It’s
the middle of the night and the balcão that usually sports a quiet, empty look, wakes up to the
music of a time gone by. The cold air reverberates with sounds of a mandolin, ghumott
and guitar, all blended into a beautiful instrumental medley.
The acoustic jam sessions are too much for the audience to
resist and they sing along to the timeless classics. And when stalwarts of Goan
music are the ones playing, the likes of Selwyn Menezes who has left many an
audience mesmerised, you know this is no ordinary moment. These are moments of
magic!
Selwyn and Bebe (Jose Conceição) who have been fondly given the
tag of the ‘Wakers’, have enthralled friends and families with their impromptu
performances that begin at 12 am, or as they call it the Zero Hour. Moving from
balcão to balcão, they are welcomed into the homes they visit and
these sessions bring back memories of an old Goan way of life, where every
get-together would invariably end up having live music.
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At many occasions, other musicians have joined the ensemble;
sometimes the people they visit have a special connection, like members of the
awe inspiring ‘Gavana’, and this, in a small way, is keeping the rich legacy of
the folk music and dance group alive. Margarida Távora e Costa, whose house
hosted the most recent visit, says that she will cherish this surprise and the
nostalgia it brought. She expresses sadness that these kinds of songs are not
played anymore.
Another house had a family member who had just arrived from out
of Goa. “It was amazing to be welcomed by the sweet strumming of Bebe’s guitar
and Selwyn’s mandolin outside my window. And just like that, the exhaustion
disappeared and I was set for a long session of amazing music, where we sang
the golden oldies and our Goan folk music on my balcão,” says Efigenia
Miranda.
News of this trend started spreading and soon, videos of these
sessions found their way online and social media was filled with high praise
for the quality of their music and their ingenuity. The videos turned out to be
an instant hit and the reasons for its growing popularity were not limited to
the older generation of Goans, in India and abroad, but also the younger
generation, who were curious about the names of the songs.
“It’s good that they (youngsters) are finding this interesting
as there are a vast number of songs by legendary artistes that the younger
generation does not know about. Or about our own Goan musicians who are famous
for their great contributions to our music,” adds Selwyn.
Siddharth Cota, who has been a part of these videos, notes that
they all have a common musical base and that’s why the music just flows.
“We sing Goan songs, then some Portuguese and suddenly Selwyn
and I play some Latin American instrumentals with Bebe on percussion. Then Bebe
shifts to his harmonica and we change gears and do some blues,” adds Siddharth.
Their music covers different eras and numerous styles of music
like Goan folk, Portuguese Fado, Waltz, Tango among others, and many languages,
even Italian and German.
“Although the type of music we play is very varied, there is no
advance plan in place as to what the repertoire is going to be. No practised
arrangement. It’s spontaneous. One song leads to the next and so on,” says Omar
De Loiola Pereira, who was one of the first to jam with them.
He adds that they love the music and they play their hearts out,
which is something that the audience has connected with. “Maybe that comes
across to those who hear it and maybe this joy we find in the music we play is
infectious. The music is what has been a part of our growing up – Latin,
Konkani, Portuguese, etc. This is music that Goans in Goa of our generation and
before have always been associated with. It seems to form a part of our DNA.
And of course, added to it is Selwyn’s inexhaustible repertoire from every
country on the face of the planet,” adds Omar, while also praising Bebe’s
enthusiasm.
Bebe, whose spontaneity and joie de vivre attitude was
the driving force that led to many of these plans, says that the music is his
energy. True to his word, their music is a reflection of their passion and this
can move anyone listening to it. Add Bebe’s impromptu lyrics to it and it’s a
heady mix!
For now, the greatest celebration and thrilling factor for
violin virtuoso Selwyn, is that there are so many with whom this kind of music
still resonates and how their music has offered a window into the old culture
and traditions of Goa.
“They are doing a fabulous job with the music. I love the
sentiment that comes with listening to these songs as they take me back to my
childhood days,” says ace guitarist Grayston Vaz.
While
Selwyn is still getting calls for similar house visits, he adds that he would
also really like to play at homes for the aged and ailing. He recalls how
fellow musician Andre De Souza and he were called to play for cancer patients
and feels that it would give him immense satisfaction if he could do more of
this.
