Our fascination for movies and its charisma over generations have made us overlook the works of musicians who contributed in the making of legendary composition in films.
One such forgotten lone star of the 50s and 60s, Lucila Pacheco, a Jazz pioneer, who was a pianist, saxophone player and the first person to introduce an electronic instrument, Solovox, to Indian musicians, deserves a special mention. Lucilla Pacheco (nee Mathias) was born in 1929 to a family from Sao Mathias, in Divar island of Goa. Her maternal grandfather, nicknamed "Rogddu" was a violinist, while her paternal grandfather was known by the instrument of which he was a virtuoso – “Boncao”, (Konkani word for double bass). Her father, Mathias, who moved to Colombo in Ceylon, taught music and ran an instrument shop there. Her husband, George Pacheco, also from Goa, apprenticed at her father’s shop in Ceylon. Lucilla, with her musician husband George, moved to Bombay from Ceylon in 1948 to try their luck on the rising scene of Jazz Music. Her husband was a Saxophonist and Lucila was a Pianist as well as Saxophonist. Lucila, who passed the exams of Trinity College and Royal School of Music, London as a Pianist, began working as accompanying musician in Metro Theater and as a Piano demonstrator in L.M.Furtado & Co. music stores. She started her professional life giving Piano lessons. In an era when many people purchased music sheets to play at home, Lucila would perform the scores they contemplated purchasing, to show them how good the tunes could sound. She was soon invited to be part of Mickey Correa’s all star band that was a brooding ground for swing musicians. She played under the leadership of the Anglo- Indian band leader, Ken Mac and Chic Chocolate, who were the top dollar Jazz musicians of their time. By end of 40’s Lucila joined the Hindi film industry and regularly recorded under arranger Anthony Gonsalves. By 1955, she was quite popular. Although she was a regular Pianist, she played the electronic keyboard Solovox, for the first time in Hindi Film music in the 60s. Her first ever fusion album of Indian and Jazz music (Raaga Jazz Style (1968)) composed by composer duo Shankar Jaikishan, had names of all the musicians on its LP Cover, including that of Lucila Pacheco. She spent her later years giving piano lessons in her Bandra Hill Road residence and quietly passed away in 1989, at the age of 60. Credits: Kunal Desai/ The Music Room blog. Roland Francis 416-453-3371
