Sax, Jazz, AR Rehman and a pinch of Nostalgia
Summer of 1994 was noted for lot of changes in our household in Guntur. My dad, moderately flush with cash from the sale of his books decided to invest in some luxuries - all in one go. We got a Videocon Grey Double door Frost Free Refrigerator, an Optonica 21” color TV to replace the old grainy B&W Dyanora. And, he also bought home a 2-in-1 cassette tape player and recorder (Sharp?). This is the most prized item for a year or so in our home. I could recite all the songs from the 4-5 cassettes that were bought along with the player even today. I bet my sister can too. One of the cassettes was that of Duet.
Usually each movie’s tracks are on one side of the cassette but the movie Duet spilled over to the B side as it had 9 songs. A lot has been written about the album and I can only second all the wonderful reviews and bringing the Saxophone all the credit due and more so to AR Rehman and Kadri Gopalnath. The song En Kadhale (sad version) is a master piece and the dulcet tones will win over every heart. German composer and critic, Robert Schumann apparently died after he couldn’t get a tune out of his head and the tune turned him into a psychotic maniac. I am not able to get over this song since a day. So far from mania, but every year I spent a day listening to this album and this particular song in the background. My favorite part is when Anjali enters the room and the raga changes to Anjali Anjali (Maandu Ragam). So subtle and fantastic turn of the sax. Hats off to the team.
While I enjoyed my share of Sax and my other favorite instruments - the Veena and the flute, a combination of Sax and Flute that Rehman used in Duet is incomparable.
Jazz is another style incorporating saxhorns that Rehman did very well in one of my other favorite songs from Jaane Tu.. Ya Jaane na. The title theme song done with vocal and blues style is eclectic (if you leave out some part of the lyrics). Another inane lyric-ed song - Hello Mr Idupakshi from Iruvar is a classic jazz song of Rehman (watch out for the bass) that is part of my quarterly quota. It would be remiss if I miss to mention the greatest bass exhibition Rehman gave in Thee Thee from Thiruda Thiruda. It demands my full attention when it comes on. I have linked to Mohini Dey’s superb rendition of Thee Thee here.
I can not not mention Rajhesh Vaidya’s contribution to many of Rehman’s songs, but his Veena rendition of Raghuvamsa Sudha kept me enthralled for over a week!
Music is a tonic to a battered soul. It teleports consciousness to an idyllic pasture where there is just just peace.
