Retro
(Published in "Studio Systems" Nov-Dec 2001 issue)
My recent spate of Classic Rock shows in Bombay and Pune has
brought into focus for me the great importance that music plays in the lives
of people. Hundreds of people meet me after the shows to talk about the joy
that the music gives them and their effusive praise humbles me as it makes me
even more aware that I am just the custodian of some of the greatest music
that has been composed in this century. It is my intense devotion to this
music that has made me internalize it so that I can present it to the fans as
an interpretation. The joy that this gives me far exceeds any other gains
that I may accrue as a result.
Of course, this does not mean that I will not
be doing original music anymore. My re- discovery of the Classics has, in
fact, made me even more aware of the traditions of music and the exciting
future that it promises. My study of Indian folk music and Indian Classical
vocal training continues unabated and I see interesting musical
possibilities, which I can hope to realize in the near future. The presently
'in vogue' World Music segment often deals with mixing superficial elements
of different genres from different cultures and countries. Just the addition
of a tabla very often signals the arrival of 'Fusion Music' and
unfortunately, does not really lead to any new areas of enlightenment. Music
will have to meet at philosophical levels to break new grounds. Thankfully
serious 'fusion' artistes have made considerable progress towards this and
the recent efforts of a friend to get Mynta, the Swedish/Indian fusion group
to perform in India,
exposed me once again to the exciting prospects of such a venture.
Mynta
This fusion band from Sweden
features two Indian musicians, Fazal Qureshi the brother of Zakir Hussain and
son of the legendary Ustad Alla Rakha along with Shankar Mahadevan, the
South-Indian classical vocalist and now Hindi film composer. They describe
their music as a fusion of Nordic ice and Indian spice. Mynta brings you a
colorful mix of Indian vocal, African and Latin American rhythms, Arabic
sounds, Swedish Folk music and Cuban violin, together with Indian traditional
instruments as tabla, santoor, kanjira, ghatam and veena.
Founded in 1979, the group has created their own genre of music, while
preserving the integrity and traditions of their root sounds. The
Swedish-Indian fusionists define world music, by extracting the organic
elements that runs through the vein of centuries-old musical histories. Mynta
has performed at Jazz festivals throughout the world and their music has won
them many fans. Here's hoping that their Indian fans get to hear them live in
the near future.
Pune
Jazz Club
My interest in Jazz and World music brought
me to the monthly meeting of the Pune Jazz club. Founded by Ahmed Ibrahim and
run very efficiently in association with his jazz loving wife, monthly Jazz
listening sessions are held at the beautiful Max Mueller Bhavan where Jazz a
ficionados play and discuss their rare Jazz CD collections for the benefit of
the Jazz starved music lover. This was not just an elitist crowd pretending
to be in New York
because their devotion to the music was real as could be ascertained through
their well-informed views.
Interestingly, Ibrahim discussed the influence of Jazz on the genius of
Indian Film music, Kishore Kumar with audio demonstrations. The swing era was
indeed a fun period for the Jazz lover and a great time was had by all as the
origins of 'Ina Mina Dika' were explored. It was a beautiful Sunday morning
and the delightful music, the knowledgeable crowd and exquisite surroundings
made this outing a truly memorable one for me. Later, the Beer and Brunch at
the Jazz Garden was icing on cake with live
Jazz by talented Pune musicians playing in the lazy Sunday afternoon. Now, if
only one did not have to return to the real world!
World
Space
The launch of this product in India is
indeed a long overdue audio entertainment alternative to the plethora of
television channels that jam the Indian skies. For the serious music lovers
of this country, there is a paucity of avenues to quench his thirst for the
enormous musical resources available in India and abroad. Sure, the
existing TV and Radio music channels pump Hindi Film music and Western Dance
and Pop music round the clock. But they're millions of Indians out there that
would like to listen and see something else!
Private FM channels still continue to be silent for years after they were
unceremoniously thrown out and the entire bungling of FM in India
continues unabated with not a protest from those involved. Net radio is a
great alternative but the government with its out- dated restrictive policies
and huge telephone costs have sadly made this a non-starter. World Space
therefore offers the perfect low cost solution to lovers of serious music
lovers.
For the uninitiated, World Space is a US based direct Audio and
Multimedia broadcast system via satellite. The audio equivalent of the
hundreds of TV channels we receive on our TV sets, the purchase of a World
Space receiver is mandatory and is quite cost effective considering the
number of free to air Audio channels available. There is a fair bit of Indian
language programming and a general sampling of the channels show a high
degree of variety and excellence. For Jazz lovers, this is an absolute
goldmine as the programming is truly superb! Importantly, the sound is near
CD quality and free from the crackle and hiss of normal radio. World Space
seems to be catching on in India,
at least among my friends, as a great non-intrusive form of entertainment in
houses and offices. So what are you waiting for? Go grab one, before the
government decides to clamp a new 'service' tax on it and makes another good
idea bite the dust!
Western
Outdoor
One of the leading media production studios
of the country recently celebrated 30 glorious years in the advertising and
entertainment industry of India.
Western Outdoor Media Technologies celebrated this milestone with the
unveiling of a spanking new audio and video facility. Mumbai can now boast of
another world-class service to this ever-increasing industry, which is
constantly striving for excellence. Spread over 6000 sq feet, the Mahalaxmi
studios has a Digital Audio and Special Effects Studio with the Sony DMXr100
56 channel digital mixer and state of the art editing suites with the Quantel
digital special effects editing system. It also features 3D Computer graphic
workstations running Alias Wavefront and Maya besides Flint and Flame for 2D and 3D animation.
The comforts of the client have also been well looked after. They have their
very own in-house coffee shop and an outdoor garden section, where you could
even play a game of darts!
Jiten Solanki, the sound engineer, was kind enough to guide me through the
various features of the new Audio studio and played me some of the great work
that they have been doing there recently. Probably the only audio studio to
have the Sony DigiBetacam available to them at all times, the studio also
features DAR's Storm 24 tracks HD workstation and active Genelec Monitoring
speakers with Lexicon and Eventide outboard processors. Western Outdoor has
always stood for the highest technical competence, both in the choice of the
equipment and the people who man it. This is yet another feather in the cap
of this fine company. Truly a wonderful one-stop postproduction facility for
the discerning media professional!
AES
Activities
The Adlabs IMAX Theatre visit by the AES
members along with the members of the Indian Documentary Film Producers'
Association was an unqualified success. This is the biggest IMAX dome in the
world and Manmohan Shetty, Managing Director of ADLABS should be congratulated
for bringing this incredible technology to the shores of India. Imax
is far more exciting than traditional theatres as the image size is 10 times
larger than the regular 35 mm & 3 times larger than standard 70 mm
The six track, 12000 watts sound system plays a major role in the enjoyment
of this spectacular cinematic experience and Jal Mistry, the man responsible
for the installation of this system was on hand to explain to the members the
various issues involved. Govind Nihalani, the leading filmmaker and
cameraman, also enlightened us about the production techniques involved in
this medium. It was indeed a proud moment for us Indians to be in a facility
in India
that can be ranked as among the finest of its kind in the world.
January sees the AES members go on a field trip to Gujarat to visit the Soor
Mandir studios, Anand. The state of the art studio, designed by Daman Sood,
ex-chairman AES India,
has been located in beautiful rustic surroundings and provides accommodation
facilities as a part of its services. Mr. Sood will be accompanying the
members to explain the various highlights and features of this high tech
Audio facility. It looks like it's going to be the start of another
enlightening year for AES India
Section members!
Keep listening,
Nandu Bhende
homesite
:http://nandu_bhende.tripod.com
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