Manohari Singh - an interview
Shekhar
Last week on February 10th I had the privilege of meeting veteran
saxophone player and long time RDB assistant Manohari Singh for the
second time at his Santa Cruz residence in Mumbai, the first occasion
being almost three years ago. What follows is a composite of the two
conversations. Comments in parentheses with an asterisk are mine.
Manohari is a gentle grandfatherly sort whose memory is as sharp as
his breath control and pitching on the sax. One wall of his living
room are covered with rare black and white photographs of him at work
in studios with the likes of Jaikishan, Hariprasad Chaurasia,
Sumantraj, Rais Khan, Kersi Lord and other illustrious stars from the
Hindi film music firmament. One large R.D. Burman photograph in colour
occupies a place of honor on the opposite wall. Since so much Pancham-
related Manohari stories and anecdotes abound I tried to get him to
talk more on other music directors - Panchamites bear with me. I hope
to do a Pancham-based interview soon.
Of Nepali origin but in India for practically all his life, Manohari
came to Calcutta as a young boy and took up music originally playing
the flute in a brass band. While playing on stage in Calcutta he and
his partner-to-be Basu Chakraborty were noticed by no less than
Naushad and Salil Chaudhury, who were in the audience. It was Naushad
who turned to Salil and said, "Why don't you get these young men to
Bombay? I'm sure we can find good use for them."
Q. Tell us how you got your first break into the Hindi film industry.
A. Although it's true that I came to Bombay in the mid-50s at Salil's
recommendation I did not get much opportunity to play for him, simply
because he was going through a lean patch then. I was introduced to
S.D. Burman and managed to play some pieces on the key flute for
Sitaron Se Aage but it was nothing memorable. I did get a chance to
meet Laxmikant, who was then a mandolin player with SDB, and also
Jaidev, flute player Sumantraj and Pancham. By then I was fairly adept
at the key flute and the mandolin in addition to the sax. But work was
hard to come by.
Laxmi and I became good friends and he was keen to see me settled and
employed. We next met at S.D. Burman's home where after discussion a
sitting was arranged for the song "Accha ji main haari chalo" (Kala
Paani) to take place at Navketan's the next day. I asked Laxmi to try
and help me to get some work. He said "Ek kaam karo. Bring your
mandolin along tomorrow". And so it happened that both he and I played
together for that song, recorded in Bombay Lab. You might say that
it's the first song in which I am heard.
I continued to play a key flute for such assignments as Madhumati's
background score. Sax pieces were still rare. My first sax piece for a
song was in Sach hue sapne tere (Kala Bazaar) but it barely registered
as it was combined with a clarinet and other instruments. The first
solo sax piece happened in Lajwanti's "Gaa mere man ga" where you
could really experience it. Laxmi remembered the piece.
The turning point happened with Satta Bazaar, for "Tumhe yaad hoga".
It was a debut for several persons: Robert Correa on the piano,
Gulshan Bawra for the lyric and Pyarelal for the arrangements (he and
Laxmi were assisting Kalyanji-Anandji). Laxmi booked me for the
rehearsal at Sri Sound in Dadar.
What I didn't know was that three other sax players had been booked as
well for the actual recording! That was at Mehboob Studios. We had to
play the sax pieces in unison. I could see that Laxmi was
uncomfortable. After two or three rehearsals, he told Kalyanjibhai,
"Kucch jam nahin raha hai. Why not ask Manohari to play alone and see
the effect? So I played the piece alone, and so the song was recorded.
(*Pyarelal told me he did retain the other three saxophones to play
rhythm to Manohari's solo.)
The song was an overnight hit for the public in general and my sax
pieces for all the music directors. Hemant Kumar (who sang the duet
with Lata Mangeshkar) complimented me so effusively that I could see
the resentment plainly on the face of his own assistant Rizbert, one
of the other sax players.
Q. To digress for a moment - were you not also Hemant Kumar's
assistant for Anupama and Biwi Aur Makaan? I recall seeing your name
on the credits.
A. I was. All the arrangements were mine.
Q. And that was you on the sax for "Kyun mujhe itni khushi de di"?
A. Right. And then Goody Servai's accordion comes ripping through!
Q. And the flute for "Kucch dil ne kaha"?
A. No, that was Sumantraj. He was a versatile artiste who could play
several instruments. Do you know that the introduction santoor piece
of "Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai"'s title song was by him?
Q. I didn't know that. But do go on - after "Satta Bazaar"...?
A. At some point then Salil introduced me to his assistant Sebastian,
who also worked closely with Shankar-Jaikishan and O.P. Nayyar.
Sebastian in turn got me acquainted with Jaikishan, who became very
fond of me. He was a real 'raaja' of a man. I played the flute for
"Ruk ja o janewali" in "Kanhaiyya" but I really 'arrived' with S-J
with the title music for "Junglee" - which you recall was the title
song played as a sax instrumental. Jai gave me further prominence with
"Aawaz de ke" (Professor) and then declared I "must be made permanent"
with the S-J group. In Arzoo I had three songs with memorable sax
pieces: "Ae phoolon ki rani", "Bedardi baalama" and "Aji rooth kar
ab". And there was the title song of Dil Tera Deewana, Brahmachari's
"Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche" - so many others. And of course,
that remarkable non-film album "Raaga Jazz Style" in which I played
many Hindustani raags with Rais Khan giving a kind of counterpoint
with sitar and tabla.
Q. I liked one song in Jhuk Gaya Aasmaan - "Mere tumhare beech mein ab
to". After Lata sings "Ab aan milo sajna, sajna" the sax just flows
out.
A. And the strings play staccato as though playing rhythm! Yes, that
was another good song.
Q. Talking of staccato, you did play the sax in that fashion for
Kalyanji-Anandji in "Saccha Jhoota" - an Asha Bhosle song, "Duniya
mein pyar ki sab ko zaroorat hai". That piece was quite arresting,
with a lead guitar follow-up.
A. Staccato is rare for a sax, at least in our Hindi film music,
because one can infuse much more emotion and mood with long notes and
variations.
Q. Tell us about your experience with other music directors.
A. There was Madan Mohan, who showed a lot of his military background
even in the recording room. But mostly it was all good-hearted bluff
to get the work done. After the recording of "Shokh nazar ki
bijaliyan" from Who Kaun Thi?, he confronted me sternly and asked
"What sort of expression did you give in that piece?" I was rattled
and answered softly "Jo music ke hisaab se bajaana theek samjha, maine
kiya". Then he broke into a smile and said "That was very good!"
Then there was the unforgettable O.P. Nayyar. My first song for him
was "Hai duniya usiki" from Kashmir Ki Kali. After the recording on
the spot he handed me a hundred rupee note and cried "Have whiskey!"
Another time during a show at the Shanmukhananda Hall - it might have
been a Filmfare awards function - he put one arm around my shoulder,
another around Kersi Lord's, led us to the front of the stage and
declared, "These are my ornaments".
Q. I remember that haunting solo at the beginning of "Huzurewala" (Ye
Raat Phir Na Aayegi). (*At this point he goes in to get his saxophone,
and plays the piece for me.)
A. There was also this piece from "Ye hai reshmi" from Mere Sanam.
(*Plays the second stanza sax piece, the one that is followed by
Asha'a "la la laala.) The notes are almost identical to the
"Huzurewala" piece, but did you notice that? Yes, Mr. Nayyar was
indeed a clever composer. (*I then beg him to play more and he obliges
me by playing all the pieces I request - Guide's "Tere mere sapne",
"Jaane ja dhoondta hi raha" from Jawani Diwani, and all the Arzoo
pieces.)
He was also extremely principled as a man. In the early days cine
musicians were seldom paid immediately after a recording and sometimes
had to wait a month or two for their money. After one recording for
Filmistan, Nayyar-saab overheard a musician moping dejectedly about
late payments. OP immediately called the boss, S. Mukerji, and ordered
him to pay them at once. When Mukerji said "Nayyarji jaldi kya hai?
Mil jaaega paisa". OP was adamant, and not only was everyone paid at
once, but the system permanently changed for musicians' shift set
payment on the spot.
Only two months ago in December we met in Pune for a programme. During
a break we sat together. I like to have a little fried snack with my
drink and so got some pieces of fried fish from the table which we
enjoyed together. As it turned out, it was my last opportunity to
serve him. Outside of the Pancham group he and Jaikishan were my
favourites.
Q. Which was the most complex or difficult piece anyone gave you to
play?
A. No doubt about it, it was Pyarelal who once got me tired and
breathless. It was that Kishore Kumar song "Main aaya hoon" from Amir
Garib. I don't think any of my other songs comes close to it in
difficulty.
Q. I think they also show Dev playing a sax on screen. What is your
reaction when you see such scenes in which the actor moves his fingers
arbitrarily on the keys doing that 'elephant trunk' movement, when
you've put in so much work? Are you irritated?
A. Irritated? The blood boils! But it takes a really knowledgeable
director to attend to such details so I don't let it bother me.
Q. You did play for Roshan too, right?
A. I did. You know, somehow Roshan ended up doing many films with
conservative themes, where often the dialogue and lyrics were rich in
Urdu. I have tried to fit into that kind of mood with a softer
approach and greater expression. Anil Biswas had a sax player called
Ramsingh who had developed that style and I tried to imitate him.
Roshan was also fond of using an echo unit to emphasize reverb at the
end of a stanza and often you'll hear my sax floating at a high pitch
at that point, playing counter and simultaneous with the singing.
Q. I think we hear that effect in Salil's "O sajna", just before Lata
goes into the high pitched part in the second stanza.
A. Right. Coming back to Roshan, I first played for him in Barsaat Ki
Raat, where the title song in Lata's voice has my intro. I like that
piece a lot. In fact, I even play it on stage for the male version
since the female one is seldom sung. I had a lot of work in others too
- Bheegi Raat, Bahu Begum ("Duniya kare sawaal" intro), Mamta, Daadima
(intro to "Jaata hun main") and others.
Q. What about the two who were instrumental in bringing you to Mumbai
- Salil and Naushad?
A. Of course there were so many Salil songs too - Maya's "Jaa re ud
ja re panchhi", songs from Anand, Mere Apne - so many.
With Naushad I didn't get too many opportunities. Saathi was the main
one, with a prominent sax piece for "Mera pyar bhi tu hai" intro. By
the way all Saathi song arrangements were by Kersi Lord, who gave the
track a different Naushad touch. I've also played in Leader, and on
the background scores of Sohani Mahiwal, Pakeezah, and even the
original (not restored) Mughal-e-Azam.
Q. Any other music directors you'd like to tell us about?
A. Chitragupt was one and I'm proud to be associated with two of his
best songs: "Jaag dil-e-deewana" from Oonche Log, and "Ye parbaton ke
daaere" from Vaasna. I played many with Anna (C. Ramchandra) too,
including the flute for "Ae mere watan ke logo".
Q. Any prominent flute or mandolin pieces you'd like to tell us
about?
A. "Kaanchi re kaanchi re" (Hare Rama Hare Krishna). The mandolin in
"Tum bin jaaun kahan" (Pyar Ka Mausam) was mine. Do you know I also
did the whistling for "Ye shaam mastani" (Kati Patang) and the title
music of "Sholay". People wonder how an asthmatic like myself can do
so much with wind instruments that need breath control, but it's
actually like a physiotherapy for my lungs.
What's next now?
A. Oh, I've been so busy with stage shows that I'm tired and want to
escape to New Zealand for a break. I'm back in Mumbai mid-April.
****************************************
Afzal A. Khan
Thank you for this insightful interview and report.
Afzal
Dr.Mandar
So finally Shekhar delivers the long-long promised Manohari-piece and
that too with a current update! It is superb!
I will be also archiving it on http://cinemasangeet.com.
Can anybody please send me a Manohari Singh photograph? From his
younger days- preferably!
: Dr.Mandar
Narsingh
contributions of orchestra members to the success of individual songs.
I vaguely remember leafing through Volume 5 of Geet Kosh and finding
Manohri along with another assistant of RD Burman listed as music
directors for one or more movies. How many movies did the duo compose
music for?
Narsingh
Niketan
for was
Sabse Bada Rupaiya
Chatpatee
Are there any more?
Regards
Niketan
Jayant
2)Chatpatee/Yasmeen
3)Jeena Hai Pyar Mein
4)Kanhaiya
> > Narsingh- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
kcp
On Feb 18, 5:52 pm, "Shekhar" <shekhar...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I played many with Anna (C. Ramchandra) too,
> including the flute for "Ae mere watan ke logo".
Did he tell about his flute mistakes (timing not getting right or
similar hickup - which I cannot remember now) during the actual stage
performance of "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo" ?
KCP
Parry
>
> read more ยป
Excellent!!! Also its Good/Great News to know that their blood boils
when they see hero or an artiste just effortlessly potrays Musicians'
efforts.
Waiting for that Pancham related interview