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THE MUSIC
INBETWEEN - PAUL JACOB
A dreamer, an achiever and a great musician, who does what he loves
best and sacrifices to do it . Meet Paul Jacob the
Managing Director of Bodhi Records, a music company.
When did your interest in playing the guitar
begin?
 I
started plucking the strings of a guitar when I was seven years
old. I tried to imitate my father’s friend who was a guitarist,
using a guitar lying around the house.
Did you receive any formal education in music?
What was the role of your family towards your interest?
I had no formal education in music. Music was no stranger to the Jacob’s
household. My grandfather was a choirmaster, from whom I learnt
discipline and perseverance. My father has also mastered the
guitar, the saxophone and the clarinet. My first expression
of music in a group, was in fact with my brothers and sisters. Each
of us used to play the instrument of our choice, for our ‘jam
sessions’.
What was your involvement with music during
your school days?
Having studied in St. Mary’s School, I joined the school
band and choir, when I was in my class six. When I was in
my class twelve, we formed a band called ‘Holy Smoke’.
Since there was no one to play the bass guitar, I volunteered to
do so and stuck with it from then on. I then joined ‘Nemesis
Avenue’ which later dissolved.
After ‘Nemesis Avenue’ what was
your next move?
I did not feel accomplished with performing the regular kind of
music accepted by the audience. I was also in search of an identity
and purpose. I sought to find it and give it an Indian acceptability
through music. I started work with two Carnatic violinists –
Ganesh and Kumaresh and brought forth Brahma.
What are the other instruments you play?
I play the drums, keyboard and am presently learning to play the
Chitraveena or Gotu Vadhiyam. My tutor is the world
famous composer and musician Dr. Ravikiran. (Click
here for an interview with Dr. Ravikiran)
How and when did Bodhi start?
 Bodhi
was started in 1997; I wanted the recording company to be strongly
Indian with an international flavour. Lord Buddha received
inspiration under a bodhi or pipal tree and many villagers all over
India depend upon the shelter of this tree for their discussions,
disputes, musical expositions and rituals. Bodhi was thus
the apt name for a company, which is a haven for musicians.
What was the intention in starting Funky Bodhi?
Funky Bodhi was inaugurated with the purpose of drawing indigenous
music. It is a platform for interaction of musicians. It concentrates
on the Indian traditional form of music, ranging from Bengali folk
to Tamil thappatam (a drum used in folk music), intermingled
with contemporary forms from all over the world. Presently
efforts are on, to tap the talent of younger unknown musicians and
give them exposure to the world of music.
How do you manage to pursue your dream and
also make a living?
The response I got after starting Bodhi was very encouraging, and
I realised that staying committed to a band was not the solution
for maintaining the company. So I got into advertising work, composing
jingles etc. It is the revenue from advertising jingles which
help run the recording company and also the concerts and performances.
Whatever profits are made through music and advertising features
are reinvested into music.
Do you feel that there is a wide acceptance
of your music?
At the onset audiences found it difficult to appreciate our style
of music, but now there is some reaction from them. This type of
music is not familiar to the audiences, so it takes time to be accepted
and appreciated. The idea has to be built.
How would you rate the Chennai music scenes?
The music in Chennai is of two extremes – Carnatic Music,
of which festivals bear about 10,000 performances with an audience
of two million in just 40 days. On the other hand is Western Music,
which is popular through discotheques and western music channels
on T.V. The Bodhi style of music is in between these two extremes
striving for acceptence from the rigid carnatic and western music
audiences.
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