Hyderabad: As everyone awaits to get captivated to mesmerising musical numbers of every hue on Friday, marking the World Music Day (June 21), one must take pride in the fact that Hyderabad has produced an amazing array of musicians, including exponents of Hindustani, classical and western classical, ghazals and jazz, whose legacies remain timeless. The city continues to produce renowned musicians and bands.
The musical origins of the doyen of Hindustani classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj, whose childhood was at Phoolbagh, can be traced to his illustrious father Sangeet Ratna Pandit Motiram ji, while Ghazal maestro Vithal Rao from Goshamahal was the last court singer of the last Nizam of Hyderabad. Contemporary ghazal maestro, playback singer and composer Talal Aziz is also from Hyderabad.
Recalling his over three-decade journey Sudarshan Raju of Creamdoor music school, who specializes in bass violin and bass guitar, says “music basically stems from inspiration. In the 1970s, I was inspired by Jessi Roberts and Samuel Earnest Paul, the then popular musicians from the city. Subsequently, music has become my life.”
The popular concept of organising concerts at home is gradually catching up again as the new trend.
According to John Victor, “during our childhood, our neighbour used to have weekend classical baithaks. They would delight us with Hindustani classical renditions using classical instruments. Later that trend moved to our terrace, albeit on special occasions. Memorable times, I must say.”
Kalyan Project’s Kalya, a four- piece conceptual band from Hyderabad, plays everything from Sufi to electronic dance music.
“Many of the band members have been into music individually in Hyderabad for quite some time now. People of the city are familiar with their creative flair. The impact is such that one starts grooving to their tunes from the word go,” said a member.
