in our hearts for many years to come! To get a taste of the feelings during the programme see Ilaiyaraja’s wonderful speech below, there is no better way to end this post.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj_Ts97ePfI]

The Maestros together!

Look at the following pictures from A.R.Rahman’s felicitation held at Chennai. The entire Tamil music industry was there to acknowledge Rahman’s  achievement.  For a music lover there is nothing better than seeing the Trimurtis/Trinity of Tamil music-nay Indian music, together-M.S. Viswanathan, Ilaiyaraja and A.R.Rahman. Click on the photos to see them fully.

Lessons from A.R.Rahman

If you pick up any newspaper or see the web or watch the news, chances are that you will find an interview of  A.R.Rahman. He is all over the place after his Oscar achievement and very deservedly so! I have been seeing videos of his arrival back to India and his press conferences and what strikes me is that apart from being a path-breaking musician, Rahman is handling the Oscar accolades in the most amazing manner. Here is what makes me adore him:

  1. His Divine Connection -If you saw the Academy award and the Oscar award speeches of Rahman, you would see that Rahman thanks and praises God, conveying his gratitude to the Almighty! As Baradwaj Rangan said, its not just a superficial expression from Rahman but its a connection he has tuned into ever since his Roja days when he was establishing himself as a composer. His adversities during his younger days made him turn towards God and from that time, there was no looking back for this genius! He is a strong believer in the power of prayer and it HAS worked miracles for him indeed!
  2. His Patriotism-Though Rahman acknowledges his accomplishment, he quickly points out that this is a COLLECTIVE INDIAN VICTORY. He says, he is more happy because this is the first Oscar for an Indian work and the whole country was waiting for this with bated breath and hence he wanted to get it. He says now, all Indian artists will be looked upon with more respect as we have shown what we are capable of.
  3. His Remarkable Humility-I call it remarkable because Rahman has handled this with such maturity and selflessness that he attributes his success to others like his mother, his Indian musicians etc. He lovingly in a child-like manner acknowledges the role these people have played in his success.
  4. His Respect for his Peers-I have always seen Rahman praising his fellow composers generously. In an interview after his return, he said (answering a question), even Ilaiyaraja sir can definitely get an Oscar easily if the music is promoted well as it was done by Fox Pictures for Slumdog Millionaire. He also said, Raja sir’s music is of an international standard from the earlier days as Raja sir has composed symphonies.
  5. His Equanimity and Patience-Rahman has kept his feet firmly in the ground as he has not been swayed by his euphoric success. Also, I do not know how many interviews he has been giving after his arrival-I pity him, as he must be a tired man. But he has patiently answered the sometimes repetitive questions asked to him.
  6. His Social Interests-Rahman is a UN ambassador for the campaign fighting against poverty and he has associated himself with many social causes. Just read his thoughts here while answering this question-Are you surprised by what all you have achieved? When you look back as a nine-year-old child, and look at what you have done today?
    A R Rahman: Well, I have not achieved anything. I have not ended poverty level. I have not stopped wars happening. These are achievement. And in my opinion, I am just a very small musician who has got an award that is it.
  7. His Service to Music-Last but not the least, Rahman has done what no other music director has done for the cause of music-starting a music school, the KM MUSIC CONSERVATORY. His objective for starting this school is to make Indian musicians have a global orchestra of their own. This is such an innovative idea and Rahman is spending a lot of time, money and energy towards realizing this noble musical mission!

These are just my thoughts after seeing Rahman in the limelight for the past one week. My love and respect for him has increased manifold and I pray that he lives a long, healthy life to serve Indian music and he continues to transport us to another blissful, musical world!

INDIA shining at the Oscars!

Feb 23, 2009 will be a red letter day in the annals of Indian music as the “Mozart of Madras” A.R.Rahman bagged the much-coveted Oscar and to top it all, he got two Oscars not just one! Let us not forget the other Indian who made us proud—Resul Pookutty (he gave an amazing short speech) who won the award for best sound mixing. For me, the ultimate defining moment was at the end when Slumdog Millionaire won the best motion picture award and all the crew of the movie (including the cute kids!) came onto the stage. Many of them were Indians- A.R.Rahman, Resul, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Loveleen Tandon, the child and other young actors.  Overall it was an unforgettable Oscars for India as finally our music and our movies are going global!

Seethakalyanam: An Extraordinary Soundtrack

I have started a new category called “Unnoticed Gems” where you can read about masterpiece OST’s (Original Soundtracks) which sank without a trace because they were not promoted well or the movie flopped or was never released. I have started this new category because these OST’s definitely deserved much more appreciation!!!

About 2 years back, a Malayalam OST  of the movie Seethakalyanam was released. It had a splendid music score by Sreenivas, the popular singer. Unfortunately, this OST was not noticed much at all because this movie has not yet been released.  Sreenivas has earlier scored a song in the Tamil movie, Hey! Nee Romba Azhagaairukke. It was again a brilliant song-Ini Naanum Naan Illai-sung by Sreenivas himself  & the bubbly Sujatha! It left me asking for more from Sreenivas.  So, when I saw that he has scored the music for Seethakalyanam I was quite excited as a music fan about hearing something different and the music exceeded my expectations.

Seethakalyanam has 7 tracks and each them are very good. Why I loved the album was that the music was very melodious and yet very lively! The 7 tracks are:

  1. Seetharaamam-A song featuring many singers Sharath, Anuradha Sriram, Madhu Balakrishnan & Karthik-A high -energy song with Sanskrit and Malayalam lyrics extolling the virtues of Lord Rama.
  2. Raagasudha-Sung by Mathangi-A lilting melody with a very soulful rendition by Mathangi, its exasperating to see such a talented singer with a silken voice getting very few chances these days.
  3. Kettille Vishesham-Sung by M.G.Sreekumar & Sujatha-A fast yet catchy song, which is not noisy unlike today’s fast songs. The percussion and backing vocals in this song are awesome.
  4. Dhoore Dhoore-Sung by Dinesh & Sujatha-Another wonderful melody. There are 2 versions of this song-one by the pair and another, a solo version by Sujatha. I liked the solo version more because Sujatha gives her characteristic touches to the song.
  5. Title Song-Sung by Timmy, Karthik & Mathangi-This is more like a theme music with backing vocals of “Seetha Kalyana Vaibhogame” sung nicely by Mathangi.
  6. Chandramadha-Sung by Chitra-This is a lullaby-like melodious song set in Neelambari raaga. As usual, Chitra does complete justice to the song. These kind of songs are tailor-made for her!
  7. Brova Baarama-Sung by Unnikrishnan-This is the Thyagaraja krithi set in a typical concert format with Mridangam. The sanctity of the original krithi is fully maintained and being his own turf, Unnikrishnan sings this very well.

Another unique aspect of the Seethakalyanam OST apart from the wonderful tunes are the backing vocals and fantastic orchestration. The OST has a fresh sound to it and even Sreenivas seemed very satisfied with his effort (as seen from his interviews). Seethakalyanam is an OST of the type which you will  “enjoy listening at night before sleep with the lights off”.

Sreenivas is composing music for another Malayalam movie called “the Ten Commandments”.  I am quite sure that it will be another soundtrack worth waiting for.  Don’t miss Seethakalyanam, you will thank me for recommending this gem of a soundtrack  🙂

INDIAN Music at the helm!!!

One of  India’s most eminent percussionists Ustad Zakir Hussain has won the Grammy award!!! A.R.Rahman may win the Oscar. What else can we ask for? This is a great time for Indian music. The world is taking note of us now 🙂

Raagas in Films: Hamsadhwani

Hamsadhwani is a very auspicious raaga, we refer to it as a “mangalakara” raagam i.e. its heralds happiness and prosperity. It is a raaga which is generally used to begin the proceedings (as in concerts, prayer meets, and even other functions).  The famous prayer to Lord Ganesha- Vakrathunda Mahaakaya is generally sung in Hamsadhwani. Hamsadhwani gives a lot of scope for music composers to experiment. There have been so many scintillating tunes in this raaga that its impossible to list all of them here. So I am listing the popular ones here, the more recent ones which I know, where the beauty of the raaga has been fully demonstrated. Read it as Song-Composer-Movie.

  1. Vaa Vaa Vaa–Ilaiyaraja-Velaikkaaran-The charanams are mindblowing with piano backings!
  2. Poo Mudithu-Ilaiyaraja-En Purushanthaan Enakku Mattumthaan
  3. Sri Ranga Ranga-Ilaiyaraja-Mahanadhi
  4. Unnodu Vaazhaatha-Bharadwaj-Amarrkalam-Wonderful tune set in westernized orchestration!
  5. Vellai Pookal-A.R.Rahman-Kannathil Muthamittaal-a serene tune.
  6. Theekuruvi-A.R.Rahman-Kangalal Kaidhu Sei-Whoa! what fusion-Hamsadhwani laced with bass guitar backgrounds and Hindustani-styled ghatkaas!
  7. Natta Nadu-Vijay Antony-A Aa E  Ee-Composed so beautifully that I could not recognize that it was Hamsadhwani, during the initial listens.

Madhu Balakrishnan: One of my current favourites!

I am sure you must have heard about Madhu Balakrishnan, who I feel is one of the best among the current singers. Madhu is the brother-in-law of Indian pace ace Sreesanth. Madhu nowadays is a frequent singer in almost all the South Indian languages, though he is from Kerala. He has some wonderful songs in Malayalam & Tamil. Most of his Tamil songs have been under Ilaiyaraja & Vidyasagar who have wonderfully tapped his potential of singing melodies/semi-classical songs. Madhu has a stunning base and is excellent at giving appropriate sangathis/variations to a song. Here are some of my favourite Madhu Balakrishnan songs, don’t miss these 🙂 I have written some of these songs in my earlier post on Vidyasagar! Pardon my repetition here!

  1. Edhilum Ingu-Bharathi-Ilaiyaraja-a brilliant song in rare Rasikaranjini raaga.
  2. Kandaen Kandaen-Madhurey-Vidyasagar-a dulcet duet with Sadhna Sargam.
  3. Ding Dong-Ji-Vidyasagar-the same musical team as above and the same magic!
  4. Kanaa Kandaenadi-Parthiban Kanavu-Vidyasagar-a masterpiece in Anandabhairavi raaga.
  5. Pirayae Pirayae-Pithamagan-Ilaiyaraja-haunting song, haunting music, superb lyrics!
  6. Guruvayur Unnikannan-Aanachandham-Jaison J Nair-a wonderful tune in Vasantha raaga.
  7. Pesa Madandhaiye-Mozhi-Vidyasagar-a gem of a song!
  8. Vasantha Nilaavin-Sooryan-Ilaiyaraja-What a song in Sriranjini raaga, only Madhu could have sung this! The modulations he gives in the first charanam is just amazing!
  9. Vizhiyum Vizhiyum-Chathurangam-Vidyasagar-A duet with Harini, splendid song.
  10. Ippavae Ippavae-Raman Thediya Seethai-the Vidyasagar/Madhu combo rarely disappoints.
  11. Raaverayay Poove-Rock n Roll-Vidyasagar-nice song.
  12. Chentharmizhi-Perummazhakalam-M.Jayachandran-A must-listen duet with Chitra set in the soothing Neelambari raaga.
  13. Konja Neram-Chandramukhi-Vidyasagar-A duet with Asha Bhosle set in Bageshri raaga.
  14. Yen Swaasathil-Jerry-Ramesh Vinayakam-An unnoticed brilliant song, a duet with Kalyani. Ramesh Vinayakam (the unsung talent) shows his class here!
  15. Pichaipaathiram-Naan Kadavul-Ilaiyaraja-another great song in the “Pirayae Pirayae” league. I am hooked to this now!

Heights of Insanity

To my utter amazement, I came to know that some secretary of an association related to slums has filed a PIL against A.R.Rahman and another person related to the movie for having the name “Slumdog” signifying slum dwellers are “dogs”. What I find insane about this is-why A.R.Rahman is being accused for this?????? He is the MUSIC COMPOSER of the movie. If they have to accuse someone it must be the producer/director and NOT the composer. It’s like insulting the monumental achievement of Rahman who has made India proud by winning the Golden Globe. Now, there is a great chance that he may win the much-coveted Oscar too as he has won 3 nominations! The judge must dismiss these stupid litigations which seek to tarnish the image of reputed, hardworking, patriotic composers like A.R.Rahman who are taking Indian music to the world!!