Cinemaazi remembers Manohari Singh on his death anniversary

Born in Kolkata in 1931, Manohari Singh grew up in a musical atmosphere, as his father and uncle were both in brass bands. After joining the brass band at Bata Shoe Company himself, he later played with the HMV Orchestra. A multi-instrumentalist, he soon got an opportunity to play at Firpo's. He learnt the saxophone to be able to play at nightclubs. Later Salil Chowdhury urged him to try his luck in Mumbai where he first worked with S D Burman, before becoming assistant and arranger for R D Burman. The saxophone player in the industry before him - Ram Singh, had passed away, which put him in high demand. With increasing influence of jazz in Hindi soundtracks, the stage was set for the saxophone to play a major role. He worked on the soundtracks of several memorable films like Guide (1965), Yeh Raat Phir Na Ayegi (1966), Dulhan Ek Raat Ki (1967), Ram Aur Shyam (1967), Aradhana (1969), Sholay (1975) and many more. He also worked with Lakshmikant Pyarelal a lot. Working well into the recent times, his playing can be heard in films like Chalte Chalte (2003) and Veer Zaara (2004). 
He passed away on 13 July, 2010.