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Journalism of Courage
All those who associate bugles with military music solely and presume that the Naval Band men can play only the morning reveille, were in for a pleasant surprise on the evening of October 14. The first performance of the two-day Naval Band concert presented at the Nehru Memorial Hall saw the men in white render an assortment of music martial, along with western and Indian classical, popular and contemporary music scores.
Presented by the Indian Maritime Foundation, the concert is dedicated to 1998 8212; International Year of the Ocean, as declared by the United Nations General Assembly, to focus the world community8217;s attention on the depletion of marine resources.
In the midst of the clarinets and cornets, the bamboo flute and bugles, the xylophone had a delightful effect. Playing Helter Skelter8217; and Busy Bodies,8217; the xylophone players, Alex Taylor, J.K. Wilfred and G.C. Saha, were brilliant, keeping pace with the other instruments, complementing their heavy sounds. Following a medley from Fiddler on the Roof, was a solo on the cornet by M.J.J. Milton. Called The Lost Chord, the original composition was for a dying brother, and the grief as one bids adieu to life is an integral ingredient of the score. Contrary to Auld Lang Syne, the tune played at all farewell functions, one could identify the sense of a final departure here. Even the band men stood up during the rendition as if in salute. The second session commenced with a surprise number Calm of the Ocean, composed by Cdr. S.A. Anchees, N.M. who led the concert specially for the occasion. The notes recreating the moods of the waters in all their tranquility and anger died down to mingle with a thunderousapplause.
However, this half of the concert seemed paler in comparison. Filled with popular melodies like those of rock and roll king Elvis Presley Hound dog, Love me tender, the Brazilian Lambada, a Jamaican folk suite a group of dances, a march called Liberty Bell, this set was a contrast. But the final piece, the naval patriotic number Jai Bharati had the tempo spiralling again, before the evening drew to a close.
Along with the music played, it was also the way it was played that merited attention. The smart turnout of the musicians, the spit and polish evident on their brass instruments, even the disciplined manner they were held in when not being played, the visual impact was equally strong, the military decorum all too visible. And despite the troupe on stage being only a part of the entire 70-odd strong Naval Band, it was enough to create its impact.
