Music has always been part of the soundtrack of my life. My time in Florence comes to mind whenever I hear a Dire Straits song, while my first year in Los Angeles is always a mix of Hall & Oates tunes. Then NYC of course has the most music since it’s where I’ve spent nearly all of my life! A bit Punk Rock, a bit Techno-Pop, with a whole lot of Michael Jackson thrown in and some African tunes from Mali and Ivory Coast.

Not many know that I also spent quite an extended period of time in Jamaica, the island not the Queens neighborhood, and that’s where I even learned to drive. To those who have been my car companions I say, you knew it, didn’t you?! Isn’t it obvious that I learned to drive in a country that has no driving laws other than the guy who sees the police car first tips off all the other drivers on the road by honking or flashing his lights, and – lets not forget – where they drive on the left side of the street! But Jamaica is where I learned about masters like Sly & Robbie, who fine-tuned my taste to include sampling, ska and exotic music and Mutabaruka, who simply taught me everything I know about human rights and justice (as well as what having a ‘wicked sense of humor’ means)!

Then there is India, where not only have I found the same automotive craziness, as well as similar ideas about food, culture and sampling, but also discovered the magic of Filmi music and Bollywood tunes. Paradise.

Within this paradise, I have also been fortunate to develop a few friendships with some of the most talented filmmakers in the world. I don’t typically drop names but will do so for the purpose of this piece. Brahmanand Singh is a wonderful man, a great storyteller and also happens to have made the best film and biography ever about music genius R.D. Burman. And if we want to talk soundtracks of our lives, no one equals Pancham, as he was affectionately called. Every single one of our soundtracks, I bet, includes a Pancham song. Mine… ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha’, ‘Chura Liya Hai Tumne’, ‘Rhim Jhim Gire Saawan’, ‘Rishte Bante Hai’ and… the list goes on and on and on!

Luckily, these days there is a newfound respect for the great Bengali music Master. With ‘Pancham Unmixed’ having been recently released as a collector’s double DVD with coffee table book by Shemaroo, we can have the soundtrack of our lives also become the entertainment of our nights. With family, loved ones, on a special date, do whip out your newly acquired PU, boil up some fragrant chai and share a magical couple of hours. You – as well as those around you – will be that much better for the viewing!

For complete info on the DVD, go to the ‘Pancham Unmixed’ website. For more on the ultra talented Brahmanand S. Singh, click on his name which will direct you to his personal site. Happy viewing and listening everyone!

This entry was posted on Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 3:01 pm and is filed under Films 2 See.