Cinemaazi remembers Manohari Singh on his birth anniversary

Cinemaazi remembers Manohari Singh, fondly called, ‘Manohari Da’, the well-known musician and music composer of Indian film industry. He had a career spanning 58 years in the film industry and won many awards. He is remembered mainly as an essential part of R.D. Burman’s team, as his assistant, arranger who was proficient in flute, trumpet, saxophone and other instruments.

Manohari was born in Kolkata in a Nepalese family. His grandfather played the trumpet in an Army band, while his father played flute, clarinet, and bagpipe. Manohari started playing in a brass band at the Bata Shoe Company in Kolkata. The conductor of the band was impressed with his talent and offered him an opportunity to work in H.M.V. Orchestra, where he started playing Hindi and Bengali songs.

Through fellow musicians such as Francisco Casanovas, the band-leader at Firpo's Restaurant, George Banks, the trumpet player at the Grand Hotel, and others, he was introduced to the Calcutta nightclub scene. Manohari is credited for introducing the practice of playing saxophone in nightclubs. It is stated that he owned a golden plated saxophone which he brought from New York.

As a composer, he worked mainly with Basudeb Chakraborty. The pair, known as Basu-Manohari, gave many hit songs. Later, they also worked with Marutirao Keer.

In 1952, Manohari moved to Mumbai where S.D. Burman gave him his first break in the Hindi film industry as a saxophonist for the movie Sitaron Se Aagey (1958). He received recognition for Kalyanji Anandji’s title song in Satta Bazaar (1959). After that, he worked with many music directors such as Shankar-Jaikishan, O.P. Nayyar and others.

His association with R.D. Burman gave him his due place in the industry. He played saxophone for many popular songs composed by the legend.

His first album was Sax Appeal. Manohari was active in the Nepalese music industry and worked in many movies like Santana, Kanya daan, etc. He also played in several public and private concerts in his lifetime.

He was conferred the “Memorable Contribution to Music Award" by Tata Indicom Music Award on 27 March, 2009.

Manohari passed away on 13 July 2010 in Mumbai.