In song and legend

Few people are aware that when singer Bhupinder Singh,then just a debutant,was to sing the classic Hoke majboor mujhe usne bulaya hoga from the film Haqeeqat...

Few people are aware that when singer Bhupinder Singh,then just a debutant,was to sing the classic Hoke majboor mujhe usne bulaya hoga from the film Haqeeqat,he almost backed out when he realized hed be singing alongside legendsManna Dey,Talat Mahmood and Mohammad Rafi. The music director Madan Mohan had just sent me a small bit of the song and I was annoyed that he called me all the way from Delhi to Mumbai just for this. He didnt tell me these three greats would be there. In retrospect,it was a good thing he didnt,or I wouldve been so nervous that I wouldve refused to go, smiles Singh. That session was also memorable in other ways. Rafisaab was a very short man and since he and I were sharing a mic,he was made to stand on a tea carton. It was quite a sight. I wish I had taken pictures, he chuckles.

Its recollections like these that pepper the renowned ghazal singers new album Ek Akela Is Sheher Mein which is set to release on August 11. The album looks at his association,both as a singer and a musician with legends like Mohan,OP Nayyar,Jaidev,SD Burman and RD Burman. The compilation will have nine of Singhs classics such as Ek akela

is sheher mein and Naam gum jaayega.

The concept for the album came from Singhs wife,Mitali,who had long felt that her husbands old gems needed to be re-recorded for the new generation. Most of these songs are very old and often,when were talking about his playback singing days,he tells me interesting anecdotes about the recordings of these songs and he discusses his experiences with each of the music directors that he worked with. I felt that these histories are something that need to be shared with his fans and so I suggested that we record this collection.

Singh feels that the creative rapport that he shared with the old music directors is lost in the new era. He recalls,Once when I was recording for RD Burman,I turned up at the studio to see an Oud lying there. Its one of my favourite instruments so I excitedly asked who was going to play it. He calmly told me that I would play it,even though Id never done so before. Obviously,I tried to back out but he encouraged me,and I ended up playing it. Thats how a music director ought to work,by encouraging his singers and musicians to push their creative boundaries. That sadly doesnt exist much now, he says regretfully.

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