When the three jammed

What happens when three music lovers - Rajiv Menon, Bombay Jayashri and Karthik – come together? Scent of Vinyl is born.

August 07, 2014 06:06 pm | Updated August 08, 2014 12:23 pm IST

Bombay Jayasri, Rajiv Menon and Karthik.

Bombay Jayasri, Rajiv Menon and Karthik.

Three creative individuals, successful in their chosen path, found themselves energised after every jam-session. The Webster’s Dictionary describes a jam-session “as an informal gathering of (jazz) musicians performing improvisations.”

The threesome who met were Rajiv Menon, film-maker and cinematographer with an eye for beauty, Bombay Jayashri, a shining star in the Carnatic music arena, and Karthik, a captivating voice behind many of the male actors. A shared passion for music is the binding factor of these three artists. Informal meetings would always veer towards their favourite topic -- music -- and ideas discussions, debates and explorations would happen.

Then, one fine day, an idea was born. What is the genesis of a song? How have the tunes evolved over the years? The desire to take these questions and their explorations to a wider audience base, motivated the trio to give it a narrative structure with a storyline weaving the ideas together.

Rewinding to the era of gramophone records, a tribute to film music titled ‘Scent of Vinyl’ will be showcased in the Gollapudi Srinivas Award ceremony on August 12, at The Music Academy.

“Film music is always given a step-motherly treatment though it is the most popular form of music,’’ says Rajiv. “In Berkley, they have academic studies on all genres of music including rock and jazz, but in India, we don’t have serious academic research and studies on film music; it is such an interesting area of study. There are immortal tunes always re-appearing in various avatars. Take the example of ‘Kajra Re Kajra Re’ and rewind slowly to the M.K. Thiagaraja Bhaghavatar classic ‘Deena Karunakarane Nataraja Neelakantane.’ It is a fascinating to learn that it is the same tune that’s undergone such a metamorphosis. And then realisation dawns that this tune owes its origin to an abhang on Lord Panduranga.”

Speaking about the time when Talkies came into South India, Rajiv says the music was devotional in origin. It was only in post-Independence that film music attained a secular flavour. The evolution or the shift that gradually happened over the years when other influences flowed in was evident as one saw film music moving from Carnatic classical to ghazal and bhajan, which slowly changed when jazz influences swept. The 1970s was when blues, swing and jazz inspired a wave of cabaret music. Remember the inimitable Helen and the voice of Asha Bhosle? R.D. Burman introduced bold, open female voices, which had till then been submissive and plaintive.

In the South, Ilaiyaraja gave some of the most memorable scores inspired by both by Western Classical and Tamil folk music. His contribution to background scores is definitely undeniable. This was followed by a period of the influences that Sufi music brought as also lullabies.

“Today, a lot of changes have happened to keep up with the modernised technology. We find more and more musicians equipped with deep knowledge of sound technology balanced with music and the wisdom of exposure of the outside world at large.” Citing an example of ‘Minsara Kanavu’, where he collaborated with A.R. Rahman, Rajiv says he was inspired by Rahman’s lateral thinking. “For a scene that required choir music, Rahman actually used Sankarabharanam raga!”

The trio have found their sessions mutually inspiring and educative. The thread that binds them together is their respect for one another and their understanding of their personal capabilities

August 12 will witness three passionate music lovers come together (with some other actors) to jam it out!

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