Why kill Goa's musicians? In the current scenario a waiter would earn much more than a musician. So where is the motivation for the immensely talented Goan musician? Small wonder then, why so many choose to throw away their talent to other professions or leave the state in search of a livlihood.
By Colin D'Cruz I have vivid childhood memories of bands playing at wedding receptions that my parents took me to when I was a child. Something about what was happening onstage at that time turned me to music forever. I had been listening to music at home and I suddenly discovered where it all came from; I guess that's when I subconciously decided to be a musician. To be a Goan is to be a music lover. They say music runs in the blood of every Goan. You'll hear music being played for just about any reason in every village in Goa. Birth, death, marriage, aniversary, fete or any other excuse for song and dance. Music is definitely a key factor that makes Goa tick. The whole world sees Goa as a land of music besides sunshine and beaches. And Goan musicians have proven themselves time and again, entertaining people from all over the world who are regular visitors to this little piece of paradise in India. Even the Indian film music industry that's currently making waves internationally, has its foundations laid by Goan musicians. Goan musicians have gone places worldwide, except at home in Goa ironically. Goan's continue to influence the music scene in Mumbai, even if they don't dominate the film industry as in the past. Mumbai, the entertainment capital of India, is home to talent from all over the country and only genuine talent and thorough professionalism survives here. Goans do figure in good measure. But Goa itself seems to be different. I've met and worked with some amazingly talented, naturally-gifted musicians in Goa. For some reason, musicians here just don't seem to believe in themselves. Even the most popular band in Goa today has musicians who field day jobs because they don't believe they could survive as musicians. Music is not an easy profession anywhere in the world. Those who survive in this business are the ones who believed in themselves. But more about that later... I am a Goan born and brought up in Mumbai. Some of my most exciting childhood memories revolve around holidays in Goa. For some reason, tunes with Latin grooves always made it to my list of favourites. After turning professional I've always dreamt of setting up a Latino band in Goa, maybe because of Goa's Latin American connections. In the year 1999 this dream came true with Obligato. Setting up Obligato was like seeing a dream coming true. When the whole world's live music scene was going the minus-one way, I setup a plus-eight band! Only in Goa would I be able to source talented musicians who were enthusiastic enough to rehearse regularly even when the monetary returns from the band was pathetic. Besides Obligato, I also perfomed with Just Jazz a Jazz quartet that had a great live vibe. All the members of Just Jazz have now spread their wings to perform on international resident band contracts. Blues Power was an all-Blues band I played with in Goa. This band was fronted by British singer-harpman Ron Mortland who has been a resident of Baga every year between October and March for the last 15 years. Even though these bands have dissolved the magic created can still be heard on the internet at www.obligato.8m.com, www.bluespower.8m.com and www.justjazz.8m.com The best part of playing in Goa during the tourist season was jamming with great artistes from all over the globe who were in Goa on a chillout vacation. So, you can see, Goan musicians don't have to leave Goa to jam with the rest of the world. Now if only someone paid for these jams... I don't think there is a Western music scene as big as Goa's in any other part of the country. Goa, at any given time, boasts of over three hundred bands. I don't think there is any village in Goa without a band. Any other city, including Mumbai, may never have had a hundred bands even at it's peak live music scenario. Why do Goans become good musicians? They were born with music playing all around them, they live with music playing all around them and they die with music playing all around them. But, unfortunately, Goan musicians believe music for a living is a surefire route to starvation and most Goan entertainment managers strongly support this belief. Whereas in cities like Mumbai, musicians from all over the country come with a fiery make-or-break attitude, those that succeed work hard, firmly 'believing' they will bask in the glory of success sooner or later. If I were to ask to list the most serious problems facing musicians in Goa today, I'd say it is 1.money 2.no money 3.how to make money 4.and so on... The music scene in Goa has gone from bad to pathetic in recent years thanks to short-sighted entertainment management at most luxury hotels in Goa. Musicians who perform on contract with luxury hotels in Goa are probably the lowest paid in the world. And amazingly each year these hotels expect musicians to perform for a lower amount than the previous year. In the current scenario a waiter would earn much more than a musician. So where is the motivation for the immensely talented Goan musician? Small wonder then, why so many choose to throw away their talent to other professions or leave the state in search of a livlihood. Music is intrinsic to Goa's backbone-the tourism industry. Why isn't music a recognized industry in Goa? And why can't musicians earn a living in Goa? Hotels in Goa have been taking local musicians for a ride for years, bullying then into performing for little or nothing in some cases. Most hotels don't really care about the quality of entertainment as long as they fulfill their obligation to provide some kind of entertainment for their chartered guests. Musicians in Goa are no longer motivated to give off their best and some of them even choose to mime onstage to backing tracks. At the current rate it won't be long before they say there's music in the blood that runs through every Goan musicians feni stream. Something has to be done to keep the music and the musician alive in Goa. One way to control unfair payscales would be to form a Goan musicians union modeled on the Indian film industry's Cine Musicians Association or London's Greenbelt Musicians Union. Only musicians belonging to the union should be licensed to perform professionally. The union grades musicians and decides on a minimum performance fee for each grade. This would work to an advantage for both musicians and the hotels that hire them. Musicians would automatically work on their act, honing their skills to reach higher grades and the hotels would benefit from a reliable source of quality entertainment. Most importantantly, musicians in Goa will continue playing musical instruments instead of waiting at tables... or even worse waiting at the tavern. ------ The author, a Mumbai Goan, was part of the Goan music scene from 1999, when he earned a bad amount, to the year 2002, when the amount turned pathetic prompting him to head back to Mumbai. He currently perfoms in concert worldwide with singer Sonu Nigam. Goa still remains his favourite place to play even if it refuses to pay. Email: colinbassman at hotmail.com ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
