Not too many musicians have an insatiable appetite for acquiring knowledge from diverse sources and gurus. There are even fewer who internalise this material through constant introspection and study and bring their aesthetic to the content in a manner that makes their presentation totally unique.
Eminent vocalist and composer Jitendra Abhisheki was one such artist, whose rich legacy is available to us through his recordings and compositions, and whose musical style is being carried forward by a host of devoted disciples.
In our new episode on public spaces named after Hindustani musicians, here is a brief overview of the maestro’s life and work as we walk along the street named after him in Pune, the city in which he lived in for many years.
The son of a temple priest in Goa, Jitendra Abhisheki was initiated in music by his father. He was also trained in Sanskrit and Marathi. Here is a link to a short recording of him chanting in Sanskrit. This was recorded for sitar maestro Ravi Shankar’s album Festival of India.
After his early lessons in art and religious music and his academic education, Abhisheki moved to Mumbai where he did a brief stint with the All India Radio. He then began his taaleem or training under renowned vocalist and composer Azmat Hussain Khan, whose life and work we discussed in the article about the street in South Mumbai that is named after him.
On the next track, Abhisheki sings his own composition set to a drut or fast-paced 12-matra Ektaal in Devta Bhairav, a raag created by Azmat Hussain Khan “Dilrang”.
Abhisheki also learnt from Girijabai Kelekar, Jagannathbuwa Purohit, and Gulubhai Jasdanwala.
The following track has Abhisheki’s rendition of Jogkauns, a raag created by Jagannathbuwa Purohit “Gunidas”. The two compositions set to a vilambit or slow Ektaal and a drut 16-matra Teentaal are also composed by Purohit.
Later, Abhisheki also learnt from Gulubhai Jasdanwala of the Jaipur-Atrauli tradition established by Alladiya Khan. On the next track, Abhisheki sings Dagori. Both, the raag and composition set to a vilambit seven-matra Rupak, were created by Alladiya Khan.
Jitendra Abhisheki’s thirst for knowledge and experimentation led him to several other sources. He learnt compositions from noted vocalists Nivruttibuwa Sarnaik and Ratnakar Pai, and even learnt from Bade Ghulam Ali Khan of the Patiala gharana. He also went on to include in his concert repertoire compositions created by well-known composers like CR Vyas and Ramashreya Jha, among others. Even as he imbibed diverse influences, he went on to create a style that was very much his own.
Unlike many male vocalists of his generation who chose not to sing thumri, Abhisheki’s rendition of thumris had a separate identity. Here is a thumri in the raag Khamaj set to the 14-matra Deepchandi.
The traditional knowledge that he drew upon and his experimental nature led him to give a stamp of individuality to his compositions for Marathi theatre music. On the next track, he sings one of his compositions from this repertoire.
Jitendra Abhisheki’s concert repertoire included bhajans written by various saint-poets. We end this episode with a bhajan sung by him in the raag Bhairavi.
One of India’s leading tabla players, Aneesh Pradhan is a widely recognised performer, teacher, composer and scholar of Hindustani music. Visit his website here.