Rijram Desad

Rijram Desad, often credited as Rij Ram Desad, was an Indian classical musician, multi-instrumentalist and teacher, based in Bombay. Beginning in the early 1940s, he performed on many Indian film soundtracks and in ballet presentations. He was known for his versatility as a musician and his ability to master a wide range of percussion and string instruments.[1] According to cultural historian Naseem Khan, his skill on the jal tarang had become "legendary" by the mid 1970s.[1]

Rijram Desad
GenresIndian classical, film score
Occupation(s)Musician, teacher
InstrumentsJal tarang, various Indian percussion and string instruments

Desad worked with the Hindi cinema playback singer Lata Mangeshkar[1] and played santoor on recordings by the Hindustani ghazal, dadra and thumri vocalist Begum Akhtar.[2] Among his contributions to orchestral projects, he played hand drums[3] in an ensemble led by Ravi Shankar and filmed in Bombay in 1968 for the Shankar documentary Raga (1971).[4][5] In January 1968, he was among the musicians selected by Shambhu Das, who ran Shankar's Kinnara School of Music in Bombay,[6] to appear on the Wonderwall Music soundtrack album by George Harrison of the Beatles.[7] Desad's contributions to the album included Indian harmonium and tabla tarang.[8] As a result of this project, Desad played harmonium on the Beatles song "The Inner Light", which Harrison recorded during the same sessions.[9] In his notes detailing the contributions of the musicians he worked with in Bombay, Harrison listed him as "Rij-Ram (Everything) Desad".[10]

In 1974, Desad was one of the musicians and singers handpicked by Shankar for his Music Festival from India revue.[11] Sponsored by Harrison, the eighteen-piece orchestra toured Europe,[12] playing a musical program that mixed Indian classical and a wide variety of regional folk styles.[13] Among the percussion instruments played by Desad, he performed on pakavaj beside fellow drummers Alla Rakha (tabla), T.V. Gopalkrishnan (mridangam) and Kamalesh Maitra (tabla tarang).[14] Harrison also produced a studio album by the Music Festival from India;[15] released in 1976, it included contributions from Desad on pakavaj, madal tarang, dholki, nagada, huduk and duff.[16] Following the Music Festival's European tour, he played on Harrison and Shankar's joint North American tour in November and December 1974.[17][18] For the finale to the Indian portion of these concerts, Desad and the rest of Shankar's ensemble performed with Harrison's band,[19][20] which also included jazz percussionist Emil Richards and rock drummers Jim Keltner and Andy Newmark.[14]

Desad's versatility led to him redesigning old folk musical instruments for use in a more modern and varied musical context.[1] Later a teacher, Desad was a mentor to tablist Lalit Mahant,[21] whom he trained in tabla and the tantra vadhya vocal style.[22]

References
  1. Naseem Khan, "The Artists", in Collaborations, book accompanying Ravi Shankar–George Harrison Collaborations box set (Dark Horse Records, 2010; produced by Olivia Harrison; package design by Drew Lorimer & Olivia Harrison), p. 46.
  2. Liner notes, Lost Horizons LP (The Gramophone Company of India, 1977; produced & directed by Murli Manohar Swarup).
  3. Credits, Raga: A Film Journey into the Soul of India DVD, East Meets West/Apple Films, 2010 (produced and directed by Howard Worth; reissue produced by Shyama Priya & Cat Celebrezze).
  4. Peter Lavezzoli, The Dawn of Indian Music in the West, Continuum (New York, NY, 2006; ISBN 0-8264-2819-3), p. 184.
  5. Howard Thompson, "Screen: Ravi Shankar; 'Raga,' a Documentary, at Carnegie Cinema", The New York Times, 24 November 1971, p. 23 (retrieved 26 August 2015).
  6. Bill Harry, The George Harrison Encyclopedia, Virgin Books (London, 2003; ISBN 978-0-7535-0822-0), p. 61.
  7. Wonderwall Music CD booklet (Apple Records, 2014; produced by George Harrison), pp. 8, 15.
  8. Album credits, Wonderwall Music CD (Apple Records, 2014; produced by George Harrison).
  9. Peter Lavezzoli, The Dawn of Indian Music in the West, Continuum (New York, NY, 2006; ISBN 0-8264-2819-3), p. 183.
  10. George Harrison – The Apple Years book (Apple Records, 2014; produced by Dhani Harrison, Olivia Harrison & Jonathan Clyde), p. 17.
  11. Ravi Shankar, Raga Mala: The Autobiography of Ravi Shankar, Welcome Rain (New York, NY, 1999; ISBN 1-56649-104-5), pp. 223–24.
  12. Chip Madinger & Mark Easter, Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium, 44.1 Productions (Chesterfield, MO, 2000; ISBN 0-615-11724-4), p. 442.
  13. Collaborations, book accompanying Ravi Shankar–George Harrison Collaborations box set (Dark Horse Records, 2010; produced by Olivia Harrison; package design by Drew Lorimer & Olivia Harrison), p. 31.
  14. Chip Madinger & Mark Easter, Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium, 44.1 Productions (Chesterfield, MO, 2000; ISBN 0-615-11724-4), p. 447.
  15. Peter Lavezzoli, The Dawn of Indian Music in the West, Continuum (New York, NY, 2006; ISBN 0-8264-2819-3), p. 195.
  16. Album credits, Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India LP (Dark Horse Records, 1976; produced by George Harrison).
  17. Olivia Harrison, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Abrams (New York, NY, 2011; ISBN 978-1-4197-0220-4), pp. 298–99.
  18. Chip Madinger & Mark Easter, Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium, 44.1 Productions (Chesterfield, MO, 2000; ISBN 0-615-11724-4), pp. 446–47.
  19. Olivia Harrison, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Abrams (New York, NY, 2011; ISBN 978-1-4197-0220-4), p. 312.
  20. Robert Rodriguez, Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980, Backbeat Books (Milwaukee, WI, 2010; ISBN 978-1-4165-9093-4), p. 238.
  21. Garima Mishra, "Call of the Santoor", The Indian Express, 8 June 2015 (retrieved 4 August 2016).
  22. "Biography", santoortabla.com (retrieved 4 August 2016).
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