“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent” said Victor Hugo.

In the world of Hindi film music, the names of Asha Bhosle and Mohammed Rafi hold a special and unique place among a pantheon of incredible artistes and performers. . Rafi Saab’s voice has spirituality, purity of tone, an indescribable sweetness, romance, love and longing all at once. Ashaji’s vocals exude naughtiness, joie de vivre and sensuality coated with innocence at whim. SUGAR….. And SPICE! Engaging, complementary, versatile, and VOLATILE!

SUGAR AND SPICE is an exciting evening of music exploring and enjoying the songs rendered by these legendary singers. This event is being presented by Kashish and all proceeds will benefit the LearnQuest Academy of Music whose aim is  to encourage and provide  education in Indian Classical music . Please check out  www.learnquest.org. for more details.

Mark your calendars for March 24th at 7:30 PM to enjoy this event at 125 Prospect Street, Framingham, MA. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.lokvani.com/lokvani/cal.php?stage=1&event_id=9018.

Kashish is a group of like-minded music enthusiasts who enjoy working together and bringing interesting musical ideas to the New England area.

Here is an introduction to and excerpts from an interview with some of the team members that include singers Shirish Nimgaonkar, Sankar Gangaikondan, Sudha Subbaraman and Meena  Sundaram. Instrumentalists: Ishan Capila (Guitar) and Mark Thirman (Keyboards). Emcee is Kumkum Pareek Malik, Sound by Shri Jawed Wahid and Production by Sujit Potdar. Karaoke tracks will be used as well. Dr.Pradeep Shukla, President of LearnQuest Academy of Music will be the honored guest performer.

Shirish Nimgaonkar is the founder of Kashish and one of the singers in this event. A composer and singer, Shirish earned a bachelor’s degree in Indian classical music (vocals) and is also accomplished in playing the tabla and keyboard. Most recently, he is the winner of the 2010 New England Sa Re Ga Ma Pa contest from over 100 contestants. Professionally, he is an entrepreneur and an investment banker and is a graduate of Indian Institute of Technology, Stanford and Harvard Universities.

When asked about his own musical journey, Shirish says, “My parents encouraged me to start learning Hindustani classical music at a very young age.  I was very fortunate to have had the privilege of learning Hindustani vocals and Tabla from renowned and patient gurus. “Kashish” transcends the boundaries of language and culture. While the group has a strong Indian influence, we have been joined by some trained in western classical music as well, thus allowing us to experiment with different forms of music. The production, in terms of lights and stage, has also been an important part of our presentation and musical journey.”

On Ashaji and Rafi saab, he says “I believe that both Asha and Rafi are outstanding singers with a strong classical base, yet extremely versatile to carry off multiple forms of singing. Some of my all-time favorites are:  Madhuban Mein Radhika by Rafisaab,  Paan Khayo Saiyan by Ashaji and  the immortal duet Abhi Na Jao Chhodkar.”

Kumkum Pareek Malik, who will emcee this event is a writer and a poet who creates beautiful poetry at the events she comperes by putting together words that express the human condition with music and the human voice. She has compered a wide variety of events ranging from music shows to workshops integrating art and poetry, and book readings. She is also trained in Hindustani classical vocals. Professionally, Kumkum is an experienced  Clinical Psychologist with practices in Wellesley and Norfolk. She has a Masters from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and received her doctoral training as a Fellow at the Harvard Medical School.

Here are her thoughts on the upcoming event:

“Sugar N Spice is a work of love for me: my love for Indian music, especially Bollywood music of yesteryear, a much underrated art.  Rafi Sahab and Ashaji have an iconic place in the industry. They made us melt into the music, become better selves than we really are, imagine hope, rebound from despair, turn to the Almighty; all through a voice that entered our hearts and fired our imaginations. 

Did you know that before singing a song,  Rafi sahab spent time with the actor who would sing his song on screen, just to understand his character, his body movements, and his persona outside the screen? He wanted to give his voice that personality, that way of “moving” in the world.  That is why “sar jo tera chakraye,” picturized on Johnny Walker, sounds exactly the way Johnny Walker is!

We know both of them as singers, but rarely have the time to look behind the song, to the story of the singer, the story of the music director, the lyricist, and the actor on screen.  As I absorb these stories, I feel the human connection that these singers vibrantly conveyed through their voices.  In past shows, we have had audiences very “into” the music, and loving the stories around the songs.  This has given me a lot of encouragement to spend countless hours in preparation for the show.  These stories are our legacy. I look forward to passing them on.

Mark Thirman will play the keyboards.  He elaborates on his musical journey “  I started playing piano at a very young age and had strong mentors including Maryan Fleisher Abramsohn and Flavio Varani during high school and John Richardson.  I also played in several youth orchestras on viola and studied electronic music composition during my high school summers.  I competed in various regional piano competitions earning awards and had an electronic music composition debuted when I was 16 in Kalamazoo, MI.  I also attended Interlochen Music camp one summer (for viola) and performed several large concerts with the Interlochen Orchestra.  I was accepted at Berklee College of Music as a piano performance major.  Currently, I am working with a Berklee project called Rhythm of the Universe (www.rotuonline.net) as a board advisor for a music+technology+performance enterprise in formation.  I play piano regularly for my charity (AccesSportAmerica). 

When I asked him why he was interested in performing Hindi film music, he smiled and remarked  I am  looking forward to taking my euro and jazz centric ears and skills and following in the footsteps of giants like John McLaughlin, who explored South Asian influences in many of his recordings after Mahavishnu Orchestra.

He is also very passionate about the importance of music education: “Music is  very important for kids.  As athletics gets emphasized for teamwork, music needs to be emphasized to learn how to work in harmony with others and to LISTEN.”

Sudha Subbaraman is singing for this event: She says, “Music started out as a hobby and has been a great creative and expressive outlet for me. I love Indian music – ranging from light peppy to semi-classical raag-based.

I was an active part of a few college bands, have participated in fundraisers for the Spastics Society, and organized music as part of SPIC MACAY in Oregon. I am fortunate to have won a few awards for vocal competitions in colleges. Last year in 2011, I was a winner at the New England Marathi SRGMP competition. 

I have formally learnt some Carnatic music. Lately, I have been training in Hindustani classical vocal since 2004 from Smt. Swati Panda of Raganjali School of Music. Last year, I participated in Swar Lahri, a production of Hindustani music organized by my Guru, Smt. Swati Panda, as a fundraiser towards a cause for disabled children.  

She  is very excited about  singing Ashaji’s songs. “To call Ashaji a versatile singer would be understatement as she has challenged and redefined musical boundaries. She, according to me, encompasses both the Sugar and Spice element in songs, having sung the gamut of songs ranging from sweet, innocent melodies to sensual, spicy Cabaret numbers.My favorite  songs of Ashaji  are  Chain se hum ko kabhi, Bheeni Bheeni Bhor (based on raag Miyan ki Todi). My favorite solos of Mohd. Rafi  are  Tere Mere Sapne Ab ek rang hain, Man Tarpat Hari darshan ko and my favorite  duets are  Abhi Na Jao Chhodkar and Diwana Hua badal”

So music lovers, put all your plans on hold  for March 24th and buy your tickets for SUGAR AND SPICE at http://www.lokvani.com/lokvani/cal.php?stage=1&event_id=9018 .You will enjoy your favorite songs, romantic duets, some rare gems, great music, interesting trivia and the work of this talented and enthusiastic group. We will continue meeting the other team members in Part 2 of this article to be published in the next edition of Lokvani.

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