Wannabe Musicians of Calcutta 16

 

Image by Leroy Skalstad from Pixabay 

[This write-up, part of a promised series, was published on the Facebook Group Calcutta Connect Around the World on November 25, 2020.  I have captured it here to have it all in one place. More of these will be coming up soon. Please comment and share.  Leslie]

Growing up, Calcutta for me was a small patch of land largely comprising Calcutta 16 and a few areas defined by the term reachable-on-foot. We lived on Sandel Street and schooled at Park Street, though my sister went all the way to Park Circus by tram. Our church moved from St Thomas' Middleton Row to St Mary's Ripon Street, a hop, step and half-a-jump from home. Mum, till the age of 91, walked to the New Market or Collin Bazaar, or down the road to Methibagan for fresh beef. Our club was the Goan Association near Wellesley Tank, or the Grail Club on Park Street. Our bread and cakes were from our namesake D'Gama's or Saldanha's. Our guitars and pianos were from Braganza's or Reynold's or Lazarus Sequiera. And the piano tuner could often be found at A A Rodrick. So we walked everywhere! Especially wannabe musicians who could hardly afford their equipment.

Gibtone Guitar Corporation, Ripon Street (from their web presence)

We knew all the lanes and bylanes in around the area. In Collin Bazaar, in one of the narrow paths that open onto Wellesley Street you could get guitar strings and picks at dirt cheap rates, or you could go and look at the Gibtone amplifiers that often had three inputs so that the microphone, rhythm and lead could play out of one speaker. Or you could go the hard way and shop for an Ahuja 30W amp at Chandni, build your own speaker box with a 12 inch Harman (also Chandni plus the local wood shop) and buy cables and jacks and do the soldering yourself. There was always a backup with Alvin or Ah Fam Liao to help with the electronics.

And you would celebrate when some Goan or Anglo-Indian party decided to give you a try for some occasion. Some of us ended up doing gigs at Christ the King, 2nd Floor for any kind of occasion. Some of us cut our teeth on one-off gigs at Ghalib bar at anywhere between Rs 5 and Rs 20 per night. Weddings were the big ones. If you could get your quote past the Minstrels (they had Sax appeal) or the Amigos (they too had sax appeal but could also blow their own trumpet), you might have been offered a few hundreds to play for the wedding (as a band, of course). There were days when you would travel "out-of-town" to the DI or Swimming Club to do a show, only to be walking back down Park Street or Mayo Road with your instruments on your head after the ball was over.

Small wonder then, that the next morning you would be going back the same way for your morning walk! As the winter sets into Calcutta 39, I recall these Calcutta 16 stories and wonder how we ever thought that Picnic Garden was in another State!

Beethoven and the Drums

 

Collage from Ludwig's catalog and Pixabay

[Not too many readers will identify with the content in this blogpost, but I'm going to push it through anyway since it chronicles my earliest adventures in music and 'equipment' of some sorts.  I've put in pictures to explain things visually.  I'm guessing there are lots of secret musicians and technicians out there who started off the same way.  We had no money and very patient parents.]

It's about the cardboard boxes

Anyone who has shifted house would be familiar with the flood of cardboard boxes that get underfoot after the shift is over.  Well, we didn't shift house - we were all born at Sandel Street in Calcutta 16.  But my dad had a decent job at the airport in Pan American Airways.  This meant that the aircraft regularly offloaded stuff in these boxes and they were meant to be thrown out in the days before Reduce-Reuse-Recycle became popular.  For some reason these all had a brand LEAHY written on the sides and were known at home as Leahy boxes, used for storing books, files, art materials and a few assorted stuffed toys.  The story of the Leahy boxes is where the creation of the Beethoven drum kit actually starts.  But I need to introduce you to the preamble to the story.

Musicians those days, multi faceted

My dad had, at an earlier time, earned a spare buck playing the violin with various 'scratch' dance bands which had names covering the who's who of Goan sessions musicians in those days. And not only the violin.  One of his stories was of the drummer - could have been Fernandes, D'Souza or Menezes, I think the name changed with age.  Goan musicians drank a fair bit before, during and after the show so it was expected that the drummer would go and sleep below the Grand Piano somewhere towards the last hour of the show.  This meant throwing caution to the winds and the violinist having to sit behind the drums.  All Dad needed to do was keep timing so the uncles could swing their partners around the dance floor, to well known rhythms.  This inspired me, aged 10 perhaps, to attempt to become a drummer.

Beethoven inspired the drum kit

So the Leahy boxes were pressed into service as a drum kit. The bass drum required to be a large box, with a little weight to keep it in one place -- some of the heavy books did yeoman service as ballast.  A smaller box was the snare -- badminton racquet 'guts' were stretched across with elastic and bits and pieces of metal in order to get the snare sound.  Tom toms were any other box or even an old Lactogen can, suitably modified  with padding.  That left the cymbals -- no one has had a more generous mum than mine. A Dekchi cover had to be made available after much bargaining about the hole in the middle.  And to move generosity to the next level, I was provided with a threadbare towel to hang in front of the Leahy bass drum - and it had to have a "Logo".  You guessed it.  Ludwig was the big name in drums for those who could afford to look into the glass front of Reynold's or wander past Braganza's.  My other skill as an artist was called into play -- the logo was soon painted onto the towel and strategically hung in front of the bass drum.

Drums don't play without hardware

But you can't play a bass drum without the bass pedal, can ya?  Meccano to the rescue.  There's another whole story about my collectibles, but suffice to know that a couple of flanges, rods, wheels and nuts and bolts were put to work after they were dug out of Leslie's Box.

With those base plates as the foot pedal, a rod and some wheels, topped by a snooker ball perhaps (it was round and wooden) the bass drum pedal was created and it worked!  For good measure, I used a few more Meccano parts to create a 'cowbell' and some sort of a choke sound.

Stick around, it gets better

The final requirement for the drum set was the pair of drum sticks!  Latai to the rescue. My cousin was an avid kite flyer and had a couple of these broken latai reels lying around. I asked politely and inherited them.  Then with a heavy grade of sandpaper stolen from the house toolbox (Dad was a part time DIY hobbyist), I fashioned a set of drum sticks with heads and tapered necks.  It took time but was a labour of love.

I am sure that you would raise a glass to my parents as I began to "drum" at the most inconvenient hours in the house, keeping time to the record player.  But, I hear you cry, what's this got to do with Beethoven?

Beethoven was there

One day at the parish church there was a quiz being conducted.  My elder sister Carol was on the church team and my doting mum and I were in the front row, not intending to cheat but getting carried away.  Carol's team got a question: "What was Beethoven's first name?"  They were flummoxed.  Then my mother started making actions to indicate drumming and pointing to me. No one got the answer so the Quizmaster walked over and asked my mum why she was getting apoplectic about the question.  And she blurted out, "Leslie's drum set .. it's called Ludwig!"

Needless to say, there was hearty laugh from the family though the Quizmaster was still perplexed.  And the church team lost the quiz anyway.  And I particularly used the bust of Beethoven in the pic above because the cardboard drum set, like a house of cards, finally went bust!  

Some other time I will document the creation of the bass guitar from a solid block of wood to the stage - all true stories!

[Please leave your comments below.  Share the story with friends.  Would love feedback.]

Roots 66 A Brief History Onstage

During lockdown we amused ourselves by curating music videos from YouTube and playing them for a select group of people on Friday nights.  This list is the set I created to celebrate my 66th birthday on October 9th (John Lennon shares the date).  The text is reproduced from the chat screen that we use when presenting the videos.  Enjoy, find and listen to the music too.

Happy Birthday to Me - Bass Guitar

I am 66 today (Oct 9) so I felt I should celebrate this with all of you and take you on my musical journey which I have called Roots 66, though it really should be Musical Roots 66

My foray into stage performances actually began with playing rhythm guitar and drums at weddings along with the Elloy brothers, Raymond and Jeffrey (RIP). The band Beat Route was formed with my brother Noel (guitar, vocal) and a few local friends - Gordon Rosario (Drums), Jeff Rodgers (Guitar) and Leslie Gabriel (Guitar & vocal). Those were my bass playing years -- on a home made bass guitar which took me 6 months to make - there was no YouTube How To in those days. Beat Route played for a couple of years at the Calcutta Swimming Club and a few random weddings and parties. 

This session takes a look at some of the music that we played and that shaped our musical tastes of the time. Especially playing in the college band for four years with James Carvey, Kenneth Bell and Les Gabriel!

BJ Thomas Hooked on a feeling -- This version by BJ Thomas (originally by Blue Swede) - one of the first songs ever played with my band at the Calcutta Swimming Club where we lasted for some years. I learnt the song playing with Maki Dastur though I have forgotten the band's name! BJ Thomas is better known for Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head. 

CSNY Love the one you're with -- A song that my brother Noel and I used to harmonize along with some other favourites from CSNY, the Beatles and others. Vocal harmony was big in those days - we had an acoustic quartet with Grenville and Gloria Daunt and my sister Carol and myself. 

Santana Black magic woman -- Kala Jadu Aurat was the name given by our lead guitarist Jeff Rodgers. He played a 7 string guitar when anything with more than 6 strings was a piano!

Eagles One of these nights -- Loved this one for the bass line that defined the song, and of course the harmony vocals with Noel and Leslie Gabriel

Grand funk Railroad Are you ready? -- This song brings back memories when Noel, Gordon and I were rehearsing at home. My sister, Carol, burst in and asked "Why are you singing Ayurvedic? Why can't you sing Homeopathic instead?" Mark, Don and Mel were Grand Funk Railroad - we also played (smiles) We're an American Band.

Beatles Rock and Roll Music -- Rock and roll music defined a lot of what we did in those days. The Beatles just did it better than most, with guitars, harmonies and a great back beat

Eric Clapton Sunshine of your love -- A Cream original - here's an Eric Clapton version. Couldn't find a good version of the Cream original with Jack Bruce (Bass & Vocal), Ginger Baker (Drums) and Eric (Lead & vocals). For awhile my band comprised Noel (Lead & vocal), Gordon Rosario (Drums & vocal) and me (Bass & vocal) - with others coming and going.

Wild Cherry Play that funky music -- Everyone played this song. Everyone still plays it. Black, Brown or Yellow we all still sing Play that funky music, white boy!

Earth Wind & Fire In the Stone -- Never played this, always imagined we would someday. EWF were a strong influence on my musical tastes which helped me make the transition to a lover of jazz funk.

Bee Gees Words --- This is the original which the two Leslie's used to harmonize. Somewhere down the road the lyrics and music changed to what everyone sings these days.

Electric Light Orchestra Roll over Beethoven -- My favourite, whenever I am asked to sing some rock and roll. It helps to clear the house fairly quickly.

Crosby Stills Nash (& Young) Woodstock -- The festival changed the way we enjoyed music, the song defined the entire culture of the era. And CSNY defined vocal harmony for us

Rolling Stones Jumpin Jack Flash -- Rock and Roll anthems had to include Jumpin Jack Flash. On our ancient cassette recorders we tried to decipher Jagger's lyrics.

Little River Band Reminiscing -- A favourite of the two Leslies - this band was one of my favourites for listening and playing pleasure.

Doobie Brothers Long Train Running -- Anyone who grew up in the 80s had to play The Doobie Brothers' Long Train Running and Listen to the Music, at least.

The High Years - Piano & Keys

I'm not even sure how I got into the rock band, High. One day I ended up playing piano with Dilip Balakrishnan (RIP), Nondon Bagchi, Lew Hilt (and for awhile Richard 'Fuzz' Francis) and Subir Chatterjee. Concerts kept us busy - from college fests, the most memorable of which was IIT-Delhi, to public concerts at Vidya Mandir, to Jazz Fest at ITF Pavilion - and rehearsals led us to fall in love with Dilip's compositions. In respect for Dilip I have avoided trying to play his music here, but have picked up a selection of other covers that we played as a band.

Grateful Dead US Blues -- Nondon's favourite for vocals. And mine for piano. We had fun on the Vidya Mandir stage at High Velocity.

Pink Floyd Wish you were here -- The first concert where I got to use electronics to make music - the Roland Jupiter 4. We did a lot of experimenting with Pink Floyd's music and Subir and I tried to get this song exactly as recorded

Dire Straits Lady Writer -- The only time I got a chance to sing solo in High (in my new red shirt yet!). I am sure the feedback ensured I never sang alone again. :-D

Traffic Low Spark of High Heeled Boys -- There's a recording of this on the FB Page for High. Enjoyed playing acoustic piano and synthesizer together in Vidya Mandir back in the 80s. Steve Winwood was a favourite

Stevie Wonder Master Blaster (Jammin') -- This song has a history with all of us at Nondon's house picking up the music over one whole night. Naturally four fingers of liquid was nicknamed Master Blaster in memory of that night.

Joan Armatrading: Show some emotion -- We played a few concerts with the Rhythm n Blues label with Anjum Katyal on vocals. Entirely her choice of music. I loved the synth work we had to do on this song. Not to mention the groove.

Dire Straits with Phil Collins, Sting, Clapton Money for Nothing -- To me this is a celebration of incredible musicians playing together. 

This song is a classic.  Rolling Stones Route 66 -- Well, obviously. Thank you for coming and making my evening so enjoyable.

High Memories #1 - #4

I asked Mala Balakrishnan if she had any pictures of the time I was playing with High. She asked Tejan who sent me a few of this concert (within a few minutes, I might add), along with a request to put down a few memories. I'm getting old and chronological records are confused to say the least, but there are some memories that are as clear as daylight!

#1 - the years we spent rehearsing at Sekhar Iron Works on Chowringhee Road, courtesy the unputdownable Kamal Kant Mishra. We are ever grateful to the guy. Especially one evening when just randomly searching through the abandoned warehouse we came across a cupboard that contained some very rare old alcohol -- me being a teetotaler didn't have the enthusiasm of some of the others, but we're all in this together (as we hear so often these covid days).

#2 The Master Blaster night - when we spent a night at Nondon's trying to pick up the nuances of Stevie Wonder's hit from Hotter than July. I distinctly remember arguing about the lyrics -- remember, we had no Google then -- and then Nondon Bagchi started pouring fuel into glasses (not on the fire) and all was well. One outcome of that night was that the 4-finger peg got re-christened from "patiala" to "master blaster". Later on, when another friend topped up the whiskey with gin thinking it was water, the term went into all caps as MASTER BLASTER.

#3 - IIT-D, Matias Akenbach and White Fang. We were to play the final night at IIT-D festival probably in 1982 (at least my faded tee shirt seems to indicate that). While setting up at the open air stadium we were pleasantly surprised to find Matias Akenbach doing the sound. Matias had done the sound at JazzFest earlier and just happened to be roaming around Delhi at the time. Why am I not surprised that Dilip wasn't surprised? Later that evening the opening band was White Fang, if I recall correctly. Then we came on and about two thirds of the way through we were suddenly disconnected, bundled into a van and whisked off to the railway station. I think there was an article in the papers the next day about some Calcutta band inciting a gatecrash and several people injured or something ... but we made it home safely.


#4 - High Velocity and Highways were the two concerts I remember most vividly ... if you like my undocumented rambling, please put in a comment and I will dredge the memory banks for more.

Tejan - we shall not give the inside info of a certain toddler clambering all over his baba's jottings in Mandeville Gardens.


(As published in a Facebook post on the High Group Page which you can find at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/480460015182 )

High Memories #5 - #6

Thought waves about High started last night. I wrote 4 short stories on the FB group. And the comments opened up new bits of my brain that seemed lost forever. So, here goes.

#5 - Dilip's Guitar

I was chatting with Nondon and trying to find an acoustic guitar which I could use for a non-rock acoustic programme (mine had bitten the dust with a broken neck, though Braganza's said they would fix it). Nondon, without hesitation, said, "Ask Dilip to loan you his". I was taken aback because I feel a musician's connect with his instrument. I expressed this and Nondon, characteristically slow and easy, as though talking to an idiot child said (and I quote), "Dilip has no special connect to material things. Guitars are things". In our little selfish world I had not experienced this feeling. I zipped over to Dilip's on my bicycle and asked. All he said was, "There it is, take it. When will you bring it back?" Overwhelming. I think I just took more care of it for that one show than I have taken care of much of my other equipment. What a flashback.

#6 - Dilip's Vocal Advice

I recall when I was given the job of backing vocals on Land of Mordor and some of the other Tolkien material that Dilip had written. Being a good learner, I quickly picked up the harmonies and started belting them out to the best of my ability. Dilip put down his guitar, came over to me and said, very softly, "This is not the church choir. You don't have to sing with gusto. You don't have to hold the notes till the next line". Somewhere in between sounding like a staccato typewriter and the church choir, I think I got it right. Those lines still stick in my head as does the music of the Tolkien suite. (Aside: one of Dilip's ambitions was to be on stage with Tejan. Another secret hope was that he would be able to act as Gollum ...)

High Memories Jazz Fest 1982

You guys have opened the floodgates. This one is about JazzFest 1982 at the ITF Pavilion on Outram Road.

#7 - JazzFest and the Bins

Satyajit Roychaudhury

will have to realign the memories here because he was, for us, Jazz India and Jazz India organized Jazz Fest at the ITF Pavilion (where the Book Fair was held, among other artistic pursuits like training the Territorial Army)!

I hadn't been in High too long .. probably a year at the most. My last memory of Jazz Fest, as I mentioned before, was playing a set with the band Embryo at the La Martiniere school grounds in 1979. I played bass guitar and spent three days with Uwe, the bassist, learning the lines. My prized possession was a leather guitar strap on which Uwe wrote "Space is the Place" which was deep for me at the time.

So, back to 1981 when I was with High. We were asked to open the program before the legendary Shakti on stage. Several hours of sound check, hot tea and cold feet followed. And we had this weirdly trapezoid Yamaha amplifier that

Subir Chatterjee

was using for lead guitar. The rest is kind of blurry till the point where we were summoned by the one and only L Shankar who requested most politely that he be allowed to "try" Subir's amplifier for his double-necked violin. Permission granted with alacrity!

The gig went reasonably well, we all played our stuff that we had rehearsed, conscious of the fact that the great Shakti was waiting in the wings. Got out of that one alive, then was our turn in the wings as we watched the magic unfold.

The Bins came after that I believe. One sunny day, we walked into Dilip's to find these huge wooden speaker boxes blocking most of the room in which we practised. Mala must have really had a tough time working her way round. We discovered that Dilip had bought them from Jazz India ... that's where the memory fades, I am not sure when and where we used them, but this stark memory of these large speaker bins in the room have stayed with me. These days when we see the huge rigging frameworks and the flying speakers and the plethora of gadgets which sometimes program themselves, I think back to the early days of music when instruments had amplification on stage and each musician had to be mindful of the rest!