ADELINE BERTIN lends an ear to a band with a varied and interesting soupcon of flavoursThey might be a doctor and a chef by profession; by passion, however, they are both musicians. The coming together of Parvez Imam and Arun Chanda created an extraordinary two-man band in 2008, called — literally — Dr Chef!
But their two decades of personal experience in music, as well as their varied careers and experiences has created a band that experiments with genres as varied as folk, rock, blues and experimental music. “I listen to a lot of rock music and like folk, for it connects with everyone,” confides Arun.
Not surprisingly, the unusual duo is marked by a unique style, with songs in Hindi, Gujarati, Himachali and English, influenced by music from north India but also from parts of the world as varied as Scandinavia and South America. On-stage, the band brings together two powerful vocals and acoustic guitars, harps and a range of odd percussion instruments, picked up by Parvez in north Karnataka some years ago.
Appropriately, with laughs and the smell of cigarette smoke, the atmosphere prevalent during rehearsals is always relaxed. That’s because these two musicians are in tune with each other. Once on-stage, Parvez and Arun are happy to embark at any time on improvisations, whether in the music or with a third person. Their lively acoustic music and sharp lyrics generate a positive and vibrant mood.
But their separate journeys are interesting as well. While Arun started playing in college and performed with bands in Kolkata and Orissa, Parvez had perhaps the more untypical and incredible career: “I have done solo performances in cities across India (Bangalore, Delhi) and abroad (South America) besides composing music in studios. But I began as a doctor in psychiatry, though I always remained a musician at heart.”
The psychiatrist then turned award-winning filmmaker (especially known for his short films and documentaries), writer and traveller before going back to his oldest and earliest passion: music. “We only have one plan: to continue tripping, doing music together. We are not really interested in growing fast and bigger, neither are we interested in commercials,” says Parvez, adding, “If you are clean with your music, then people will enjoy what they are listening to and both the band and the audience will spend a very good time together.”
Quite simply, this twosome seems to a band that has no agenda beyond making music together, bonding with each other and their audience. It’s a simple philosophy: clearly, in their passion, they are not divided!
