Golden boy can go for Grammy The New Indian Express, 7 March, 2009
V Sudarshan sees the Oscar as just a stepping stone on the way to true musical glory and lists out some of the fabulous artistes A R Rahman should seek out to make a real bid for it I was dragged to see Roja in a very seedy cinema hall in Delhis Connaught Place in the early nineties. It was a morning show on a Sunday that meant wed have to drive up all the way from East Delhi. We were possibly the only people seeing the film, my wife and I, and I tried my best to ignore the stale smell that enveloped us as soon as we were seated. I dont usually see Tamil or Hindi films. Its not a snob thing but the few times I have gone against my better judgement, the experience has not been encouraging. Roja, I reluctantly agreed because in my line of work those days, the word I wrote most frequently was Kashmir. The movie was not so hot. But the music was another story. I bought a tape in the first shop I could find in CP as soon as we came out of the theatre and played it all the way back home, again and again. I kept up with Rahman whenever I came down south, which was roughly once a year. The very next year I remember a brief infatuation with Netru Illatha Matram from Pudhiya Mugam. The song was classy. Even though there was a woman singing there was no shrieking, which did wonders to the song. I usually associated banshees with Tamil film songs fea turing women singers. This song managed to sound traditional as well as modern at the same time. And the woman singing it was nicely restrained. There was a very strong melody line I think the base vamp did that as well as percussion that guided the song. There was a bit of either sitar or veena in the middle that I didnt particularly care for but the song was definitely uplifting. Then someone recommended Duet. I immediately gravitated to En Kadalae, the SPB song. It was a musical jewel. What was amazing was an extended saxophone solo by Kadri Gopalnath that gave it a solid depth. I am partial to the saxophone but a solo in the local idiom was new to me. I lost touch with Rahman for a bit till Boys came along. I played it over and over when I dropped my daughter off at school in Dhaula Kuan. She enjoyed Boom Boom. She was five years old, going to the prep class and she danced in the car and although she could not get a grip on the words, she sang along with a rare gusto that made the song sound even better. I loved it. It was a terrific song, world class. I heard Alaipayuthey much later and there was one song I remember being as smooth as a 25-year-old single malt: Kadhal Sadugudu. I played Smayiyai (from Kandukondein Kandukondein) and Nenjum Ellam and Jana Gana Mana (from Ayutha Ezhuthu) and Kama Kama (I forget which film) to my north Indian Hindi-speaking friends who did not know a word in Tamil (except the ones which I taught them at their specific request and which cannot be repeated here) whenever they came over for a drink. Everybody enjoyed the songs. They were infectious. One of them remarked that if you played this music in Times Square youd have the entire place jiving, the blacks, the Hispanics, the red necks, the wasps and everybody else. Even the Pope would have trouble sitting still if Rahman was playing. Ive been thinking. If I were Rahman would I want to go down in history as a musician who won Oscars? Winning an Oscar for music is like giving Hemmingway the Nobel Prize in the best handwriting category. Or would I want to go for Grammy? I would want to go for Grammy. Rahman is uniquely placed to make a serious bid for it in several categories. Look what Supernatural did to Santana. Collaborating with other musicians worked wonders for Herbie Hancock in The Joni Letters. Collaboration brings out the best in musicians. If Rahman chooses his musical partners carefully I am one hundred per cent sure that he will get more than one Grammy. If you listen to Rahman you know you are listen ing to a contemporary artist who listens to other contemporary artists carefully. If Santana can team up with Placido Domingo (Shaman), Rahman can team up with Santana. I would like to hear some full blooded piano runs in Rahmans music, not the teasing, mushy, romantic interlude kind of the jingle variety. Maybe he could team up with Herbie Hancock for a tune. I would like to hear a Fender Rhodes solo in a Rahman tune, not the ten-second kind but the minute. I would like to hear some smoking saxophone playing, not Kadri but maybe Courtney Pine. I would like to hear some seriously elastic voice in a Rahman tune, not the kind you hear in Secret of Success (Boys) but more Bobby McFerrin and less Pink Floyd (Great Gig in the Sky). It would be even better if Rahman collaborated with Michael Jackson for a song, a slow, bassoriented one that builds up as from Jacksons History period. I would like to hear a Rahman sufi tune with an electric guitar and baritone saxophone and a trumpet with a mute. I would like to hear a duet between Rahman and a mouth organ player, not Larry Adler but Toots Thielemans with just an acoustic bass as an accompaniment. I would like him to collaborate with an interesting female vocalist like Ledisi and do a Thelonious Monk tune in Tamil but with a hardbop backup. What about collaborating with someone like Youssou NDour, wouldnt that be great? How about working with Robben Ford on a tune? It would certainly be a whole lot better than the Slumdog stuff that I heard once, then again patiently, but can no longer stand it.
