Saxophone wizard Manohari Singh has been enthralling music lovers with his incredible talent for more than five decades writes Rajesh Subramanian
He is to music what Vivian Richards was to cricket - ‘Awesome’ and a ‘Sheer delight’. He oozes of absolute talent and amazing sense of music that makes him the darling of every concert he attends. And at the ripe age of seventy five Manohari Singh or ‘Manoharida’ or ‘Dada’ as he is fondly addressed not only gets a standing ovation but he captivates the listeners from the moment he picks his favourite musical instrument. In short this gifted musician, accomplished arranger and composer is undoubtedly a living legend. Born in 1931 he is widely regarded as India’s finest saxophone player. Manohari Singh who hails from a family of musicians elucidates that he use to watch his father and uncle play in music studios for films and in night-clubs and that was his training ground. After trying his hand at the English key flute the clarinet and the mandolin he finally chose the saxophone as his forte. In the fifties he played at the prestigious Calcutta Symphony Orchestra and attracted a lot attention at a tender age with his craft. It was music director Salil Chaudhary, a friend of his, who guided him and finally brought him to Mumbai in 1958. However Manohari Singh’s maiden break was under the baton of veteran composer S D Burman in Sitaron Se Aage in 1958. Since then there has been no turning back for this genius who went on accomplishing one milestone to another. However, the turning point of his career came when he teamed up with music wizard R D Burman along with Basudev Chakravorthy right from Panchamda’s first film ‘Chote Nawab’ till his swansong ‘1942 A Love Story’ as his main music assistant and arranger. “ It was the finest phase of my life with so many nostalgic memories”, beams Manoharida before adding, “Working with Pancham was a memorable experience and I consider myself very fortunate to have been so closely associated with him. Together we created so many wonderful compositions and they are hummed till today ”, says the veteran with a twinkle in his eye. If he lent his saxophone touch to innumerable Burman classics then Dada also has to his credit several popular hindi film songs like Gata rahe mera dil, Aao huzoor, Tumhe yaad hoga, Aaji rootkar tum, Dil tera diwana hai sanam, Achcha toh hum chalte hain, Raat akeli hai, Roop tera mastana among others that feature his mellifluous saxophone piece. Apart from being an integral part of R D Burman’s music team he and Basudev Chakravorty teamed as composers and scored music for films like Sabse Bada Rupaiya, Nargis, Chatpati just to name a few. He also has also to his credit an album titled ‘Sax Appeal’ containing saxophone renditions of various music tracks. While others of his time have either taken a back seat or leading a sedentary life Manohari Singh is brimming with enthusiasm at the ripe age of seventy five. He performs regularly on stage and receives a thunderous applause each time he plays the saxophone. “ I have a positive outlook in life and I firmly believe that one should keep doing what one does best and leave the rest to almighty ”, he quips with a smile
He is to music what Vivian Richards was to cricket - ‘Awesome’ and a ‘Sheer delight’. He oozes of absolute talent and amazing sense of music that makes him the darling of every concert he attends. And at the ripe age of seventy five Manohari Singh or ‘Manoharida’ or ‘Dada’ as he is fondly addressed not only gets a standing ovation but he captivates the listeners from the moment he picks his favourite musical instrument. In short this gifted musician, accomplished arranger and composer is undoubtedly a living legend. Born in 1931 he is widely regarded as India’s finest saxophone player. Manohari Singh who hails from a family of musicians elucidates that he use to watch his father and uncle play in music studios for films and in night-clubs and that was his training ground. After trying his hand at the English key flute the clarinet and the mandolin he finally chose the saxophone as his forte. In the fifties he played at the prestigious Calcutta Symphony Orchestra and attracted a lot attention at a tender age with his craft. It was music director Salil Chaudhary, a friend of his, who guided him and finally brought him to Mumbai in 1958. However Manohari Singh’s maiden break was under the baton of veteran composer S D Burman in Sitaron Se Aage in 1958. Since then there has been no turning back for this genius who went on accomplishing one milestone to another. However, the turning point of his career came when he teamed up with music wizard R D Burman along with Basudev Chakravorthy right from Panchamda’s first film ‘Chote Nawab’ till his swansong ‘1942 A Love Story’ as his main music assistant and arranger. “ It was the finest phase of my life with so many nostalgic memories”, beams Manoharida before adding, “Working with Pancham was a memorable experience and I consider myself very fortunate to have been so closely associated with him. Together we created so many wonderful compositions and they are hummed till today ”, says the veteran with a twinkle in his eye. If he lent his saxophone touch to innumerable Burman classics then Dada also has to his credit several popular hindi film songs like Gata rahe mera dil, Aao huzoor, Tumhe yaad hoga, Aaji rootkar tum, Dil tera diwana hai sanam, Achcha toh hum chalte hain, Raat akeli hai, Roop tera mastana among others that feature his mellifluous saxophone piece. Apart from being an integral part of R D Burman’s music team he and Basudev Chakravorty teamed as composers and scored music for films like Sabse Bada Rupaiya, Nargis, Chatpati just to name a few. He also has also to his credit an album titled ‘Sax Appeal’ containing saxophone renditions of various music tracks. While others of his time have either taken a back seat or leading a sedentary life Manohari Singh is brimming with enthusiasm at the ripe age of seventy five. He performs regularly on stage and receives a thunderous applause each time he plays the saxophone. “ I have a positive outlook in life and I firmly believe that one should keep doing what one does best and leave the rest to almighty ”, he quips with a smile
1 comment:
Dada is a genius no wonder. He is a sheer delight.Above all he is a wonderful human being.
Jai Shah
santacruz
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