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The city witnessed a rare and exclusive autumn evening in Kala Mandir as truest to the tagline of the show, Euphony presented a unique mastani shaam to the music thirsty people who can wait for days to be a part of an evening like that. A musical soiree commemorating the eternal trio, RK-KK-RDB, without any vocals invariably created some twitched eyebrows, but it eventually turned out to be a ‘got-to-see-to-believe’ kind of venture. What an effect these legendary musicians could create simply by virtue of their musical instruments and the mellifluous soundscape that was formed from a trumpet, a guitar, a sax, an accordion and a sitar! Five lead instruments, a superb gang of local percussionists, a captain as good as his team and a sutradhar knitting different threads in a silken tapestry created euphoria of three and a half hours. In short, the city witnessed what could be best seen and felt and indescribable in words.
The man around whom Euphony shows revolve is the one and only Ankush Chinchankar, whose craze among the Calcuttans is no less than the admiration that other hallowed musicians have. The show started with a medley of Kishore Kumar classics being played at the backdrop and Ankush elucidated as why it was played instead of the usual “Jalpari” tune with which the curtain rises in a Euphony show. ”The music of RDB will be kept alive with these musicians and the images of the first superstar would be palpably felt in every song they play, but, what we will miss is the voice of Kishoreda and thats why the medley of OST is a prelude to the show YSM”.
The show started with Kishore Sodha’s grave trumpet heralding the beginning of the unforgettable evening. Ankush Da chipped in with his valuable anecdotes and facts as how RK (Rajesh Khanna) insisted Shakti Samanta to use Kishore Kumar instead of Mohd Rafi (it was invariable to have Mohd Rafi for any new comer at that time) though RK-RD combo ushered in with the electrifying Gulabi Ankhen. RD’s name featured as ‘associate music director ‘in the landmark movie ARADHANA and the song that catapulted the KK-RK duo to instant stardom was “Mere Sapno Ki Rani Kab Aayegi Tu”. Suraj Sathe’s accordion gave that lilting rhythm of the train and Raj Sodha’s sax ignited the nostalgia of a choc-o-bloc Kala Mandir. 1st October being the birthday of Dada Burman (as Sachin Dev Burman was commonly referred to), the song was also paid as a tribute to him. Whenever we speak about this glorious triumvirate of the Hindi Film Industry, one of the first names that come to our mind is Shakti Samanta. As many as 7 songs were played that evening from his films, which obviously included AMAR PREM, the film that marks the pinnacle of his glory. “Chingari Koi Bhadke” was the next song that Raj Sodha played on his sax, following which came a piece of the gem from his younger brother,Kishore Sodha. While Ankush da spoke about the relation that Shaktida shared with this trio, the images of the ubiquitous Howrah Bridge in AMAR PREM, the pathos personified in Rajesh Khanna, Kishore Sodha played a masterful solo truly befitting the mood of the evening. With all the spellbound musicians dropping their hands with absolute reverence, Ramesh Iyer gave the chord and Kishore Sodha played the mukhra and antara of “Yeh Kya Hua Kaise Hua”. The soulful dignity of KK’s voice can’t ever be replicated but if anything that goes closest to bringing that poignance, it was Kishore Sodha’s solo trumpet that left such an abiding trail that the mesmerised audience took a few seconds to join their hands for a never ending applause. In the second half we saw another impromptu solo by Kishore Sodha that again cast a spell with “Yeh Lal Rang Kab Mujhe Chhodega”.
Calcutta is well aware of what these two legendary Sodha brothers can do, but, save a solitary occasion (Pujo-e-Pancham last year), the city was not quite aware of a musician it can boast of! It was Euphony’s delight and a matter of huge pride that the sitarist of our show, Shri Rahul Chatterjee hails from our city. Our earlier show with Rahulda saw him playing 2/3 numbers and we remember how the crowd’s wish to listen to him more went a-begging. This evening he simply stole the show and filled every nook of the auditorium with his sonorous sitar. His first performance was with Raj Sodha whose sax matched brilliantly with Rahulda’s sitar in alternate stanzas in “Mere Naina Sawan Bhadon”. If the sax could easily traverse from the lowest note to the highest one, Rahul da’s sitar journeyed the same equally effortlessly. The mood changed but the delight of the audience soared up with the youthful “Suno…Kaho” (the Kishore – Lata duet), by Rahul da and Suraj Sathe (Accordian), leaving a hypnotic effect on one and all. The journey from the staccato “Suno, Kaho….Kaha, Suna” of the mukhra in alternate musical instrument to the elaborate sitar interlude was simply breathtaking.
If one song that would feature in an evening of tribute to this trio, it would definitely be the classic “Zindagi Ke Safar Mein” and that evening saw how Suraj Sathe joined hands with Raj Sodha to recreate those images of the journey of life that had found a permanent place in the memory of legions of hindi cine-lovers.
In the last 12 months Calcutta saw many original RDBs in several shows but one man the city seemed to be sourly missing was the ever popular Ramesh Iyer. He was the backbone of the show, the dapper of a gentleman, who ceaselessly tries to lend perfection to the performance as much as possible. It is a sight to watch him standing tall in the middle, marshalling the troops and taking control of every single note to fall in right place. His duet with Raj Sodha’s sax was first heard in the sensuous “Hum Tum Gum Sum Raat Milan Ke”. If the hushed up KK in the mukhra saw a perfect representation in his guitar, the crescendo in the interlude was perfect for Raj ji to blow his heart out in sax and create an incredible resonance in the air. Kishore Sodha replaced his elder sibling, ibn joining Ramesh ji in the next song – “Dekho Idhar Dekho”, one of the rare songs from PHIR WAHI RAAT to be played live on stage. The Ramesh Iyer - Kishore Sodha duet played yet another rare song (in terms of live performance), “Kiski Sadayen” from RED ROSE before Rahul da carried the show towards the end of the first session. His “Diye Jalte Hain” with Suraj Sathe to his “Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hain” with Kishore Sodha were performances to die for. The KATI PATANG song is clearly brass dominated and the long notes are perfect for a sax or trumpet to give proper justice. But the treatment of the song in sitar was simply incredibly unbelievable.
The second half started quite uncharacteristically with an OST being played in the background. It was again Kishore Kumar, whose existence in our life is undeniable. It was a rarely heard song - the title song of MEHBOOBA, specially meant for the re-opening of the curtain. The audience was yet to rest their back after the break when Kishore Sodha set the stage on fire with the dhamakadar “Joshe Jawani Tauba Re Tauba”.For an accomplished musician like Kishore Sodha, breaking the jinx with a thumping number is a matter of effortless ease but the fun of the song was excellently brought out by the men on the right of the stage. Nyapa da on octopad and resso, Kundan da with a wide array of musical instruments, Bapan da on thumba and dhol, Suman da on tabla and Chotkada on drums were superb. This song and later in “Jai Jai Shiv Shankar” (with Ramesh Iyer on lead), this local brigade was simply stunning. Ramesh ji had a special word of praise for these people who worked really hard to make it a stupendous success. From the child prodigy Rhythm Shaw to the veteran Prasanta da on bass guitar and the keyboard players together formed a formidable team and the cohesion and coordination between them made it a total success.
The second half rose to dizzying heights with an intoxicating duet of Rahul da and Raj Sodha. If Kishore Sodha set the ball rolling with the ever popular “Nadiya Se Dariya”and Ramesh ji strummed “Kitne Sapne Kitne Armaan” to perfection, Rahul da created an ambience of a majlish with his solo in “Humen Tumse Pyaar Kitna”. His mindblowing jugalbandi with with Raj Sodha in “Bheegi Bheegi Raton Mein” left the audience in awe, resulting in an uproar of ‘once more’, compelling the duo to play the song in repeat mode. Two more rarely heard songs on live shows were presented.
Kundan da’s madal beats and Ramesh Iyer’s guitar with Suraj Sathe brought alive “Dil Kya Chahe” from OONCHE LOG and even a rarer “Tu Lajawab Bemisal” (in which Kishore Sodha joined Ramesh ji) from HUM DONO drew huge encores. There were two peppy numbers that stood out to be exceptions – “Duniya Mein Logon Ko” and“Jab andhera Hota Hai” - as they didn’t feature Kishore Kumar, but the crowd went berserk when Sodha brothers blew in tandem and Chotkada stepped in the illustrious shoes of Franco Vaz, especially in the APNA DESH number. It was a tribute to the first superstar, the phenomemon that Rajesh Khanna was and if Kishore Kumar’s sentimental songs could bring back the man of pathos with an enigmatic gaze, the peppier numbers recreated the images of the boisterous Kaka (as he was lovingly called) – and all under the baton of our dearest LoRD. Ramesh ji’s “Chala Jata Hoon”reminded one of the whirlwind that Rajesh Khanna was and how he stormed into the hearts of the legions and the farewell piece by a subtle sitar and sublime sax in “Agar Tum Na Hote” typify the cry of the millions who still pine for the illustrious trio that reigned supreme for ages and might be winning hearts in the other world as well!
As the curtain fell for one last time and Ankush ji bade ‘Shuvratri’ and ‘Phir milenge’ in his customary warmth, there was contentment written all over. After all, these legendary musicians helped us all to revisit our childhood days and youthful fantasies when everyone had Kishore Kumar on their lips and a tilted head on their shoulders with an arm fluttering in rhythmic motion aka the first matinee idol! It was a three and a half hours of sheer bliss and pure nostalgia. The season of fun, fiesta and festivities couldn’t have had a better and more memorable beginning.
The city witnessed a rare and exclusive autumn evening in Kala Mandir as truest to the tagline of the show, Euphony presented a unique mastani shaam to the music thirsty people who can wait for days to be a part of an evening like that. A musical soiree commemorating the eternal trio, RK-KK-RDB, without any vocals invariably created some twitched eyebrows, but it eventually turned out to be a ‘got-to-see-to-believe’ kind of venture. What an effect these legendary musicians could create simply by virtue of their musical instruments and the mellifluous soundscape that was formed from a trumpet, a guitar, a sax, an accordion and a sitar! Five lead instruments, a superb gang of local percussionists, a captain as good as his team and a sutradhar knitting different threads in a silken tapestry created euphoria of three and a half hours. In short, the city witnessed what could be best seen and felt and indescribable in words.
The man around whom Euphony shows revolve is the one and only Ankush Chinchankar, whose craze among the Calcuttans is no less than the admiration that other hallowed musicians have. The show started with a medley of Kishore Kumar classics being played at the backdrop and Ankush elucidated as why it was played instead of the usual “Jalpari” tune with which the curtain rises in a Euphony show. ”The music of RDB will be kept alive with these musicians and the images of the first superstar would be palpably felt in every song they play, but, what we will miss is the voice of Kishoreda and thats why the medley of OST is a prelude to the show YSM”.
The show started with Kishore Sodha’s grave trumpet heralding the beginning of the unforgettable evening. Ankush Da chipped in with his valuable anecdotes and facts as how RK (Rajesh Khanna) insisted Shakti Samanta to use Kishore Kumar instead of Mohd Rafi (it was invariable to have Mohd Rafi for any new comer at that time) though RK-RD combo ushered in with the electrifying Gulabi Ankhen. RD’s name featured as ‘associate music director ‘in the landmark movie ARADHANA and the song that catapulted the KK-RK duo to instant stardom was “Mere Sapno Ki Rani Kab Aayegi Tu”. Suraj Sathe’s accordion gave that lilting rhythm of the train and Raj Sodha’s sax ignited the nostalgia of a choc-o-bloc Kala Mandir. 1st October being the birthday of Dada Burman (as Sachin Dev Burman was commonly referred to), the song was also paid as a tribute to him. Whenever we speak about this glorious triumvirate of the Hindi Film Industry, one of the first names that come to our mind is Shakti Samanta. As many as 7 songs were played that evening from his films, which obviously included AMAR PREM, the film that marks the pinnacle of his glory. “Chingari Koi Bhadke” was the next song that Raj Sodha played on his sax, following which came a piece of the gem from his younger brother,Kishore Sodha. While Ankush da spoke about the relation that Shaktida shared with this trio, the images of the ubiquitous Howrah Bridge in AMAR PREM, the pathos personified in Rajesh Khanna, Kishore Sodha played a masterful solo truly befitting the mood of the evening. With all the spellbound musicians dropping their hands with absolute reverence, Ramesh Iyer gave the chord and Kishore Sodha played the mukhra and antara of “Yeh Kya Hua Kaise Hua”. The soulful dignity of KK’s voice can’t ever be replicated but if anything that goes closest to bringing that poignance, it was Kishore Sodha’s solo trumpet that left such an abiding trail that the mesmerised audience took a few seconds to join their hands for a never ending applause. In the second half we saw another impromptu solo by Kishore Sodha that again cast a spell with “Yeh Lal Rang Kab Mujhe Chhodega”.
Calcutta is well aware of what these two legendary Sodha brothers can do, but, save a solitary occasion (Pujo-e-Pancham last year), the city was not quite aware of a musician it can boast of! It was Euphony’s delight and a matter of huge pride that the sitarist of our show, Shri Rahul Chatterjee hails from our city. Our earlier show with Rahulda saw him playing 2/3 numbers and we remember how the crowd’s wish to listen to him more went a-begging. This evening he simply stole the show and filled every nook of the auditorium with his sonorous sitar. His first performance was with Raj Sodha whose sax matched brilliantly with Rahulda’s sitar in alternate stanzas in “Mere Naina Sawan Bhadon”. If the sax could easily traverse from the lowest note to the highest one, Rahul da’s sitar journeyed the same equally effortlessly. The mood changed but the delight of the audience soared up with the youthful “Suno…Kaho” (the Kishore – Lata duet), by Rahul da and Suraj Sathe (Accordian), leaving a hypnotic effect on one and all. The journey from the staccato “Suno, Kaho….Kaha, Suna” of the mukhra in alternate musical instrument to the elaborate sitar interlude was simply breathtaking.
If one song that would feature in an evening of tribute to this trio, it would definitely be the classic “Zindagi Ke Safar Mein” and that evening saw how Suraj Sathe joined hands with Raj Sodha to recreate those images of the journey of life that had found a permanent place in the memory of legions of hindi cine-lovers.
In the last 12 months Calcutta saw many original RDBs in several shows but one man the city seemed to be sourly missing was the ever popular Ramesh Iyer. He was the backbone of the show, the dapper of a gentleman, who ceaselessly tries to lend perfection to the performance as much as possible. It is a sight to watch him standing tall in the middle, marshalling the troops and taking control of every single note to fall in right place. His duet with Raj Sodha’s sax was first heard in the sensuous “Hum Tum Gum Sum Raat Milan Ke”. If the hushed up KK in the mukhra saw a perfect representation in his guitar, the crescendo in the interlude was perfect for Raj ji to blow his heart out in sax and create an incredible resonance in the air. Kishore Sodha replaced his elder sibling, ibn joining Ramesh ji in the next song – “Dekho Idhar Dekho”, one of the rare songs from PHIR WAHI RAAT to be played live on stage. The Ramesh Iyer - Kishore Sodha duet played yet another rare song (in terms of live performance), “Kiski Sadayen” from RED ROSE before Rahul da carried the show towards the end of the first session. His “Diye Jalte Hain” with Suraj Sathe to his “Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hain” with Kishore Sodha were performances to die for. The KATI PATANG song is clearly brass dominated and the long notes are perfect for a sax or trumpet to give proper justice. But the treatment of the song in sitar was simply incredibly unbelievable.
The second half started quite uncharacteristically with an OST being played in the background. It was again Kishore Kumar, whose existence in our life is undeniable. It was a rarely heard song - the title song of MEHBOOBA, specially meant for the re-opening of the curtain. The audience was yet to rest their back after the break when Kishore Sodha set the stage on fire with the dhamakadar “Joshe Jawani Tauba Re Tauba”.For an accomplished musician like Kishore Sodha, breaking the jinx with a thumping number is a matter of effortless ease but the fun of the song was excellently brought out by the men on the right of the stage. Nyapa da on octopad and resso, Kundan da with a wide array of musical instruments, Bapan da on thumba and dhol, Suman da on tabla and Chotkada on drums were superb. This song and later in “Jai Jai Shiv Shankar” (with Ramesh Iyer on lead), this local brigade was simply stunning. Ramesh ji had a special word of praise for these people who worked really hard to make it a stupendous success. From the child prodigy Rhythm Shaw to the veteran Prasanta da on bass guitar and the keyboard players together formed a formidable team and the cohesion and coordination between them made it a total success.
The second half rose to dizzying heights with an intoxicating duet of Rahul da and Raj Sodha. If Kishore Sodha set the ball rolling with the ever popular “Nadiya Se Dariya”and Ramesh ji strummed “Kitne Sapne Kitne Armaan” to perfection, Rahul da created an ambience of a majlish with his solo in “Humen Tumse Pyaar Kitna”. His mindblowing jugalbandi with with Raj Sodha in “Bheegi Bheegi Raton Mein” left the audience in awe, resulting in an uproar of ‘once more’, compelling the duo to play the song in repeat mode. Two more rarely heard songs on live shows were presented.
Kundan da’s madal beats and Ramesh Iyer’s guitar with Suraj Sathe brought alive “Dil Kya Chahe” from OONCHE LOG and even a rarer “Tu Lajawab Bemisal” (in which Kishore Sodha joined Ramesh ji) from HUM DONO drew huge encores. There were two peppy numbers that stood out to be exceptions – “Duniya Mein Logon Ko” and“Jab andhera Hota Hai” - as they didn’t feature Kishore Kumar, but the crowd went berserk when Sodha brothers blew in tandem and Chotkada stepped in the illustrious shoes of Franco Vaz, especially in the APNA DESH number. It was a tribute to the first superstar, the phenomemon that Rajesh Khanna was and if Kishore Kumar’s sentimental songs could bring back the man of pathos with an enigmatic gaze, the peppier numbers recreated the images of the boisterous Kaka (as he was lovingly called) – and all under the baton of our dearest LoRD. Ramesh ji’s “Chala Jata Hoon”reminded one of the whirlwind that Rajesh Khanna was and how he stormed into the hearts of the legions and the farewell piece by a subtle sitar and sublime sax in “Agar Tum Na Hote” typify the cry of the millions who still pine for the illustrious trio that reigned supreme for ages and might be winning hearts in the other world as well!
As the curtain fell for one last time and Ankush ji bade ‘Shuvratri’ and ‘Phir milenge’ in his customary warmth, there was contentment written all over. After all, these legendary musicians helped us all to revisit our childhood days and youthful fantasies when everyone had Kishore Kumar on their lips and a tilted head on their shoulders with an arm fluttering in rhythmic motion aka the first matinee idol! It was a three and a half hours of sheer bliss and pure nostalgia. The season of fun, fiesta and festivities couldn’t have had a better and more memorable beginning.