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Narendra Kusnur
Articles by Narendra Kusnur

Review: The Musical Maverick; The Authorized Biography Of Shankar Mahadevan by Ashis Ghatak

On Shankar Mahadevan’s influences, his work as a playback singer and composer for Hindi cinema, his devotional music, and his role in the Grammy award winning Indo-jazz group, Shakti

Shankar Mahadevan (centre) rehearing for Symphony Orchestra of India’s Spring season 2020 with Zane Dalal, Zakir Hussain, Hariharan and Kelley O’Connor at NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai on February 24 2020. (Aalok Soni/HT PHOTO)
Published on Apr 05, 2024 09:17 PM IST

Tracing the journey of Barmer Boys from Rajasthan’s remote village to world stage

The group performed at the Cube auditorium of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) last Sunday. Sawai Khan has now come in place of Rais Khan, playing morchang and the bhapang and khartal percussion instruments. There was a guest appearance by Kalbeliya dancer Sunita Sapera, dressed in shiny folk costume

Tracing the journey of Barmer Boys from Rajasthan’s remote village to world stage
Updated on Mar 10, 2024 07:54 AM IST

Franco Vaz: RD Burman’s ace drummer learnt the beats from Jazz

Vaz passed away on February 7 in Mumbai at the age of 67. The news was received with shock

Franco Vaz: RD Burman’s ace drummer learnt the beats from Jazz
Updated on Feb 09, 2024 06:44 AM IST

Rashid Khan’s little-known role in the film industry had an oversize impact

The classical musician passed away on January 9, but his Hindi and Bengali film music will continue to enthrall generations of listeners

Ustad Rashid Khan Khan was first noticed in the film world in Subhash Ghai’s 2005 film Kisna: The Warrior Poet, (Instagram/rashid_khan_ustad)
Updated on Jan 16, 2024 07:01 PM IST

When the Goan gets tough...: A Wknd interview with rapper Tsumyoki

Nathan Mendes aka Tsumyoki, 22, just won an MTV Europe Music Award, for a song about unrequited love. ‘Now people will see we make original music too,’ he says.

In 2021, Tsumyoki was signed by Gully Gang, the music label set up by Mumbai-based rap icon Divine. He was the label’s youngest musician and first Goan artist. ‘Goans are known for cover songs and wedding bands, dance music and maybe a bit of jazz. But there is so much creative talent here,’ he says.
Updated on Nov 24, 2023 09:45 PM IST

Play it again: The music that helped make Dev Anand a star

Chhod do aanchal… Khoya khoya chand… The pairing of SD Burman and Dev Anand created songs so iconic, the words now seem to have no meaning without the tune.

With Waheeda Rehman in Kala Bazar (1960). On the soundtrack: the unforgettable Khoya Khoya Chand.
Updated on Sep 29, 2023 09:51 PM IST

Tina Turner: A rock icon who was much more than ‘Simply The Best’

Tina Turner breathed her last on May 24 at her home near Zurich, Switzerland. She was 83.

Tina Turner died Tuesday, after battling a long illness at the age of 83 (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)(AP)
Updated on May 26, 2023 04:21 AM IST

A victory for the stories of India as seen from within

India arrived at the Oscars with two unique acceptance speeches

HT Image
Published on Mar 14, 2023 12:12 AM IST
ByNarendra Kusnur, Mumbai

Kej’s Grammy shows reach of Indian music

Kej won his first Grammy in 2015 for Winds of Samsara. Like Divine Tides, it was in the Best New Age Album category. But those earlier awards were for a specific genre, and thus were judged on the type of music, unlike this time’s win in a purely technical category

Ricky Kej, Herbert Waltl, and Stewart Copeland hold the award for Best Immersive Audio Album in the press room during the 65th Annual Grammy Awards at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023 (AFP)
Updated on Feb 10, 2023 08:06 PM IST
ByNarendra Kusnur

Ghosts of gigs gone by. Were you at these epic concerts?

Lollapalooza is here. But how much have Indian concerts changed? Rewind with four gigs and someone who’s been in the audience, cheering, for decades

At Michael Jackson’s Mumbai show, where, at one point, he stepped out of a makeshift spaceship. (Getty Images)
Updated on Jul 24, 2023 08:06 PM IST

Review: Kishore Kumar - The Ultimate Biography

Compulsory reading for any Kishore Kumar fan, this extensive work by Anirudha Bhattacharjee and Parthiv Dhar brings out the singer and film personality’s character, talent, eccentricities and zest for life

Kishore Kumar in performance in the 1970s (HT Photo)
Published on Jan 14, 2023 06:52 AM IST
ByNarendra Kusnur

Review: Kishore Kumar; The Ultimate Biography by Anirudha Bhattacharjee and Parthiv Dhar

Compulsory reading for any Kishore Kumar fan, this extensive work brings out the singer and film personality’s character, talent, eccentricities and zest for life

Kishore Kumar in performance in the 1970s. (HT Photo)
Updated on Jan 14, 2023 06:37 AM IST
ByNarendra Kusnur

How music travels between cultures

Just before the song Naatu Naatu begins, actors Ram Charan and NTR Jr ask, “Not flamenco, not salsa, my brother

RRR actors Jr. NTR and Ram Charan in the song Naatu Naatu. (PTI)
Updated on Jan 12, 2023 12:46 PM IST
ByNarendra Kusnur

Bhupinder Singh, he of the soulful voice, dies at 82

The two versions of Madan Mohan’s ‘Dil Dhoondta Hai’ in Mausam, R.D. Burman’s ‘Naam Gum Jaayega’ in Kinara, Jaidev’s ‘Do Deewane Shaher Mein’ in Gharonda were all gems

Born on February 6, 1940, in Amritsar, Bhupinder passed away in Mumbai on Monday evening at the age of 82. He had been suffering from health complications for some time (HT File)
Updated on Jul 19, 2022 12:44 AM IST
ByNarendra Kusnur

Maestro who took the Indian santoor to the world

Born in Jammu on January 13, 1938, Sharma was initiated into music by his father Pandit Uma Dutt Sharma. After learning vocals and tabla, and even performing for the Jammu radio station when he was 12, he was drawn to the sound of the santoor, which was played commonly in the Kashmir region.

Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma in Mumbai in 2007. He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986 and the Padma Shri in 1991. He was honoured with Padma Vibhushan, nation’s second-highest civilian award in 2001.(Prodip Guha/HT Photo)
Updated on May 11, 2022 08:21 AM IST
ByNarendra Kusnur, Mumbai

Review: The Queen Of Indian Pop by Vikas Kumar Jha

While fans know Usha Uthup for her stage presence and distinct style of singing, her biography presents the personality behind the music

Singer Usha Uthup in performance. (Virendra Prabhakar/HT Photo)
Updated on May 03, 2022 05:40 PM IST
ByNarendra Kusnur

Ramba who who who? Narendra Kusnur on the Usha Uthup phenomenon

With her booming voice, infectious smile, saris, bindi and tambourine, Uthup was a unique pop icon. Amid the release of a new biography, The Queen of Indian Pop, Kusnur talks to the singer, and some of her earliest fans.

’When I started singing, I never had any plan to think of it as a career. Things just happened,” says Uthup, 74. But even today, ‘the kind of adrenaline that’s produced after a successful show is much more than all the single malts can give.’
Updated on Apr 22, 2022 02:41 PM IST
ByNarendra Kusnur

Review: Remo, the Autobiography of Remo Fernandes

Remo’s autobiography is an honest look at his life that covers his upbringing in Portuguese Goa, hitch-hiking adventures in Europe and North Africa, his musical career, his affairs and marriages, the road accident that killed his band members, and his decision to live in Portugal

Remo Fernandes photographed on 11 December 1998. (Manish Swarup/HT Photo)
Published on Feb 18, 2022 06:23 PM IST
ByNarendra Kusnur

Vanraj Bhatia, musician whose jingles were the soundtrack of ’80s, '90s, dies

The music director, who died on Friday aged 93, had already made a mark in Shyam Benegal’s films. Most notable were his songs Mero Gaam Katha Parey in Manthan (1976), Tumhare Bin Jee Na Lage in Bhumika (1977) and Kya Hai Tera Gham Bata in Kalyug (1981).

Vanraj Bhatia at his residence in Mumbai.(HT Archive)
Updated on May 08, 2021 05:11 AM IST
ByNarendra Kusnur, Hindustan Times, Mumbai

Review: Louiz Banks: A Symphony of Love by Ashis Ghatak

A biography of Louiz Banks that brings out the musical personality of the ‘godfather of Indian jazz’

Louiz Banks performing during his 75th birthday celebrations in Mumbai on February 10, 2016. (AFP via Getty Images)
Published on Apr 02, 2021 10:07 PM IST
ByNarendra Kusnur

Review: Hariprasad Chaurasia; Breath of Gold by Sathya Saran

Sathya Saran’s biography of master flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia provide a detailed account of his immense contribution

Hariprasad Chaurasia(Stephane Grangier/Corbis via Getty Images)
Updated on Mar 13, 2020 08:18 PM IST
Hindustan Times | ByNarendra Kusnur

An enigma of Indian classical music who struck a spiritual tone

Annapurna Devi, born as Roshanara Khan, was an Indian surbahar (bass sitar) player of Hindustani classical music.

Annapurna Devi started learning the sitar at the age of five .(HT Archive)
Updated on Oct 14, 2018 12:05 AM IST
ByNarendra Kusnur

Brimful of Asha: Review of Raju Bharatan’s musical biography of Asha Bhosle

Raju Bharatan’s biography of Asha Bhosle deals with different aspects of this supremely talented singer’s music

(From right) Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar, Amit Kumar and an unidentified singer at a recording(HT Photo)
Updated on Nov 05, 2016 09:27 AM IST
Hindustan Times | ByNarendra Kusnur

Maithili Rao’s book on Smita Patil gives marvellous insights

Rao doesn’t make this a plain chronological narration of Smita’s life story. A senior critic and columnist, she has an immense understanding of cinema.

Smita Patil in a still from Mirch Masala. December 13 marks 29 years since Smita’s death .(HT Photo)
Updated on Dec 12, 2015 02:31 PM IST
Hindustan Times | ByNarendra Kusnur, New Delhi

Dagars & Drupad: Book pays tribute to the masters of Dagarvani

The Dagar family has produced some of the greatest practitioners of the Hindustani classical form of dhrupad. A well-researched new book pays them tribute.

Dagar bandhu in 1985; Zahiruddin (left) and Faiyazuddin Dagar.(HT Photo/Ajit Kumar)
Updated on Nov 07, 2015 11:33 AM IST
Hindustan Times | ByNarendra Kusnur, New Delhi

Jagjit Singh: Remembering the life of a legend

Jagjit Singh combined traditional and modern styles. Purists had reservations, but people loved him. On his 4th death anniversary, HT reviews Sathya Saran’s book on Singh’s life.

Jagjit Singh at the Odyssey Ghazal Symphony in Mumbai. (File photo)(Getty Images)
Updated on Oct 10, 2015 02:07 PM IST
Hindustan Times | ByNarendra Kusnur, New Delhi

Book review: Interesting anecdotes on V Shantaram

V Shantaram's biography captivates with anecdotes about the man and his passion for cinema, and details about his subjects and his personal life

A file photo from 07 April 1981 shows V Shantaram at an event. (HT Photo by KK Chawla)
Updated on Sep 19, 2015 01:18 PM IST
Hindustan Times | ByNarendra Kusnur, New Delhi

Naushadnama: a must-read for fans of classic Hindi film music

Song historian Raju Bharatan covers practically every aspect of Naushad's glorious career in his book. Having been associated with the maestro for over five decades, he keeps you engrossed through loads of anecdotes and personal memories.

A-photo-of-the-master-composer-Naushad
Updated on Nov 14, 2013 01:06 PM IST
ByNarendra Kusnur
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