Come September !

"Come September
Everything wrong gonna be alright
Come September"

Come September is one of the most popular instrumental tunes, liked and played by every guitarist or musician one time or the other while learning any musical instrument. The tune is part of the musical theme of an old classic Hollywood movie "Come September", also called its theme song.
This tune was one of my firsts that I had played on almost every instrument that I played , from Guitar to Banjo to Harmonium to Piano to Accordion !!
Many musicians all over world have got "inspired" from this tune and have composed songs in various languages including in Bollywood and Hindi.
Here is a playlist of some of the collections curated from youtube. 

I also came across a song called Come September by Natalie Imbruglia that I liked.. a bit of melancholy but with a hope !

Come September

Her bones will ache, her mouth will shake
And as the passion dies her magic heart will break
She'll fly to France, but there's no chance
No hope for Cinderella
Come September
Everything wrong gonna be alright
Come September
Her violet sky, will need to cry
And if it doesn't rain then everything will die
She needs to heal, she needs to feel
Something more than tender
Come September
Everything wrong gonna be alright
Come September
The souls that burn will twist and turn
And find you in the dark no matter where you run
she's made her mark but lost her spark
And what she's looking for she can't remember
Everything wrong gonna be alright
Come September
Her eyes surrender her cries
A crying shame
Comin' undone is she aver gonna feel tha same
She will run, she's gonna drink the sun
Shining there for you instead of everyone
And so it goes she'll stand alone
And try not to remember
Come September
Everything wrong gonna be alright
Come September


Songwriters: Gary Clark / Natalie Jane Imbruglia

Jamaica Farewell - नको वळून बघू माघारी

There are some songs that take ones mind away , overpowering and occupying ones mind and soul for many a days ; their catchy tune , their rhythms , their lyrics  all together stay with you forever in a corner of your heart !
The two songs , one in English and other in Marathi, have done so for me instantly , as soon as I heard them the first time. Curiously, the theme of these song tend to highlight the situation from two sides in a poignant way. There seems to be some relation between these two songs .. the simplicity of melody , rhythm and lyrics. These two songs , though in different language , some how bring the story to a full circle !

 नको वळुन बघू माघारी
जा रे खुशाल दर्यावरी

तुझ्या नि माझ्या प्रीतिची रे संगती
घेऊन शिदोरी आठवणींची

तुझी लाडकी उनाड होडी
बघुन समिंदर होइल वेडी
आणि तयाला कवळायाला सारखी घेइल उडी
त्या क्षणी याद तुला येऊन माझी जाशिल कळवळुनी

नाही सोबती तुझ्या संगती
एकटाच तू दर्यावरती
बघुन तुला रे येतिल वरती रत्‍नं सुंदर किती
त्यामधे नाही तुझी राणी, पाहुनी होशिल खिन्‍न मनी

कशी खुळी ती आभाळातुनी
नक्षत्रं ही तुला हेरूनी
डोळे मोडुनि नाचुनी चमकुनी
येतिल खाली जरी रे
आठवेल रे झोपडीतली मिणमिणती चांदणी
--------
गीत : मो. ग. रांगणेकर
संगीत : केशवराव भोळे
स्वर : ज्योत्स्ना भोळे
----------

Jamaica Fairwell
by Harry Belafonte

Down the way where the nights are gay
And the sun shines daily on the mountain top
I took a trip on a sailing ship
And when I reached Jamaica I made a stop

But I'm sad to say I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a day
My heart is down, my head is turning around
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town

Down the market you can hear
Ladies cry out while on their heads they bear
'Akey' rice, salt fish are nice
And the rum is fine any time of year

But I'm sad to say I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a day
My heart is down, my head is turning around
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town

Sounds of laughter everywhere
And the dancing girls sway to and fro
I must declare my heart is there
Though I've been from Maine to Mexico

But I'm sad to say I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a day
My heart is down, my head is turning around
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town
--------------------------------------------------------------

I had been listening to both these songs since quite long. They are from old times ... 1950s-60s or so... but seem so fresh all the time. The link between these two songs occurred to me suddenly after watching a web series "Shatjanm Shodhatana" , where a part of Marathi song was rendered by young singers with a slight variation to original music.

These songs are classics ... beyond words to describe their beauty.  One can truly find joy , happiness and bliss in the simplicity of their melody , rhythm , lyrics and rendering !

Raagdaari , Raag Sangit and Khyaal : Part 2 - Todi , Bhairavi and Bilaskhani Todi

One of the first raags that attracted me to Indian Classical Music was the Todi. There is something soothing in the scale of Todi. The predominant Bhaav or Ras ( भाव - रस ) of Todi is that of submission to supreme power and enlightenment attained through the path of knowledge ( ज्ञान-मार्ग )

Bhairavi on the other hand has a predominant Bhaav or Ras of pure love and devotion, submission through faith ( भक्ति -मार्ग ). This classification is generic and may have some rare exceptions through specific bandishes. Also Todi seems to be more serious than the lighter Bhairavi. Both of them have an intense spell on listener, and rarely fail to touch the innermost layer of heart and soul.

If one observes majority of bhajans and religious recitations , typically , bhajans and bandishes of "भक्ती मार्ग " are aptly set in Bhairavi while that of "ज्ञान मार्ग" are set in Todi .. and that is the perfect difference between Bhairavi and Todi !
One of the most poignant and rare raag of Indian Classical Music is called Bilaskhani Todi , which in one way is a perfect combination of Bhairavi and Todi. It is a type of Todi that has the Bhairavi raagang or is set to gait and scale of Thaat Bhairavi. Bilaskhani Todi or Bilaskhani , is a Todi that sounds like Bhairavi. Hence Bhairavi and Bilaskhani Todi are siblings in a way !

Bilaskhani is extremely difficult to sing and there is a legend behind its creation : Bilas Khan was was one of the four sons of the legendary Dhrupad singer Miyan Tansen. Tansen thought poorly about the musical abilities of Bilas Khan and had almost disowned him !
At the funeral of Tansen , grief of Bilas Khan made him sing a Todi that was filled with emotions of pathos and pain. The legend has it that the poignancy of this rendition brought life back to Tansen and his eyes flickered for a moment ! Such was the power of this rendition of Todi by Bilas Khan .. we call this BilasKhani Todi of modern days that belongs theoretically to the "Bhairavi Thaat".
To me this story of Bilas Khan and Bilaskhani Todi invariably points to one of the most celebrated song / bhavgeet in Marathi, written by Shri Shantaram Naandgaavkar ,apt music composed by Shri Ashok Patki  and sung by Pt Ajit Kadkade .. Sajal Nayan nit dhaar barasati ( सजल नयन नित धार बरसती ) .. this truly brings out the emotions of Bilas Khan and is filled with the right kind of mix of Bhairavi and Todi to bring about that pathos and poignancy .. Whenever I hear this song , the picture that comes to my mind is that of Bilas Khan singing ,sitting near the remains of Tansen !

सजल नयन नित धार बरसती
भावगंध त्या जळी मिसळती

वीणेचे स्वर अबोल झाले
गीतामधले काव्य ही सरले
मुक्या मनाचे मुकेच आठव
मूक दीपज्योतीसम जळती

चंद्र चांदणे सरले आता
निरस जाहली जीवनगाथा
त्या भेटीतील अमृतधारा
तुझ्याविना विषधारा होती

थकले पैंजण चरणही थकले
वृन्दावनीचे मोहन सरले
तुझ्या स्मृतींची फुले प्रेमले
अजुन उखाणे मला घालिती

Link to the original sound track on YouTube  ( mixed with artifact video)

A rendition of the same song by a young singer Ketan Godbole. One of my favorites on YouTube

Trademark raags and performing artists

In the domain of Indian Classical Music ,an artist or performer has some special raags in their repertoire. They become associated with those raags , these raags become their "trademarks" in a way. Also some raags have special significance with certain artists due to their tradition of "Gharana" training or their own style or expertise.
In the following list , I have avoided names of certain special raags either composed or sung specifically by veterans and could be labeled as "rare". They have been listed in other blog post.
 Here is the link to that post
My recommendations , a list  that I have created ( Work In Progress would continue for ever! ), based on my experiences till date, of the performances enjoyed either live or recorded. Suggestions , recommendations, additions from connoisseurs are most welcome.

Ahir Bhairav : Pt Jasraj , Ut Rashid Khan

Nat Bhairav : Pt Jasraj , Jayteerth Mevundi

Shivmat Bhairav : Pt Abhisheki , Pt CR Vyas

Lalat :  Bhimsen , Ut Nishat Khan

Bhatiyar :  Sanjeev Abhyankar

Shuddha Todi : Rajan Sajan Mishra , Pt Mallikarjun Mansur

Bilaskhani Todi :  Satyasheel Deshpande

Gujari  Todi : Ashwini Bhide Deshpande

Salag Varali Todi : Aarti Ankalikar

KomalRishab Asavari : Bhimsen

Bilawal : Ashwini Bhide Deshpande

Sarang :  Ut Bismillah Khan

Bhimpalas : Kaushiki Chakravarty

Dhani :  Jitendra Abhisheki

Multani :  Kumar Mardur , Ut Mubarak Ali Khan , Pt Vijay Koparkar

Barwa : Ut Rashid Khan , Pt Dhrub Ghosh

Marwa : Vasantrav Deshpande , Ut Amir Khan

Puriya Dhanaashree : Sanjeev Abhyankar , Ut Rashid Khan

Shree :  Ashwini Bhide Deshpande

Puriya Kalyan :  Kaushiki Chakravarty, Bhimsen

Kamod : Rajan Sajan Mishra

Chaya Nat : Ut Bade Gulam Ali Khan , Venkatesh Kumar

Yaman :  Ut Rashid Khan

Yaman Kalyan : Rajan Sajan Mishra

Bhoop :   Kishori Amonkar (for sahela re)

Shuddha Kalyan : Kishori Amonkar , Bhimsen

Puriya : Pt Jasraj (Jhaptal bandish), Ut Rashid Khan

Jog :  Pt Jasraj

Jogkauns : Pt Rajan-Sajan Mishra

Sohoni : Ut Rashid Khan

Basant : Pt Jasraj

Nand :  Aarti Anklikar , Ut Amir Khan , Ut Nishat Khan

Bihaag : Ashwini Bhide Deshpande , Pt Jasraj

Maru-Bihaag : Prabha Atre

Bageshri : Ashwini Bhide Deshpande , Ut Rashid Khan

Malkauns :  Ut Bundu Khan (Sarangi) , Malini Rajurkar, Ut Dilshad Khan

Sampoorna Malkauns : Kishori Amonkar , Ulhas Kashalkar

Chandra Kauns : Vasantrav , Malini Rajurkar

Madhukauns : Sanjeev Abhyankar , Pt Jasraj

Kedar :  Pt Ajay Chakravarti ,  Purbayan Chatarjee ,

Darbari : Ut Amir Khan , Ut Bade Gulam Ali Khan

Kaunsi kanada : Pt Jasraj

Abhogi Kanada : Pt Ajay Chakravarti

Miya Malhar : Pt Venkatesh Kumar , Bhimsen

Bhairavi :  Pt Ajay Chakravarty , Ut Vilayat Khan (Sitar)

Party .... Sahela re

The Party - 1984 Classic by Govind Nihalani , is one of the most realistic films. An instant classic with high caliber actors, the movie has that subtle satire , sarcasm and realism. Based on a novel by Mahesh Elkunjwar "Party" , the movie has a gripping story that revolves around the characters that are part of an evening Party hosted by a Bombay high society socialite. Truth , realism and stories of characters told in subtle realistic fashion by Director and Producer Govind Nihalani.
The actors are all veterans .. Deepa Sahi , Om Puri , Amrish Puri , Rohini Hattangadi , Manohar Singh, Naseerudin Shah , Vijaya Mehta , Soni Razdan , Mohan Bhandari , Shafi Inamdar and many more ! An ensemble of cast typical of an "Art Cinema"

One more reason that makes this movie memorable is the Kishori Amonkar khyaal in Bhoop .. "Sahela Re" used as a background score (starting around 1:16:00) .. here is the complete film.

सहेला रे , आ मिल गाये..
सप्तसुरन की भेद सुनाये
जनम-जनम को संग न भुले
अब के मिले सो बिछूड ना जाये !