Page 45 - Seniorstoday April 2022 Issue

blended rock and jazz with Bengali folk and
Western music had its own audience.
Till the mid-1970s, Park Street in Kolkata
had some fabulous jazz shows, featuring
keyboardist Louiz Banks, vocalist Pam
Crain, saxophonist Braz Gonsalves, guitarist
Carlton Kitto and others. American pianist-
composer Dave Brubeck, who toured India
in 1958, wrote the piece ‘Calcutta Blues’ in
tribute. Trumpeter Dan Pawson played a
piece ‘Ladies Of Calcutta’ which was later
sung by Peter Sellers. Singer Usha Uthup
has been one of the popular artistes on the
Kolkata live scene. This is besides rock bands
like High, Shiva and Shillong’s Fentones,
and the emergence of Bangla-rock as a genre.
The Bangla-rock movement was started by
the group Moheener Ghoraguli in 1975. They
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #34 | APRIL 2022
Baul music. Over the years, many Bengali-
singing bands have gained an audience.
These include Krosswindz, Chandrabindoo,
Fossils, Bhoomi, Cactus, Parash Pathor,
Kalpurush, Eshaan and Lakkichhara. Bands
from Bangladesh also found a market,
a popular band being Bangla featuring
Anusheh.
According to virtuoso guitarist Neil
Mukherjee, the entire sound changed
sometime in the 1990s, as metal influences
began to come in and audience tastes
changed.
Of late, there has been a surge in folk-
fusion bands like Maadal, Fiddler’s Green,
the Miliputs, and Kaahon.
Clearly, the region is filled with music
that can cater to any kind of palette.
From traditional to trendy, classical to
commercial, melancholic to metal, there’s
something for everyone. And the following
isn’t restricted to those who understand the
language, as some of the voices and melodies
have a far broader appeal.
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