The original RD Burman band rejoins to pay him tribute

So right from the close-knit group comprising the likes of Ranjit Gazmer,Amrut Katkar and Homi Mullan who sat with Burman for his recordings,to Nitin Shankar and Franco Vaz who played with him for decades,the stage will see the return of the originals.

Katkar who had started working with Burman in 1963 and accompanied him in evergreen melodies like Mere Nayna…and Golmal He Bhai Sab Holmal He,said,“My guruji introduced me to Pancham Da. I played the tabla for a few of his songs after which I played reso reso for almost all his compositions.”

After Burman’s demise in 1994,Katkar almost signed off from the musical scene,resurfacing years later at the insistence of Homi Mullan,who had played the keyboard with Burman and produced popular compositions like Ae Mere Dil Ke Chain and Ek Din Bik Jayega. “I was his stepney,” laughs Mullan,adding “Whenever one of these people would be missing from recordings,I had to play their part. He was experimental in his direction,in fact in one of the songs from the movie Darling Darling,he played on Amrut’s back!”

Reuniting after so long,the chemistry between them is still intact. Franco Vaz,who joined Burman at the age of 18,last worked with Burman and Bhosle in 1976. Today he will play with the same group after 35 years. “It’s like life is coming full circle for me. For me Burman was an institute. I had grown up listening to his songs and it was a dream playing with him. I remember we used to record around 40-45 songs a month. For the 18 years I was with him,I grew immensely,” says Franco,who played drums for Burman’s songs in Satte Pe Saata and Rocky.

Ranjeet Gazmer was a part of every song played by Burman with his folk instrument called ‘madal’.