Guest article by Ashok M Vaishnav
(When I mentioned that I would need help from our guest authors from the SOY-community to dedicate the year of 2025 to RD Burman in a befitting manner, Ashok M Vaishnav offered to write a few articles on instrumental improvisations by RD Burman. He has already anchored a series on Arrangers and Musicians on SOY. Having written on percussion and string instruments in the series, Ashok ji writes on the third major group of instruments: wind or blow instruments, with focus on Manohari Singh.
Ashok ji is a retired mechanical engineer, and now a freelance consultant, based out of Ahmedabad. Thank you Ashok ji for another nice article in the series of tributes to RD Burman. – AK)
The three assistants who played key role in arranging the music for R D Burman were masters of three different instruments – Maruti (Rao Keer) was a percussionist, Basu (Chakraborty) was a cellist and Manohari (Singh) was an ace blow instrumentalist. It would be too presumptuous to judge that these instruments seemed to find major space in R D Burman’s music because of these three artists. In fact, as one scans through the spectrum of R D Burman’s music, quite a wide variety of instruments can be heard, many of them used quite innovatively as well. As I worked for the third article in the present series of R D Burman and His Orchestration Improvisations, with the abundance of material available on the internet, I have observed the presence of a wide range of instruments in the orchestration.
As such, basing the individual article around specialization of each of the three assistants of R D Burman would not stand the validity. I have curated the songs around the three broad categories of musical instruments: percussion, string and wind. It is incidental that each of his most famous instrumentalists specialised in one basic group of instruments. The present article on Improvisation of Blow Instruments in R D Burman’s Orchestration has Manohari Singh as the centre piece.
1. Title music of Pati Patni (1966) seems to provide a good beginning to the present article as it showcases use of tenor saxophone, trumpet, flute, whistling and harmonica. A seamless blend of tenor saxophone and trumpet provides the base, with flute (@0.34 to 0.38, 2.02 – 2.04, 2.22 to 2.30), whistling (0.49 to 0.51) and harmonica (1.28 to 1.43) etc. in the orchestration of the title music.
I will now take up some of the interesting examples of improvised use of different blow instruments, beginning with the (English) flute.
[Note: I have used the term (English) flute in the article because to the best of my knowledge, Manohari Singh generally used to play that flute. However, I do not claim any authoritative rationale for use of the term (English) flute even when other types of flutes too may have been used.]
2. Aaja aaja main hun pyar tera – Teesri Manzil (1966)
In a song known for its dominance of bass guitar and drums, notes of flute (1.58 to 2.07 etc.) mark the cute presence.
3. Aao na gale lagao na – Mere Jeevan Sathi (1972)
Here too, in a signature R D Burman tune, mellifluous notes of flute (1.18 to 1.31 etc.) mesmerise the listener.
4. Saawan ke jhule pade – sad version – Zurmana (1979)
In a song which has otherwise sitar and violin leading the orchestration, multiple flutes @ 2.16 to 2.32 create deep pathos.
5. Ye shaam mastani – Kati Patang (1971)
Manohari Singh was as much an ace (English) flute player as he was known for his deft saxophone play. His prowess of whistling is not that well-known. But one can find reasonably reliable information that he has played the whistling for the prelude of the song (0.05 to 0.12, 0.17 – 0.19).
https://youtu.be/lbfWsIpXsCA?si=cBUtcsQmZ1I5dADy
6. Manohari Singh’s whistling prowess is so innovatively harnessed by R D Burman in the title music of Sholay (1973), from 2.09 to 2.24, as well.
And now some saxophone improvisations –
7. O haseena zulfonwali – Teesri Manzil (1966)
Just one stroke of Alto Saxophone (1.46-1.47) is more than enough evidence of Manohari Singh’s wizardry and innovation with saxophone.
8. Mehbooba mehbooba – Sholay (1973)
The simultaneous foot-tapping of spectators at the show and the string notes of bass guitar smoothly blend with the soft opening notes of tenor saxophone (0.25 to 0.27). Then the soft shrill of tenor (played most expressively, as described by many specialists over different video clips on YT) leads the scene to go into a long shot.
This song has used another improvisation in what can be described as ‘not-a-musical-instrument’. What we hear till 0.05 is in fact blowing of breath from the mouth over a beer bottle. This piece was executed by Basu Chakraborty.
https://youtu.be/AgkfoRWOnoc?si=r9JoZYt1cmOWtlu4
9. Raah pe rahate hain – Namkeen (1982)
As the song progresses on RD’s signature Pancham beat rhythm, we keep listening to guitar and violins maintaining orchestration support. Then comes second interlude amidst drizzling fog, where the flute provides the effect of the mood. The rain clears up and the third interlude plays strokes of regional chorus singing with violin as obligato support. But on the next turn of the hilly road, as the camera goes in the long shot, tenor saxophone (said to have been played by Shyam Raj) comes in.
Trumpet always had a very special place in Hindi film songs. If we search YT clips, we will come across several clips of live programs where Kishore Sodha, a prominent trumpet player of RD team, can be seen playing trumpet for RD songs. I have picked up some of the representative cases here.
10. The title track of Shalimar (1978), was arranged by Kersi Lord. The trumpet chords can be heard @ 0.30 to 0.35, then as counter melody type support @ 0.57 till 1.16 and as a lead again @ 1.43 till 2.27.
11. O hansini meri hansini – Zehreela Insaan (1974)
The song opens with yodelling type extended alaap which then gets transformed into bass notes of trumpet from 0.51 to 1.01, ending with soft strokes @ 1.05. At the first interlude (1.50 to 2.08) bass scales of trumpet seem to stream out over the slopes of a hill. In the second interlude, the trumpet blends with soft notes of guitar (3.12 to 3.17) and merges into the notes of violin. In the next interlude (4.20 to 4.38), it seems to fill the vast expanse of the hill as the trumpet gradually rises to higher scale.
https://youtu.be/Zw8ocQ6c7A8?si=Uewjf8y862rOyI48
12. Rimjhim gire saawan – female version – Manzil (1979)
The male version of the song seems to be so much suited to the notes of trumpet played by Kishore Sodha in the instrumental version. However, only in the female version, we find the key to this in the fleeting strokes @ 1.04 -1.06; 1.12 – 1.14 and 1.33 – 1.35.
The (piano) accordion, which uses blow of air from the bellows, has held a place of pride in Hindi film music. R D Burman perhaps has not used accordion as the lead instrument – Agar saaz chheda taraane baneinge – Jawani Diwani (1972 ) – as much as it was used by music directors of the earlier generation, like Shanker-Jaikishan. However, we find some noteworthy instances of its improvised usages.
13. For the background track of Shalimaar (1981), composed and arranged by Kersi Lord, Homi Mullan has played a long piece of accordion. That piece can be heard in this clip @ 2.29 – 2.51. In the clip below, Homi Mullan narrates this in an interview along with Kersi and Burjor Lord. For the records, it should be noted that Homi Mullan used to play accordion in his early days at Kolkata. But once he settled at Mumbai, his focus was on playing ‘minor other’ rhythm instruments (ref: Remembering Pancham – I)
14. Tum ko laga mil ke – Parinda (1989)
In a song which has piano as the lead instrument, accordion (credited to have been played by Suraj Sathe) smoothly chips in @ 1.22 to 1.29.
15. Chhoti si kahani – Ijaazat (1982)
In the prelude (0.12 to 0.24), accordion joins to create the playful flow of mountain streams to smoothly merge into notes of taan, repeats @ 0.59 – 1.06 and 2.22 to 2.27. The two fleeing stokes @ 1.44 and 1.46 are simply master strokes.
R D Burman is now famously known have played the harmonica in Hai apna dil to aawara (Solwaan Saal, 1958) or LP’s legendary musical hit Jaanewalo zara mudke dekho mujhe (Dosti, 1964) that R D Burman’s tryst with blow instruments would remain incomplete if harmonica is not represented in the discussion.
16. One of the most celebrated pieces of harmonica play is from love theme in Sholay (1973). It is a sort of musical monologue by Jay, corresponding to silent suffering of solitude by Radha.
This piece is said to have been arranged by Basu Chakraborty and played by Bhanu Gupta, as demonstrated in this clip:
In order to emphasize the place that harmonica had in the music of R D Buman, I have selected one song each, spaced a decade apart from each other.
17. Aaj hua mera dil matwala – Chhote Nawab (1961)
Beautiful notes of soft harmonica play @1.08 to 1.14 and 2.11 to 2.17 stand out with Mehmood shown playing the harmonica on the screen.
18. Aaj unse mulaqat – Paraya Dhan (1971)
The prelude opens with flute, but it seems that from 0.17 to 0.23 harmonica seems to lend counter melody support. One of the very typical ways of playing the harmonica is used @ 2.32 to 2.50.
19. Dukki pe dukki – Satte Pe Satta (1981)
Though being seen to play very playfully on the screen, harmonica has been set to soft scale @ 0.30 to 0.36 and at several other occasions by Sachin.
20. Kya bura hai – Libaas (Not released)
In a song composed in lilting rhythm, the harmonica makes its presence felt @18.32 to 18.44.
Fully aware that there will be many more similar instance, we conclude the present article.
We will take up R D Burman and His Orchestration Improvisations – Vocals in the next, and last article in the present series.
Credits and Disclaimers:
1. The song links have been given from the YouTube only for the listening pleasure of music lovers. This blog claims no copyright over these songs, which vests with the respective copyright holders.
2. The photograph is taken from the internet, duly recognizing the full copyrights for the same to the either original creator or the site where they were originally displayed.
