A few weeks back on another forum the topic came up regarding the way Asha changes her voice and mood and the example given was ab jo mile hain--have not seen the picturisation so could not comment on it. I was listening to jab naam-e-mohabbat a lot recently after it was uploaded most kindly here for me. Isn't it wonderful the way Asha manages 2 entirely different moods and tempos in the same song. Her voice too sounds different for the 2 moods. How is this song picturised?
Also was thinking about several old songs where Asha sounds so much like Lata. And even in those early days the best person to partner her in a duet. If one did not know that yeh ruki ruki hawayein is a duet and was is not concentrating one could imagine it was a song like jab naam-e-mohabbat. Also in sakhi ri sun bole papiha the 2 sisters are so close in voice and so well-matched in taking the botes, the twists and the classical turns. Even in the song geet kitne ga chuki hoon Asha sounds very close to Lata hai na?
Priya

Sorry for diverting slightly from your topic Priyaji, but one song where the two sound quite different is "man kyun behka ri bahka". I thought that Asha sounded fresh compared to Lata. However I was quite disappointed to read Subhash K Jha's review at that time which said that though Lata sails through the song Asha runs into rough weather.

Asad

Hello Asadji!
Subhash K Jha often writes corny things. Poor soul.
Yes I too thought Ashaji sounded far younger too. In fact for a while I thought that the singing should have been reversed as Ashaji sounded more chanchal and sensuous too and so would have suited Rekha the courtesan. But then in the film Rekha is older than Anupama and with a more serious bent of mind so it suits.
P

Yes Ashaji is many singers in one--a singer for all moods and all times.
But with me the first songs I heard of Asha's were the ones with Op Nayyar and also RD Burman. Mainly the naughty, sprightly, playful numbers or the western ones. These songs have an eternal market (or so HMV is deluded) and so I grew up hearing mainly these. The only other songs I heard those days were her non film ghazals and geets. So later listening to more of her semiclassical and classical numbers and some of the rarer numbers with mds like Jaidev and Khayyam has been a treat. But the best songs I like hearing nowadays because each one is a new discovery are the old 50s songs where Asha was just developing her style--all those songs for low budget films or lesser known mds--the same kind of songs that went to Lata but are less preserved in archives for they were not the films that made news. But these are numbers which I feel were recorded at a stage before 'the Great Divide' by which I mean that mindset which stated that all serious heroine songs went to Lata and all Western or sensuous or playful numbers went to Asha--a mindset that eventually sort of set their styles.
The early Asha before all these demarcations is rarely given to the public and so finding such treasures is always special.

That article is a must read for an Asha fan. Varsha Bhosle writes well and the article is poignant in places.
Asha once mentioned that after Umrao Jaan became musically a rage and she got the national award an md who had known her from the first song she sang told her--i never realised U sang so well or something of the sort and how it hurst. i infer the md is Naushad saab who rectified is error in judgement in later years through his interviews (sad that by then it was too late to correct it with songs )
The Lekin song Asha again mentions was earlier recorded by someone else (all these nameless persons are a nuisance) but Hridaynathji was not satisfied and so she dubbed it.
Another of the later songs that I like is barse puhar--I think it is from Thodisi Bewafai.
P

Priya:

While on the subject, I shudder when whomsoever derogates one artiste in the course of praising another. So, it was astonishing to read Naushad-sahab (while singing paens about Lata-ji) comparing Asha-ji with her and observing that "baazaarpan" (?) is present in Asha-ji's voice. Obviously he is supremely competent to judge.

I just wonder if the "rectification of judgement" you cited, came about before or after that remark.

I guess we'll never know!

I think that rectification came later. There is this whole poem he wrote in honour of her which u must have heard and a long section of remarks quoted in Raju Bharatan's artcile on Asha (dunno if that is the original source) on how Asha is in every way Lata's match and how an entire generation of mds were deaf to her etc.
The bazarupan remark was earlier when he was younger I think. Ah well!

Priya :

Hey, today's thine budday. Kum-se-kum bazaar se mitthaiyaan le aayenge na? Hum sab ke liye. Theek hai, bazaar ki baatein nahin karenge. Magar mitthaiyon ki baat hum zaroor karenge!

Cheers & wishing you hazaaron saal!

Isn't it amazing that age doesn't have to do anything with chulbulaban, chanchaltaa or sensuality. I remember Ashaji saying somewhere (this was around the time when "jaanam Samjha Karo" album {not the film} was released) that this song is written by an octogenarian (Majrooh saab) and sung by me...but hear it and decide if it doesn't express a young girl's desires?

Asad

P.S. Happy B'day Priya(ji)).

janam din mubarak Priya ji

I was going through rediff pages. Somewhere u mentioned
your choice of top five as under:



Subject: Fav Asha Nos

Raat Akeli Hai--Phenomenal No--No one else can sing it
Justuju Jiski thi--Beautiful, soul stirring ghazal
Rutu Hirwa--Classical based extraordinary bhavgeet
Sach Hue Sapne Tere--Sweet, innocent love song
Na Marte Hum--Ashaji's own magical composition


The last one- -Na marte hum is a gair filmi one. Where can
I get the song?


zankib

Hi Zankib,
These were just a few numbers that came to mind at that moment--all different kinds of songs. Nahin to who can narrow down Ashaji's numbers to 5?
Na marte hum is from the album Aapki Asha with music by Ashaji herself. Lyrics by Majroohsaab.
If U do not have the album I can ul the songs for U. Lemme know.
I also think u will find them on coolgoose.
Priya