Opening Doorz

By Aditya Biswas and Aritra Bera | Opening Doorz Editorial | October 25, 2020

R D Burman Era Concert

A week after the The R D Burman Era Concert which went live in Pancham Studio, Mumbai, accolades continue to pour in for the musicians and Utsav Sacramento. A harmonium taking centre stage with Kishore Jambhekar perfuming Duniya Mein Logon Ko accompanied with the Saxophone and Trumpet! Sounds uncool, but check the “power-packed blockbuster performance”, as the host Rakhi Mulick aptly summed it, and you will understand the magic of this Instrumental Concert.

Originally sung by R D Burman and Asha Bhosle, Sachin Jambhekar is accompanied by ace Trumpeter Kishore Sodha and the veteran Shaam Raj on Saxophone. What a beauty, the penultimate track turned out to be, just like all the other songs played soulfully by each and every member of the troupe!

Accolades continue to pour in

Frank Petrus (75) currently residing in Atlanta, US, was ecstatic with the concert. “I was familiar with the work of Sachin Jambhekar but not as familiar with the other performers. I was impressed with the talent, music and the sincerity and humanity of the musicians and how well they played together with such joy and feeling for each other as well as for the music,” said Petrus, one of the sponsors and a musician himself whose son plays the harmonium.

“In these chaotic times with many troubles befalling us in the US and India and the rest of the world, having a night to let those stressors leave us and enjoy the talent of these special musicians was a real treat– just the tonic many of us needed,” he added.

Mark Noriega (55), Managing Director at Accenture, US, is yet hearing the sound emanating from India. “Wow! What a great performance. It is nice to see such accomplished musicians performing ‘live’ and it sounding like a pre-recorded studio session. The production was spot- on and the mix was balanced. As a musician myself, it is good to see others getting out and performing. I was especially impressed with the guest artists and their solos. Additionally, kudos to the entire band for the great supporting work that made the guest artists sound fantastic,” he said bowled over by the performances of Sodha, Shaam Raj, Jhambekar and Mohit Shastry.

A night to remember

Rakhi Mullick, for who was holding fort at a ‘live’ concert was a first, couldn’t stop gushing about witnessing the performance ‘live’. “I was there and was just amazed at the entire performance. I don’t know how you guys ‘felt’ it watching on YouTube, but watching it ‘live’ was an experience in itself.” Working a day in advance putting the script together was a task, as the original host ran into some last minute issues, she informs. “However, it was worth the effort,” she revealed.

You could see that she had to burn the midnight oil as she revealed every detail about the song: singer, songwriter, lyricist etc, She also informed us that the harmonium that Jambhekar now owned was originally owned by R D Burman himself and was gifted to him by Asha Bhosle.

Every track was brilliant: Jeevan Ke Har Mod Pe and Dum Maaro Dum on the trumpet and saxophone were just heavenly. Amazing jugalbandi. Ditto Gulaabi Aankhen.

The overall energy from every musician simply got to you, and gets to you even now as you watch it. Martin D’Souza, from India who has also organised many concerts, especially featuring trumpets, trombones and saxophones was stunned. “I never imagined that solos sung by singers that get the crowd to their feet could emerge magical on a trumpet and Saxophone. Tremendous! Add to it the harmonium; what fantastic energy and note-perfect timing.”

The Concert Link

Perhaps the best compliment came from Ashok Shukla, who worked as the main sound engineer with R D Burman on over 250 movies. “This show reminded me of my old days at the Film Centre where I worked with R D Burman and recorded the songs,” said Shukla who now lives in New Jersey with his sons.

It was 150 minutes of pure nostalgia; pure magic; pure musical genius.

Thank you Utsav Sacramento and the organizers for a tremendous show. Those who want to revel in the magic, click the ‘concert link’ above.

Also Read: Trumpeter Kishore Sodha: The real Muqaddar Ka Sikandar!

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