Learning electronic keyboard Kabir Suman

kabir suman practicing organ & keyboards

after reaching in usa, bought portable keyboard when got first salary, , started practicing play in both hands. after 2 months bought double deck organ in monthly installment , continued practice. @ time started learning keyboard instrument theory, chord practice, notation reading , writing etc. of many american books , cassettes. started playing hammond organ , moog synthesizer during time. many songs including “agun dekhechhi ami”(finally published in 1993), “duchokh buje jao”, “hazar bachhar dhare”, “america prabasi bangalir gan”, “sararat jwelechhe” (finally published in 1994), “bandhu amar ei hat dharo” etc. created during period.

during period kabir suman decided go nicaragua feel environment of sandinista revolution. started learning spanish, , history, politics , literature of latin america, , created song “jwalbe agun”(finally published in 2012) revolution. in mean time bought 2 synthesizers, 2 organ, 1 keyboard, 1 4 track tape recorder, 1 master recorder, microphone etc., , started multi track recording. salil chowdhury met him in 1982, when suman living in silver spring, maryland. in period, started sending feature in each month ’desh’ magazine under pseudonym manab mitra, , started writing in ’frontier’ magazine. around 1983 took interview of paul swizi, harry mcdoff, liror jones, amiri baraka, noam chomsky, george wald, maxine kline, holly mere, maya angelou, barbara eirenrich, bertel wolman, anet rubinstein & pete seeger.

during interview period, kabir suman made intimate relation friend, philosopher , guide pete seeger. pete inspired suman songwriting, composing etc. helped suman go nicaragua knowing details revolution.

suman returned in kolkata in 1985. bought many instruments, applicable complete recording studio, sent kolkata ship. after returning in kolkata, rejoined ‘nagarik’ new vocalists , instrumentalists, , continued writing , composing songs, thinking group songs.

after more 5 years, ‘nagarik’ again performed in concert @ birla academy hall, kabir suman played electronic keyboards. other instruments guitar, tabla, conga, drums , nal. after seeing concert, biman ghosh, 1 of officer of gramophone company of india offered ’nagarik’ record album both vinyl record , cassette tape format. insisted suman repeatedly sing songs on forthcoming album, along playing keyboards, recording company not showed interest alternative bengali songs, , recording not done.