Shankar Jaikishan were the most versatile composers that hailed during the Golden Age of the Hindi Cinema and remain the undisputed Emperors of Hindi Music. Their versatility has reflected in their work during their entire career which spanned more than three and a half decades. With their deep knowledge and talent in music, their wide repertoire touched classical, chorus, country, devotional, folk, ghazal, Hindustani, jazz, Latino, melancholic, pop, qawwali, rock n roll, romantic and semi-classical styles. It will not be an exaggeration to say that they excelled in all of them, leaving their peers far behind. Their creative genius left a lasting impact on Hindi film music and music lovers all over. More than 75 percent of all their movies have memorable music with numerous albums being super hits, a feat that is matchless..! They have the credit of having composed for the highest number of silver jubilee films that is yet to be earned..!!
Besides composing for commercial movies, SJ even tried their hand at documentary, TV programs as well as private albums. In 1968, they recorded Raga Jazz Style, a private album with a fusion of Indian classical “ragas” and western jazz. It is considered to be one of the most innovative with eleven songs based on Indian Ragas using the saxophone, sitar, tabla, trumpet and bass, etc. This is a milestone in their career. It was a path breaker since it reached out to diverse music lovers all over and earned another feather in their colorful and famous cap. Noted saxophonist, Manohari Singh, and sitarist, Rais Khan are among many accomplished musicians who worked on this album.
Following are the tracks on this album:
Side 1
Raga Todi-This morning melody is of a serene emotion with a touch of pathos in it.
Raga Bhairavi-This melody is of a mood of quiet dignity.
Raga Malkauns-This raga, is immensely popular for it is full of life and energy.
Raga Kalavati-This raga, usually expresses a mood of urgency.
Raga Tilak Kamod-This melody is about dusk known for its bright and colourful appeal.
Raga Miyan Malhar-This night melody is associated with the rainy season to relax mood.
Side 2
Raga Bairagi- This raga is about the twilight hours. It is one of quiet introspection.
Raga Jaijaiwanti-The melody is of a romantic mood.
Raga Mishra Pilu- This raga is about the later part of the day. It conveys a romantic mood and several other moods as well.
Raga Shivranjani-This raga is about the sadness in separation.
Raga Bhairavi-This is a morning melody. It is used as a finale in a classical recital at any time of day or night.
The following musicians worked on the album:
Arranger – Sebastian D’Souza
Bass – Eddie Travass
Drums – Leslie Godinho
Electric Guitar – Anibal Castro, Dilip Naik
Flute – Suman
Piano – Lucilla Pacheco
Saxophone – Manohari Singh
Sitar – Ustad Rais Khan
Tabla – Ramakant
Trumpet – John Pereira
The front cover was photographed by Dhiraj Chawda. The back cover contains a description of the album and a photo of Shankar Jaikishan with a short description of each composition.
BRAVO, SJ! You are awesome!!