SHUBH-DHWANI: Auspicious Sounds
Shehnai has been an integral part of Indian culture for centuries. Any special occasion, with or without auspicious ceremonies begins with the Shehnai. So strong is the association between this instrument and festivities that the very word Shehnai has become synonymous with celebrations and happiness. In fact, in several parts of the country even today, the temples resonate with the sound of the Shehnai in the early hours of morning. A small wind instrument, it looks somewhat similar to Oboe, but instead of furnished keys as in Oboe, it has seven open holes. The player closes or opens these holes with his fingers, as he blows, to create the desired melody. Naturally, it requires tremendous finger dexterity and great lungpower, as well as breath control to be able to play the Shehnai well.
Indian music based on light classical raags, this scintillating "Shehnai and Harmonium" album will set a new landmark in its appeal to all auspicious occasions in the Indian Calendar and social functions of every hue and colour. The sweet and exquisite Shehnai music of Pandit Shambhaji Dhumal together with a breathtaking virtuoso Harmonium accompaniment by Ustad Akhlak Hussain is set to become a ‘must have’ album in the easy-listening collection of the connoisseurs too.
Pandit Shambhaji Dhumal: Born in 1951 into a family of musicians, Pandit Shambhaji Dhumal was trained at an early age by his Shehnai playing father, Shri Tukaram Dhumal and his mother, Chandrabai Dhumal, a well known classical singer. He further developed his art under his Gurus Govind Prasad Jaipurwale and K. R. Jadav. As if this was not enough, he also learnt to play the Tabla under the guidance of Ustad Amir Hussain Khan.
He gained experience of playing and accompanying on stage under the eyes of the renowned Shri Parashar Desai and soon became an inevitable presence for folk music, marriage songs, live ballet shows, commercial recordings and the legendary "Bollywood" film industry. This vast repertoire of public stage performances has helped hone his skills at being one of the foremost versatile Shehnai players in Mumbai today. He has worked with a galaxy of music directors such as R. D. Burman, Laxmikant Pyarelal, C. Ramchandra, Datta Davjekar and Ashit Desai. Today, he continues to work with virtually all of the younger generation of music directors in the film industry. Besides, he has extensively toured East, Central and South Africa, the United Kingdom and USA.
Ustad Akhlak Hussain: A Harmonium player par excellence, Mumbai born Ustad Akhlak Hussain was trained by none other than Ustad Taj Ahmed Khan and Ustad Rahat Ali Khan. Over the last two decades, he has accompanied stellar names in the field of vocal music such as Jagjit Singh, Roop Kumar Rathod, Dilraj Kaur, Shobha Joshi, Aslam Khan, Ahmed Hussain, Talat Aziz and many more. A true master of the Harmonium, his sensitive accompaniment on stage makes him one of the most highly sought after musician in India today. He is equally adept as a soloist too.
