Take a sad song, make it better

We are waiting with another person for Joe Vessoakar outside his house in a tiny bylane off Bandras Chapel Road when a lively almost musical voice calls out saying Tanaz our companions name Vessoakar is standing at the mouth of the narrow road wearing black trousers a blue shirt black waistcoat and a beaming smile that reveals his happiness at meeting her There is a hat protecting his bald head from the sun and dark sunglasses covering his eyes Thats his uniform when hes at work and the multiinstrumentalist one of Mumbais last remaining funeral musicians has just returned from one that ended around noon and we help him carry a large drum and a suitcase with a flugelhorn inside it while he leads us up a flight of steps to his cosy homeA still from the film What Man JoeThis home is known in the area as The Sound of Music Four generations of musicians have been practising various types of instruments here over the years their notes wafting into the houses of neighbours in the mornings It was Vessoakars father who first started the family legacy of playing at funerals sensing a business opportunity there So of the 10 children he had he inducted his sons into picking up instruments like the clarinet and snare drum and formed a band with them that played music as funeral processions walked the streets of Mumbai from a deceased persons home to the church where the last rites would be performed Vessoakar was only seven years old when he played his first such gig and around seven decades later he says Oh I must have played at over one lakh funerals by nowRafeeq Ellias the directorIts a strange space to inhabit within the world of music one that must be the polar opposite of what its like to be in a wedding band Its also fascinating enough to be the subject of a documentary feature called What Man Joe The film will be screened at a Khar cafeacute this evening where Vessoakar will perform with his family band and other guest artistes The event also doubles up as a belated birthday celebration for a man who has contributed to his craft so selflessly that hes brought succour to countless people faced with a crushing tragedyBut the man himself feels that there is nothing unusual in being a funeral musician On the contrary he loves it I learnt a lot about the dynamics of music See when you play classical music in an orchestra you are just one part of a bigger whole You thus have to know exactly when to come in and playing at funerals helped me learn how to count the bars and get my phrasings exactly right since you always have to get things perfect when youre playing in front of people in mourning he tells us compulsively singing notes out aloud midconversation when hes explaining their significanceIn fact its easy to feel the music thats pulsing through his veins Vessoakar shows us a tattered yellowed copy of a book with which he taught himself how to read music when he was still a child He also tells us that he has a golden chair that he sits on at 9 am every day to practise his instruments though when he later shows it to us this chair turns out to be a ramshackle stool with a mattress on it thats placed against the facade of his neighbours houseBut he adds that Mumbais funeral musicians are a dying breed Once upon a time the entire neighbourhood had several families in this profession Now Joe Vessoakar and the Swinging Jazz Band is the only one of note that remains Rafeeq Ellias director of What Man Joe tells us over the phone that Daniela Vessoakars 18yearold grand niece who also plays with him is one of a handful from the younger lot who plays funeral music Something like this needs a different kind of commitment and most people nowadays dont have that kind of time Ellias saysVessoakar is thus one of the last men standing and when we ask him about his thoughts on his own mortality the deeply religious man tells us that he wakes up every morning and thanks God for giving him one more day But there will come a time when his days are truly numbered and its people like Daniela who will ensure that Vessoakars own funeral is one that includes all his favourite songs being played In fact its people like her who will ensure that even after her grand uncle is no more The Sound of Music will not fall silentON Tonight 7 pmAT Metime Art Cafe 14th Road Khar WestCALL 8369448767Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates