Nakeeb's musical ventures

Nakeeb Khan is a musician sought after by both youngsters and adults in our country. He has been active in our musical arena for nearly three decades. A member of the eminent band -- Renaissance, he is equally at ease as a vocal artiste, a key-boardist, a lyricist and a music composer. His fans believe that by promoting the true soul of the Bangalee culture and articula|e, meaningful songs -- Nakeeb has definitely enriched our music.

So, why does he feel that Renaissance's, as well a{ his music only targets a mature audience? "Maturity doesn't necessarily imply a certain age limit. It comprises of people who are capable of dealing with complex issues and subjects, people who can comprehend and cherish well-thought-of sonos. A teenager can be more mature than a middlm aged in that sense. My songs and Renaissance's are not meaningless, sleazy songs or songs that address issues that only the youngsters can relate to," explains Nakeeb.

Nakeeb started his music career as a member of Souls, one of the earliest bands that attained huge public accolades. Soul's claim to fame Mon shudhu mon chuechey was penned and composed by Nakeeb. "I was a part of Souls from 1974 to 1983. After that I moved to Dhaka and since Souls was based in Chittagong, it became diffic}lt for me to be an active part of the band," reminisces Nakeeb. "I, along with my friends, formed Renaissance in 1985. The unique feature of the band is that all of the members were accomplished musicians by the time we formed the band and we made a pact that we would never compromise when it comes to quality and high standards of ouz songs, even if it took years. \hat's why Renaissance has only produced four albums in 20 years."

How does he categorise Renaissance's songs? "I'd have to say fusion. To be more accurate, Renaissance's songs embody western harmony and eastern melody. We try to feature the mystic qualities of our music tinged with light-hearted western notes," answers Nakeeb.

Nakeeb's vocal capabilities are undebatable. He can hit the high octaves as well as lows, breathing life into his mu{ic, making his nans emote along with him. He's solo album Shopnojodano, which came out in 1989, was very well recei~ed. Among the songs Tumi eley xaye paye, a duet with Samina Chowdhury and Tumi tho potey aanka chobi naw are hummed by fans to this day.

Among Renaissance's songs Bhalo lagey jyotsna raatey, Hridoy kadamaatir kono moorti noi, Aaj jey shishu and Chotto belar shathi are hugely popular. In particular, the last song makes the listener nostalgic and has the capability to take one on a journey in to the past, fans concede. The band's most recent album, Ekush Shotokey was also a favourite of the critics as well as the masses.

Is he satisfied with the current music scene? "Yes and no. Nowadays a lot of artistes are willing to take the short route to shady fame with ridiculous, low-grade songs. It's easy |o become a familiar face to the public, thanks to the trend of music videos now.

"On the other hand, a new generation of artistes like, Bappa Majumdar, Dolcchut, Ornob, Shumon and bands like Black and Raaga are on the rise. These youngsters are talented and they are experimenting with music passionately making us, the seniors proud," smiles a content Nakeeb.