Accord with the AccordionINDIAN EXPRESS, PUNE, June 21, 2001
By Neil Pate
As a child Enoch Daniels always wanted to be a drummer, but his deep comprehension of musical notations and compositions turned him into a successful, much sought-after accordion player in the music industry.
For some, his music is a unique blend of romance and nostalgia, and for others, it takes wing and traverses distant lands along steep-sided valleys and streams. Even now, when one listens to songs like Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein, Hai apna dil to Awara, Bekarar Karke Hamein, one is seized by the joys of old musical charm and so, is Enoch Daniels aka Danny, the man who played the accordion for these numbers.
Be it the keyboard of his seven-octave piano or, the bellow of his accordion, his fingers move in sync to his oscillating figure. Says Daniels, "Music has always been like soul curry in the family. My three elder brothers played the violin, saxophone, and clarinet. My father would play the banjo."
Having been raised in the Panchowd Mission Hostel, young Enoch was always mesmerized by the sound of a musical instrument, especially drums. Soon, his musical stint in the hostel room began on a 'drum set' boasting of a wooden cupboard as a bass drum, brass dinner plates as cymbals and coconut shells for wooden pads. "Seeing my drumming fervour, Father Wilkinson gifted me a small 'kettle drum', while Father Slade taught me the fine nuances of reading and writing musical notations."
Days passed into months, months stretched into years, and soon his talents saw him shoulder the responsibility of heading the Indian music section in his college.
A newspaper article about him in 1952 only added to his confidence and geared him towards giving performances. However, it was the famous film-maker Vasant Pawar, who tapped his talent and gave him a break to play the background score for his film. Later Pu La Deshpande's Gualcha Ganpati happened, and songs like Hi Koni Chhedli Tar .. Ithech Taka Tamboo ... took the Marathi audience by storm. Says Daniels dogmatically, "Working under the musical umbrella provided by stalwarts such as Ram Kadam, C. Ramchandra, Vasant Desai, Anil Biswas, S.D. Burman, Madan Mohan, Khayyam, Salil Chowdhary and Shankar Jaikishen, I learnt the subtleties of musical composition and arrangements, and also the importance of self discipline.
Lamenting the present state of music, Daniels says, "Music directors and composers should try and build original tunes and not just ransack tunes of better known composers."
Live shows and instrumental solos kept him up-to-date on people's choice in India and abroad. A tie up with HMV in 1957-58 saw the All India Radio and markets flooded with the collection of his accordion solos such as Vintage Wine, Whispering Palms, Exotic Diamonds, Accordion Cocktail and several others.
His musical forte till date can be seen through the signature tunes of' RK Films like Mera Naam Joker, Sangam, Bobby, Awara and several others.
Although years have passed and grey has crept in, every song he plays acquires another dimension - the surreal oral quality of Indian and Western music, together with the multi-hued colours of a dreamscape, both vividly coming alive.
