Jennifer Lopez certainly has had some huge hits. Since releasing her debut album, On the 6, in 1999, J.Lo has commanded pop radio with tracks like "If You Had My Like," "I'm Real," "Like Don't Cost a Thing" and "Jenny From the Block."
And she hasn't stopped. This year, she released Like?, featuring club bangers like "On the Floor." Now, J.Lo diplomacy to give her fans a proper greatest-hits album.
"I just got the call a week ago that the greatest-hits album for Jennifer Lopez is appearance up," vocal producer Kuk Harrell told MTV News. "Now I'm just waiting for them to place on the schedule [and] let me know what songs we're really cutting and stuff like that."
While he didn't have too many details about what fans should expect on the album, Harrell did share who else Jenny is hitting the studio with. "I reckon [when] I find out what the direction is, I will certainly go in the lab. I will get in the lab with Tough Stewart and The-Dream and see what we can come up with for it."
Harrell has certainly been busy this year. He worked with Rihanna on her Talk That Talk album, Justin Bieber on Under the Mistletoe (and will work with him again on his next album) and now has diplomacy to hook up with Lopez. He's grateful for all the opportunities he's been given.
"I'm so fortunate to be able to work with Rihanna and Justin Bieber ... and Jennifer Lopez for that matter, so anytime a call comes in to work with the three of them, it's always 'yes,' because it's just implicit [it'll be excellent]," he said. "They're superstars, so how are you going to turn them down? Unless we have a scheduling conflict, but it's always a 'yes.' It's always an immediate 'we're gonna kill it.' That's when my competitive edge comes out. It has to be the best. It has to be better than anything we've ever done."
Daniel Radcliffe, the "Harry Potter" star , on Tuesday topped a Heat Magazine list of the richest, young British entertainers, retaining his No. 1 position in the ranking of people under 30-years-old.
Robert Pattinson, lead actor of the rival fantasy film franchise "Twilight," moved up to third from fifth and leapfrogged two of Radcliffe's Potter co-stars, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, according to the celebrity magazine.
Actress Keira Knightley, who starred in several of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, remained second on the chart, while singer Adele was the highest new entry at 16.
Radcliffe, 22, who played the boy wizard in the movie adaptations of J.K. Rowling's bestselling novels, earned 51.8 million pounds ($80 million) over his career, according to Heat estimates. The actor's earnings for 2011 were 6.1 million pounds higher than in 2010.
Knightley's earnings totaled 30.9 million pounds ($47.8 million, ahead of Pattinson on 24.9 million ($38.5 million), Watson on 23.9 million and Grint on 21.7 million.
Adele, whose second album "21" is set to be the biggest selling album in the world this year, entered the list at No. 16 with a fortune of 7.7 million pounds.
Three stars dropped out of this year's list -- opera star Katherine Jenkins and model Kelly Brook both exceeded the 30-year-old threshhold and singer Amy Winehouse, ranked 15th last year, died in July.
Bathed in shadows, a vague figure walks through a seedy lane, followed by a gun wielding detective, both possibly trying to track down another victim in an isolated house, somewhere in the outskirts of a bustling city. Sensing the hint of a crime fiction? Well, close enough. The scene, rightly perceived as a crime scene, draws its elements from arguably one of the most complex and creatively challenging styles of film making – Film Noir.
Deeply rooted in German Expressionist Photography, Film Noir, French for ‘Black Film’, essentially incurs low key black and white visual style of the 1940s and 50s. The years immediately following the end of World War II witnessed the emergence of Noir, cinematic and literary. Several concurrent developments like a number of downbeat crime movies in Hollywood, an increase in the publication of crime novels in France, paperback novels in America etc. led to the widespread fabrication and acceptance of Noir.
Film Noir is often recognizable via a key set of visual and plot elements. Visually, one would notice low-key lighting, chiaroscuro effects, deep focus photography, extreme camera angles and expressionist distortion. From a plot perspective, the most common facets are a subjective point of view, shifting roles or the morally ambiguous nature of the protagonist, possibly an ill-fated relationship with the society and ways in which 'noir' itself functions as a socio-political critique. The plot’s female lead usually appears as a femme fatal (an archetype that more or less emerged from this style) or a chased or tormented victim. The stories are set mostly in urban locales. Voice Over and semi-documentary style also form a part of the narrative.
However, it is possibly the fatalistic attitude of Film Noir that gives it its engaging appeal. Contrast to the American happy endings endorsed by movies like ‘Sound of Music’, Film Noir depicted 'crime culture' based on jagged edged storylines. More often it would be about an average citizen making a mistake that snowballs into much greater problems. In Film Noir lingo it is called the spider web of deceit suggesting a an eruption of hysteria and panic.
The Maltese Falcon (1941), Double Indemnity (1944), and The Big Sleep (1946) are probably some of the early Hollywood offerings in the Noir category of films. Humphrey Bogart, biggest name in Film Noir, derives his distinction for exemplifying the hard boiled detective in movies like The Maltese Faction. His iconographic status in the realm of Film Noir however comes from many non investigative Film Noirs such as High Sierra (1941), Dark Passage (1946) and In a Lonely Place (1950). Bogart's roles in these movies suggest the different forms Noir took as it developed during forties. This also led to the surfacing of the pathos of the aging gangster, a falsely accused/wrongly convicted man or even the violence of a psychopath. The core concept was to make people identify with such characters.
The other key iconic figure of Noir is, of course, the fatal woman, who donned provocative outfits on film posters and pulp covers. In her sensuous and aggressive demeanour she posed as the prime distraction for the male protagonist and even the antagonist, often resisting their assertion and playing with their minds. Rita Hayworth’s portrayal of the self –assured sexually irresistible femme fatale made her a known face in Film Noir.
Outside of Hollywood, Noir has been attempted and successfully integrated into film making by many directors, celebrated Japanese director Akihira Kurosavo being one of them. Drunken Angel (1948), Stray Dog (1949), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), and High and Low (1963), easily identifiable as Noir have added the oriental flavour to this style of film making.
In the new millennium, Park Chan-wook of South Korea has been the most prominent director outside of the United States to work regularly in a Noir mode with ultra-violent films such as Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and Thirst (2009.
Christopher Nolan, of Inception (2010) fame, has played with Noir elements in all his Batman movies (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight), while his previous works like Memento and Insomnia established him as a connoisseur one of Neo Noir. The graphic novels inspired films like ‘Sin City’ and ‘Kill Kill Faster Faster’ encompass Neo Noir reflexivity. Tech Noir and Teen Noir are other styles that have evolved from Noir.
Whether it is a genre or not is a topic of constant debate, mostly because of the sundry aspects that are a part of it; scholars and film historians have often said that Noir is more of a style and too diverse to be tagged as a genre.
Colin Firth, one of the most sought after British Cine stars will auction himself for Oxfam America, a charity dedicated to ending poverty.
His fans can now bid on a chance to meet him at the Hollywood premiere of his new movie through an auction to raise money for Oxfam.
The winning bidder will receive two passes to the December 6 premiere of the Colin Firth starer ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ based on the best selling novel by John le Carre.
Not just that, the winner and a friend will also get a chauffeured ride to a Chateau Marmont after party.
Fans can bid through Wednesday on the opportunity to shake hands with Firth. Oxfam America has teamed up with eBay for the fundraiser.
Following a successful career as in the UK, Firth has become a known face in Hollywood especially after box office hits like ‘Bridget Jones's Diary’ and ‘Love Actually’.
He is also known for his work in TV miniseries ‘Pride & Prejudice’, and the movies ‘Shakespeare in Love’.
Colin Firth won the Oscar for Best Actor for a sensitive portrayal of King George VI who battles to overcome his stammering , in the 2010 drama ‘The King's Speech’.
It’s all over London - from packed clubs to concert halls, the London Jazz Festival, is 'the hub' for Jazz musicians and fans alike. Produced by the creative company 'Serious' in association with BBC Radio 3, the ten day long jazz extravaganza is not only one of the city’s key music festivals, but is considered a major international jazz event. A number of London’s venues ranging from concert halls such as the Barbican and the Royal Festival Hall, as well as smaller jazz clubs, such as Ronnie Scott's and Vortex host this event.
The Camden Jazz Week of the 1970’s could be considered an ancestor to the London Jazz festival as the later seems to have evolved from it. It all began with the inclusion of a Jazz Week into the long-established Camden Festival by the London Borough of Camden. The Camden Jazz Week was held at several venues around the borough – the Roundhouse, Shaw Theatre, Logan Hall, Bloomsbury Theatre, the Forum - both as part of the spring Festival, and in some years, adding an Autumn week as well. The early nineties witnessed the dawdling and demise of the Camden Festival, however, the Jazz Week survived and under the initiative of the creative company 'Serious', took a new direction.
The London Jazz Festival was designed as a forum for a mix of British and International Jazz artists to connect and collaborate in a city where a trend of rich cultural exchange was beginning to emerge. Soon the week long festival extended to a ten day long international music event, where Jazz musicians from all corners of the world showed up to perform at different venues all over London.
While each year is beguiled in its own way, the London Jazz Festival preserves some landmark moments in its book of reminiscence. Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra performing the first ever concerts at the Hackney Empire, and Michael Garrick, Frank Holder and Coleridge Goode paying tribute to the late Joe Harriott in a trio that collectively was some 250 years old.
Every succeeding year brings new contributions- classic and contemporary, to the world of Jazz. The London Jazz Festival has made a steady transition from north London to London-wide and from May to its present November slot. The festival’s unmatched euphonic appeal has not only established its influence in London’s cultural calendar, but made it an affair that inspires music lovers from across the world to show up and be a part of.
Angelina Jolie will soon be seen stepping into the shoes of iconic woman leader “Gertrude Bell” in her upcoming movie with the same name, to be produced by Ridley Scott’s production company.
Scott is also contemplating directing the biopic, after completion of his Alien’s prequel-of-sorts Prometheus, which hits theatres in June.
The project’s screenplay is being written by Jeffrey Caine, who wrote the script for 2005’s “The Constant Gardner.”
Gertrude Bell, a British woman, pioneered the mapping the Middle East in early 20th century, which became the framework for what would become Jordan and Iraq.
Bell won widespread admiration among Arabs for being instrumental in founding of Iraq during World War I and is often described as the female ‘Lawrence of Arabia’.
The Tomb Raider was roped in by the makers of this film for her history of playing strong female characters. The Oscar winning actor has previously portrayed periodic characters in movies like Alexander and Changeling.
Legendary composer and singer Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’s funeral creates world record with the highest gathering of mourners paying tributes, over two days; though, Michael Jackson memorial service holds record as the most watched funeral on television.
As recorded in Wikipedia, the wiki structured online encyclopaedia, Dr. Hazarika’s funeral was attended by 5 (five) lacs people and watched by 30 (thirty) lacs people on Television.
Born in Sadiya, Assam, on 8th Sept, 1926, Dr. Bhupen Hazarika was a noted music director, playwright, actor, journalist, author, lyricist, poet, politician and film-maker of the highest repute. He was known for his crisp baritone voice and flawless diction. He started his music career by writing and singing his first song at the age of 10 and working for the second Assamese film, Indramalati (Dir - Jyoti Prasad Agarwala), in 1939, when he was 12 years old.
Hazarika died on November five in Mumbai and his body lay in state at the historic Judges Field for two days from the night of November 7 for people to pay their homage before cremation on November 9.
Dr. Hazarika’s funeral has made it to Wikipedia’s notable funerals representing historical funerals, based on both the number of attendants and estimated television.
The list includes, among others, the funerals of Elvis Presley, Lady Diana Pope John Paul II, Martin Luther King Jr, Joseph Stalin, Joseph Tito, John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Ayatollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Montazeri, Benigno Aquino, C R Annadurai and Aryton Senna.
We dedicate this read to all those who can eat, sleep and drink music. The EFNI team went surfing, well internet surfing, to find you some of the finest selection of online music. Here’s our pick of Top Ten choices for music websites and applications.
Well, iTunes essentially is a media player, that let’s you play, download, and organize digital music and video files on your desktop. No prizes for guessing who introduced it- Apple Inc, ofcourse. There’s little wonder why iTunes provided the same facilities on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.
The application allows the user to purchase and manage audio and video on a personal computer, acting as a front end for Apple's QuickTime media player. iTunes has got a myriad of features, some of the most sought after ones include-Media Management, File Format Support, File Metadata , playlists, video support and books/pdf support. Now that’s one app to add to your gadget!
Formerly known as Music Beta by Google, this and recently re-launched as Google Music, this music streaming service/online music store might soon be locking horns with iTunes. Google music supports streaming music to desktop browsers, Android phones and tablets, or any other device that can use the Adobe Flash platform.
According to the official Google blog- users can use a feature called Instant Mix to create a playlist of songs that go well together. Music imported from iTunes will retain playlists as well.
Music purchasing was absent in the initial launch, however with it’s re-launch on November 16, 2011, Google Music introduced a new version of Music, with a music store, Google+ integration, artist hubs, and purchasing reflected on T-Mobile phone bills. The only hiccup is that as of now, registrations are open to US residents only.
Much before the onslaught of Facebook and Twitter, MySpace founded by Chris DeWolfe and Tom Anderson was the most visited social networking website in the world. Apart from the regular social media features like moods, blurbs and blogs, comments, profile customization and redesigns, music materialized as its most sought after feature.
Although post 2008, a drastic decline in hits affected MySpace, causing it to be ranked as 103rd by total web traffic, bands and soloists still leverage MySpace to promote their music and connect with their breed. Hence the website had become a huge repository for online music. Keep surfing MySpace, one usually comes across decent material.
Launched in 2006, but no longer an infant, ReverbNation focuses principally on the independent music industry. The purpose of the website is to bring together musicians and producers under one roof to connect and collaborate. Its special feature ‘TuneWidget’ links back to additional content, such as music recommended by the band that created the widget. A year after the website’s launch, 2007, Webs (formerly Freewebs) added a widget service that included TuneWidget as an option for its web site users. The same year the band Rehab headlined the ReverbNation summer tour.
In May, 2008, Judas Priest pre-released a track from its upcoming album on ReverbNation.
Yahoo Music (previously known as ‘Launch’ and ‘Y! Music’) carries an extensive selection of artists, their music and biographical information. In the year 2007, Yahoo Music made it to the numero uno position in the jam-packed space of online music, in terms of audience and total time spent.
A viable range of products makes Yahho Music, an attractive destination for music lovers. Yahoo! Music Jukebox and Yahoo! Music Unlimited, Live sets (exclusive video concerts from A-list starts) and Who’s Next (where listerners vote for emerging artists) are some of the popular offerings.
In the same space as ReverbNation, SoundCloud is an online audio platform which allows collaboration, promotion and distribution of audio recordings. So, do not be flagger basted if you bump into interviews and talks aside from music.
The website was originally founded in Stockholm, Sweden, but was established in Berlin, Germany, in August 2007. The core concept was to allow musicians share recordings with each other, later SoundCloud transformed into a full publishing tool that allowed widespread distribution of audio. Soon after its commencement, the website began challening the dominance of Myspace by allowing artists to distribute music and to interact more closely with their fans.
Unlike MySpace, SoundCloud instead hosting audio in their site, allows users to upload their music with a distinctive URL. SoundCloud can also be combined with Twitter and FaceBook and has a number of apps and widgets compatible with various Operating Systems.
Last.fm is a UK based music website and is most for its Audioscrobbler feature. The feature builds a detailed profile of each user’s music taste by recording details of the songs the user listens to, either from Internet radio, the user’s PC or many portable music devices and recommends music based on those details.
Its music catalogue supports full length promotional tracks and free downloads; play-on-demand features and removal. Last.fm has also collaborated with Xbox 360, and as of 2009, Last.fm claimed to have 30 million active users.
Metacritic is a website for people on the lookout for music reviews. Similarities can be drawn with Rotten Tomatoes, but there are drastic variations in the scoring systems. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green, Yellow and Red summarize the critic's recommendation. This gives an idea of the general appeal of the product among reviewers and, to a lesser extent, the public. The scoring games are quite popular, although they have been criticized by many.
Another UK based online music store, although Spotify was originally founded in Sweden. Spotify uses a DRM-based music streaming service offering streaming of selected music from a range of major and independent record labels, including Sony, EMI, Warner Music Group, and Universal.
The system is compatible with many Operating systems and gadgets. Music can be browsed by artist, album, record label, genre or playlist as well as by direct searches. Users can play, download and purchase music using Spotify. Users can register either for free accounts supported by visual and radio-style advertising or for paid subscriptions without ads and with a range of extra features such as higher bitrate streams and offline access to music.
A Facebook account has been made mandatory for all new users since 22 September 2011.
Named after the music file MP3, this website is probably best known for its original avatar as a legal, free music-sharing service, extremely popular amongst independent musicians. It was shut down on December 2, 2003 by CNET, which, after purchasing the domain name (but not MP3.com's technology or music assets), established the current MP3.com site.
MP3.com provides valuable information on digital music and artists, songs, services, community, trends and technologies. Ubetoo, a site similar to MP3.com is also worth surfing.
Beat the winter chill with the hottest festival of the year. Not Kingfisher calendar photo shoot, but something way hotter and well, cooler too. Gear up for Hornbill Festival, the annual cultural extravaganza of Nagaland. Named after the Hornbill bird, visible in many traditional symbols and folklore of Nagaland, the weeklong fiesta can be best described as a melange of inter-cultural festivities of the land.
Often referred to as the ‘Switzerland of the East’, for its scenic ascendancy, Nagaland (North-eastern state in India) is the home to a multitude of indigenous tribes. Each of these tribes has sovereign festivals handed down by their ancestors, which they celebrate with a lot of ardour and devotion.
Some of the important festivals celebrated are: Tsukhenyie by the Chakhesangs in January, Mimkut by the Kukis in January, Bushu by the Kacharis in January, Sekrenyi by the Angamis in February, Aoling by the Konyaks in April, Monyu by the Phoms in April, Moatsu by the Aos in May, Tuluni by the Sumis in July, Nyaknylum by the Changs in July, Tokhu Emong by the Lothas in November and Yemshe by the Pochurys in October.
The Hornbill Festival is a brainchild of the Government of Nagaland, to create an inter-tribal cultural exchange amidst the people of the state. It has also proved to be an apt platform to promote the cultural heritage of Nagaland, and is a bonus from tourism perspective too. Hornbill festival is organized by the State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments was introduced for the first time in the year 2000.
Bamboo Morung in Naga Heritage Village
(Photo Courtesy - Vivek V Gupta)
The Naga Heritage Village at Kisama (about 12 KM from Kohima), permanently created for this purpose, hosts this annual gala. The independent festivals of about 16 odd Naga tribes, celebrated over different seasons of the year, are condensed into this seven day long celebration. Hornbill festival unites the people of Nagaland as they amass under one roof to display their indigenous arts and crafts.
The sought after highlights of the festival include the Traditional Naga Morungs Exhibition and sale of Arts and Crafts, Food Stalls, Herbal Medicine Stalls, Flower shows. The celebration is garnished with a cultural medley of traditional songs and dances, fashion shows, beauty contests, traditional archery, Naga wrestling, indigenous games, and even motor rally.
In 2007, yet another enlivening facet was introduced to this jamboree. The Hornbill National Rock Contest, possibly the only music festival in the entire nation to last for a week’s duration. About a dozen bands vie for this coveted title, judged by a panel of judges that include musicians and personalities from music industry and media of the country. The Consulate General of United States of America and the Meghalaya’s Higher Education and IT Minister RG Lyngdoh (former member of band Mojo where he used play harb) kick started the Hornbill Rock Contest for the first time in 2007.
So all the backpackers and travel freaks brace yourselves, for the celebration commences from the 1st of December. See you there.
Metal fans, raise those devil horns and hail the original legends of rock. The Gods of Metal are back. Veteran British rock band Black Sabbath announced last Friday about a reunion tour and an upcoming album in their original four man line-up. The hitherto unnamed album, after a 33 year long hiatus is slated for a 2012 release accompanied by a world tour.
Singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bass player Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward told at a news conference at legendary Sunset Strip club Whiskey a Go Go they would perform at the Download Festival in England in June 2012, and then embark on a world tour.
Formed in Aston, Birmingham, in the late 1960’s, Black Sabbath was one of the pioneers of heavy metal. They explored and defined the genre with releases such as quadruple-platinum ‘Paranoid’. Rolling Stone magazine said of this album that it "changed music forever". MTV has ranked them as the Greatest Metal Band and VH1 placed them at number two on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock behind Led Zeppelin. Black Sabbath was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and included among Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Black Sabbath were not off to the best start though. Critics of the era dismissed their sound as it stood in stark contrast to the popular music of that time. The band virtually received no airplay on rock radio, much like their heavy metal contemporaries. Tony Iommi, the band's primary songwriter, wrote the majority of Black Sabbath's music, while Osbourne would write vocal melodies, and bassist Geezer Butler would write lyrics. Vocalist Ozzy Osbourne's excessive abuse of cocaine and his alcohol addiction led him to being fired from the band in April 1979. Post this, he emerged as a solo artist, sold more than 32 million albums, acquiring a cult status among rock fans. The band’s original line-up reunited with Osbourne in 1997 and released a live album ‘Reunion’.
Despite variations in the line up and stylistics changes, Black Sabbath’s original sound mostly focused on ominous lyrics and doomy music, often making use of the musical tritone, famously known as the "devil's interval". Their songs were never structured- it could start with a long intro, break into a jazz piece and even derive influences from folk. Black Sabbath has sold over 15 million records in the United States alone and more than 100 million records worldwide.
The four musicians, now all in their 60s, released their last studio album of all original material in 1978 with "Never Say Never".
The band has outdone themselves time and again and carved a vanguard position for them in the adrenaline pumped world of rock music. There’s little wonder as to why Rolling Stone has posited the band as 'the heavy-metal kings of the '70s'. Black Sabbath are genuinely and inarguably one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time.
The contagious nature of digital media has catapulted many aspiring talents into incredible pinnacles of stardom, Justin Bieber’s being one of the most well known success stories. As of this moment, 11.11.11, time 12.15 P.M. (IST), Biber’s official music video for Baby featuring Ludacris, has registered 656,398,255
hits, placing it as the Most Watched Music Video on YouTube.
‘Baby’ is the lead single from Bieber’s debut album My World 2.0. The song’s uptempo R&B blends dance-pop and hip hop elements with visible influences of doo-wop music. 'Baby' topped the popularity charts immediately after its release and received airplay, officially impacting mainstream and rhythmic radio on January 26, 2010.
Beiber’s wide spread media attention comes from his compelling influence in the social networking sphere, as suggested by a report in the UK Newspaper ‘The Observer’. According to Jan Hoffman of The New York Times, part of Bieber's appeal stems from his YouTube channel. Long before he released his EP, My World, the YouTube videos attracted millions of views.
Bieber’s voice has unarguably won the hearts of many, from screaming teenaged fans to high profile critics, but he has been often criticized of being of looking and sounding younger than his age. There’s little wonder why ‘Baby’ being the most watched music video on YouTube, has also amassed the highest number of dislikes too, 1,981,693 to be precise. He has been mocked on various occasions for his teeny pop music and image, frequent media attention and his public display of affection towards girlfriend Selena Gomez. Bieber’s songs and image has also been the subject of a horde of jokes and parodies.
Previously, American Pop Singer Rebecca Renee Black bagged the title of the most hated video on YouTube, for her single ‘Friday’. The song didn’t go down well with the critics and was panned as the ‘worst song ever’. As of June 14, 2011, the video had received more than 3,190,000 "dislikes", before being finally taken off the site. However, despite the harsh criticism, Black did become a viral star with ‘Friday’ receiving around 167 million views on YouTube. The song was later covered in the popular musical series GLEE, and Black made it to The Tonight’s Show with Jay Leno to discuss the negative reaction to it.
Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, the Assamese Maestro who represented Assam in the world music scenario, passed away on Saturday, Nov 5,2011, in Mumbai at 4.37 P.M. He was 85 years old. He is considered the last of the great ballad singers in India and one of the greatest singers of all time.
As arrangement for last rites of the mortal remains for Dr. Bhpuen Hazarika inside the premises of Guwahati University progresses, thousands of people amass at the Judges Field in Guwahati, Assam to pay their last respects to the bard of Brahmaputra.
The state governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have declared Nov 8, 2011, as state mourning to Dr. Hazarika. Arunachal Pradesh remembers this legendary musician for his association with the state that began four decades ago. His early songs like Hamara Arunachal embody the spirit of the land and its people and compositions like 'Kata jawanar mritu hol' referred to the 1962 Chinese aggression.
Mourners from Bollywood too have extended their condolences for his unfortunate demise. Popular singer Shaan commented “Bhupenda's humility and simplicity were second to none. He was never in a hurry, always accommodating. He had a childlike gaze. We once had a beer at Kolkata airport. I thought it was really cool. I have lots of warm memories .When we were recording, he would never impose his views. He would patiently guide us through the song. He was always smiling and kept everyone around him comfortable”.
India’s melody queen Lata Mangeshkar too remembers Dr. Hazarika with find affection. “I fell in love with Bhupenda's music. Our association continued through decades. He became close to my entire family specially my youngest sister Usha who sang innumerable Assamese songs for him”, she recalled.
Kolkata and Pune Film Fraternity too paid their homage to this legendary musician.
Born in Sadiya, Assam, on 8th Sept, 1926, Dr. Bhupen Hazarika was a noted music director, playwright, actor, journalist, author, lyricist, poet, politician and film-maker of the highest repute. He was known for his crisp baritone voice and flawless diction. He started his music career by writing and singing his first song at the age of 10 and working for the second Assamese film, Indramalati (Dir - Jyoti Prasad Agarwala), in 1939, when he was 12 years old.
In his lifetime, Bhupen Hazarika has been associated with noted film directors like painter Maqbool Fida Husain, Sai Paranjype, Lekh Tandon, Kalpana Lajmi and Bimal Dutt. He had directed music for many movies by these directors. Dr. Hazarika produced, directed, composed music and sang for 32 (thirty two) films in Assamese, Hindi and other languages. He was one of India's oldest performing singers who entertained music lovers all over the world for more than seven decades.
He represented India in Berlin at the World Conference of Composers who used songs as an instrument in social change. He was given the honour of inaugurating the World Seminar in Congress Hall with his own songs on the liberation of Bangladesh.
In 1987, Sangeet Natak Academy in New Delhi awarded him for his outstanding contribution towards Indian music. In 1999, he has been appointed by the Honourable President of India as the Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi for a period of five years. In 1987 he won "Assam's Man of the Year" award. Same year the Government of Assam bestowed its highest award the 'Shankar Dev Award' for his contribution to Assam's culture.
His biggest achievement in terms of awards would be 'The Dadasaheb Phalke Award', also considered as 'India's Oscar', which he was honoured In 1993 for his lifetime's contribution to development of Indian cinema.
Dr. Bhupen Hazarika was hospitalized in the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute in Mumbai in 2011 after he suffered dehydration. He was in ICU for four months and required dialysis due to kidney failure. He was admitted to the intensive care unit on June 30, 2011. He died of multiple organ failure at the age of 85.
The Assam government announced a three-day mourning from Nov 6, 2011 and a state holiday on Nov 8, 2011 on his honour. The mortal remains of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika was brought to Guwahati on Monday, Nov 7 and was kept at Guwahati's Judges' Field for two days for the people to pay their last respects.
Dr. Hazarika had always been a dreamer and had to struggle his way through life at different points. But his dreams and hard work made him reach the top of the ladder and a legend. Though Dr. Bhupen Hazarika is no more physically, his music will linger on and give hope and faith to the upcoming musicians to carry on with their dreams.
(Click on the play button above to listen to the interview)
Singing sensation Joi Baruah may be a new name in Assam, but he certainly has been a sought after vocal talent in the world of ad jingles and has worked with some of the most renowned music directors of Bollywood. Parmita Borah finds out about his debut Assamese album ‘Looking out of the Window’, his inspirations, and his journey as a musician.
Parmita Borah: Welcome to EF News International.
Joi Baura: Thank you for having me over, Parmita
PB:Let me start with your debut album, “Looking out of the Window”. Weren’t you nervous about introducing Rock Music to Assamese lyrics?
JB: No. I was not nervous at all about introducing rock to Assamese music.
PB: Quite confident out there...
JB: Yeah, Assam as a place, and the North East as a whole is a curios mix of folk and rock, for many different reasons. So I knew this would go in very smooth.
PB: What inspired your debut album?
JB: There were a couple of experiences in the sense, I was wanting to do original music for a long time. I was making tunes, and I was making melodies in Mumbai, then the day came when we were clear on my language. It was my own language and we decided that you best express your stories in your own language. That was kind of a turning point in this album when we decided to do this in Assamese. At the same time I was coming out of a huge personal loss, I lost my brother in law, who had been kind of a mentor and a guru for me. Bothe these reasons, together combined, kind of went into the making of the music and making the album.
PB: The song tejimola has a great piano solo. Do you want to tell us something about it?
JB: On piano we had a friend of ours, Litton, who is featured on this song. He’s a part of a band and a very good Assamese musician and a very good pianist. So, we kept him in mind while doing the song and it was handed over to him, he kind of composed a rough scratch around some sketchy vocals that I had sent. Keeping in mind the mood and the melody, he came around a nice, very effective solo that it was. It’s not that we wanted to create a great piece of music, it’s just came in very naturally with the sequence of things that he was working. And I guess, that’s the reason it stands out because he wasn’t trying too hard-he just understood the song and he tried to do justice to the lyrics and the story behind the song, and that manifested in the solo turning out really nice.
PB: Who wrote the music and who wrote the lyrics for the album?
JB: In terms of music, I composed the songs for the album. I arranged the music and later sat down for additional arrangement. The overall programming has been done by Pawan Rasaily, my friend on guitars. So I’ve been responsible for the musical content that’s the melody and the arrangement. I wrote some of the scratch lyrics myself, but then I sat down with my friend Ibson Lal Baruah, who is very well versed in the Assamese language. I expressed my scratch lyrics and my plans to him and he took the whole thing much forward than I had intended. But songs like Tejimola and Tumi were written entirely by him.
PB:Joi, you have had a long stint with ad jingles. How long ago was that?
JB: (laughs) I still work on ad jingles by the way.
PB:*blush* *blush* (Embarrassed!)So you do plan to continue on that note as well...
JB: Yeah, as and when it’s interesting I’ll do. I started working in jingles way back in 2003 when I had landed in Mumbai. That happened suddenly, I was working on a film called Khakee with music by Ram Sampath (Ram Sampath is one of India’s best know ad guys). He heard my voice on the soundtrack of the film and immediately called me for a jingle that he was doing for Sunfeast cookies. I kind of hit it off well with him and that in turn led into me being tried out by other music directors. That has resulted in a lot of jingle work coming in my way and that’s where I learnt a lot of the music that I do.
PB:What about your work in Assam?
JB: My work in Assam has begun with my album. I’ve never worked in Assam before, in any capacity. My professional life began in Mumbai. So the album, in ways, has endeared itself to the Assamese people and the land. Post the launch of the album, there is this one song that I sang for a mobile theatre, called Kihidki. I’ve sung the title track for them and done an acoustic version as well. So apart from my album there is this song that I’ve been involved greatly in Assam so far. I just planning a few things here and there, let’s see how it goes.
PB:So for an Assamese singer, your journey has been the other way round. People start from Assam, go to jingles and Bollywood. For you it has been the reverse direction. Why is that so?
JB: Life takes you around the way it wants to take you around. Things happen. I think the most practical reason being I went looking for work in Mumbai, I never looked for work in Assam. I was a student there and I was part of a band and we played in various college festivals. I looked for a career in music in Mumbai. That being the practical reason I got work in Mumbai. I’ve lived for the past few years in Mumbai and then I decided to do something in my own language, and that has taken me back home.
PB:Joi, what has influenced you as a musician?
JB: My Dad gave me a violin when I was very young. I didn’t know that I would love music, but I got a violin when I was very young and that kind of triggered something, an understanding of the instrument, of the way it could mend itself to various moods. That’s number one. My principal in school was also a very strong influence on me. She encouraged me. Those were two inspiring instances, besides, people, who would kind of give me a reason of why to sing. Secondly, I used to listen to a lot of music, when I was growing up, in the radio and some records that my dad had. I realized early on that I have a deep passion for music and I didn’t know what to do with it because I was primarily drawn to the western music scenario, mostly rock and stuff like that. So I didn’t know if I could make an effective career in India, but yes, it was the only passion that I had and the only thing that I could be really good at, I think.
The Snappy Round
PB: So I am going to ask you a couple of quick questions and you have to answer me in one or two words.
JB: Sure
PB: Who is your favourite vocalist?
JB: It would be Sting.
PB: Who’s your favourite band?
JB: Sting, Maiden and Beatles.
PB: What kind of music do you hate?
JB: I hate very sugary Pop.
PB:Pick one- jingles or movies?
JB: One at a time
PB: Playback or live performance?
JB: They are different things. Cannot be compared
PB:Thank you very much for joining us.
JB: Thank you for having me over
PB:And we look forward to seeing you perform live, as well as more albums on their way.
