BENGALURU: When one thinks of gears, precision engineering, and space programmes, harmonica melodies may not be the first association. But for Sulaiman Jamal, chairman of Bevel Gears India and a man whose company contributed to India’s Chandrayaan mission, harmonica has always been close to his heart. The industrialist and vintage car collector will be bringing his passion for harmonica to the stage with Harmonica Magic, a tribute to American musician Jerry Murad.
Jamal candidly shares how his journey with the harmonica began in the most unexpected way. As a young boy growing up in Coimbatore, he was captivated by the sound of his Christian neighbour’s harmonica during Christmas. This small instrument, once called a mouth organ, fascinated him. Eventually, his neighbour and friend gifted him his first harmonica, which marked the beginning of Jamal’s lifelong love affair with the instrument.
Over the years, his passion for the harmonica ebbed and flowed with the demands of his professional life, but the instrument never truly left his side. The pivotal moment in this journey came during an overseas business trip. “I accidentally stumbled upon a harmonica convention where about 1,000 harmonica players from around the world were attending,” shares Jamal. “There, I met Jerry Murad, one of America’s greatest harmonica players. When I told him I did not have a harmonica to play, he gifted me one on the condition that I dedicate a concert to it.”
While he promised Murad he would do so, Jamal says, life soon got in the way, and the promise was set aside until recently. Years after Murad’s passing, Jamal was reminded by a friend that he had yet to fulfil his promise. “It weighed on my mind,” he admits. “I reached out to the International Music and Arts Society here, and they agreed to support the concert. I’ve put together an ensemble, including mandolin and accordion players, all instruments that you don’t hear much these days.”
The concert will include melodies from the golden age of Broadway and cinema, offering themes from Phantom of the Opera, The Wizard of Oz, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Fiddler on the Roof, among others. Finalising the setlist after meticulous deliberation, he says, “We chose songs that people would remember from their past,” he explains.
The concert will also feature four female vocalists, including Indira Srinivasan, singer Usha Uthup’s sister.
(The concert is on Sept 12, 7pm and Sept 13, 7.30pm at Bangalore International Centre, Domlur, and Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield, respectively)