Pilu Khan is a musician, composer and a non-paralleled drummer. Along with Nakib Khan, they started the Renaissance, the ever popular jazz and soft rock band that took the music scene by storm in the mid-eighties. They introduced and nurtured the need for a different kind of music scene that was inspired by jazz musicians. Dhaka Tribune caught up with the musician to discuss his thoughts on the current music scenario in Dhaka.
Pilu Khan grew up with a passion for jazz influenced music.
“During the establishment of Renaissance, we all grew an appetite for jazz and over the years, we’ve created jazz influenced Bengali music for listeners,” he stated.
When asked about the future of jazz in Bangladesh, he said, “Although jazz music has gained popularity in a certain community in Bangladesh, in comparison, it’s no longer a meager scale genre but rather a rapidly growing one.”
Currently a passionate drummer, Khan’s fondness for drumming was inspired by his brothers. Both his elder brothers used to keep musical instruments in their house, which inspired curious Khan to try his hand on the instrument. The self-taught drummer has relied on his Yamaha drum kit from the early stages of his career. When asked about his favourite drummer, Steve Gaad, he professed, “Gaad is not only a pure jazz drummer but he’s also a passionate musician who possesses a distinct skill to work with others genres like rock, blues and R&B.”
When it comes to performances, Khan loves to perform live on stage with his bandmates. He says: “In terms of hooking the audience during live concerts, we go with the pure and simple trick of creating good music and plugging into the audience’s heart.”
With the composition of popular hits like “Aj je shishu,” “Chirodin-e bhabte paro,” “Shomoi jeno kate na” and “Hey Bangladesh,” Khan is recognised as one of the finest composers in the country. An admirer of composer Lucky Akhand, he said, “Lucky is the one who introduced pop music to the country.”
Currently working on an album for Renaissance and a solo for himself, he stated they are at the early stages of production and will provide more details once they are all set.