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‘Era of instant music’

Fazal Qureshi and Roop Kumar Rathod on their musical childhood

Photo: K. Ramesh Babu

Perfect combination Fazal Qureshi and Roopkumar Rathod are ardent foodies

When two artistes meet the vibes are positive. A case in point was when Roop Kumar Rathod and Fazal Qureshi were in town recently with their first public performance as the fusion band Gazaala.

Music takes a big chunk of their conversation but also equally important are comparisons between Kareem’s kebabs in Old Delhi and Hyderabad’s Irani hotels. Also, the meeting was an occasion to exchange notes on the current music scenario.

SYEDA FARIDA lends an ear.

Roop : ‘In dino music ka Allah maalik hai’ (smiles). I am talking about the kind of music that companies are promoting and presenting today.

Take the remixes for instance. The original R.D. Burman songs can be best-defined classic and they are making vulgar videos out of them.

Fazal: Talent hunts are misguiding the Generationext. ‘Unka riyaaz se lena dena nahi hai’. First they are taken to a salon — hair style set karne ke liye. A few streaks et al. Then the next pit stop is the gym. There is no ‘zikar’ of singing at this stage.

Roop: Even today we do ‘riyaaz’. Though we are in sync with the times we have still links with the traditional musical style.

Fazal: Absolutely. That’s what the young talent seems to be forgetting.

Roop: There is also the other factor, the lack of promotion that music is facing today. Earlier if the concerts lasted the whole night, today the outdoor music dos are told to wrap up at 10.30 p.m.

Fazal: Neither is the artiste satisfied playing for such a brief period nor is the eager audience happy.

Roop: This is the era of instant music.

Fazal: I hope this trend does not continue for too long. I remember listening to concert of Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar for hours together.

There is a saying that people would tell Pandit Ravi Shankar “please ‘aur bajaiye’. We don’t have a train at this hour”.

Roop: In those days artistes had that potential to captivate the audience. And rulers were patrons of art.

Fazal: You said it. There was no worry to eke out a livelihood. Now the artiste has to think if he can get four to eight concerts for subsistence. ‘Awaaz se peth nahi bharta’.

Roop: Audience patronage helps sustain artists. Today audiences come to Shiv Kumar Sharma’s concerts but not of those by young artists. No matter how good a traditional music cover is, it is not promoted and thus does not sell mu ch.

Fazal: They don’t make videos of Indian classical singers. I am sure the audience would accept these equally if they are made well. When Ravi Shankar played with

The Beatles in the Seventies, Hindustani classical music became popular with the youth. The world was hooked on to our music. Fusion can be an educative exercise.

I was playing with a group in a Swedish village when I was touring. It was an informative exercise with people coming and asking you about sitar and tabla.

Roop: You need to do it properly. The trouble comes when fusion groups go on stage with few or no rehearsals and with an attitude of ‘jo marzi hai baja liya’. It is like a clash of two gharanas.

Fazal: It becomes confusion then. When you are doing fusion you need to be playing together for some time.

Roop: Also I have seen rock groups getting into it.

Fazal: They no longer remain rock groups, as they become fusion groups then. Rock bands should be rock bands.

Roop: Fusion is popular but the way it is approached, not everyone is getting it right.

Fazal: Roop Bhai, you bring in the ghazal element and it is amazing. You do fusion and still maintain the ghazal style.

Roop: And you can make such amazing arrangements. You have done so much fusion performing with Trilok Gurtu. The concept enthused me when I worked with you for ‘Dansh’.

Fazal: Well you can also play good tabla. You had played with me for Abbaji’s birthday. I still have photographs of the event.

Roop: Our fathers were good friends too. You and me have grown up in musical environment. ‘Jab se hi silsila chala aa raha hai’.

Fazal: And we are two foodies. When two musicians meet there has to be talk of good food. It goes with the art form (laughs).

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