Review of Different Strokes by Jagjit Singh

It hardly came as a surprise to me. As an aspiring classical vocalist and music lover, I had expected Jagjitji to have a long stint with classical music. More so, after I heard the bandish in Raga Darbari, one of the most vakra (retrograde) ragas in classical music, he had sung in his album Encore a couple of years back. This latest album of his, a collection of eight classical compositions (or seven if we consider the Babul Mora composition in Raga Bhairavi with and without the tabla as one) in his resonant voice, left me spellbound. I had longed to hear him singing pure classical after that three-minute token in Encore; and I couldn't have asked for more than what this close-to-an-hour long album has to offer.

Besides his impeccable recital of the compositions, Singh's deep mellifluous voice, as usual, captures the audience. Six out of the eight compositions included are in Bhairavi, apparently his most favourite platform. The album opens with a spirited bandish in Raga Rageshri, Apni Garaj Pakar Leenee, but it is the third one that really steals the limelight. Singh recites the same bandish in Bhairavi, Karat Raar Dekho Muraar, in two different taalas, the twelve-beat Drut Ektaal and the more popular Teentaal. The second one, Nazre Karam Farmaao, is the same bandish that was included in Encore, but there is no element of repetition. This time the recital is longer, but less captivating. The second side of the album could be considered as one long recital of Raga Bhairavi. Opening with the traditional Babul Mora, it ends with a tarana in the same Raga. The accompanists too have done a beautiful job in the tarana, especially the one playing the tabla. Invariably during the recital of a fast-paced composition like the tarana the jugalbandi of the percussion and the vocalist means added pleasure for the listener.

Despite being such a treat for music-lovers, this particular album has a couple of leaking holes. The recording could have been better. Sometimes there appears to be practically no gap between two compositions, for example the third and the fourth ones. Classical ragas demand their own space and atmosphere, and it takes time to recover from the effect of one raga and be receptive to another. Plus, there's another thing about this album which I found most amusing. Accompanists are an inseparable part of a classical recital. But no credit, in any way, has been given to them anywhere on the cassette flap.

But printer's gremlins don't harm a masterpiece. On the whole, a real good buy if you are a die-hard Jagjit Singh fan, and a real good textbook if you are an aspiring musician.

After all it is not everyday that legends reveal what makes them great!

First published in the Reviews section of the E-magazine www.freshlimesoda.com.