THE BIRTH OF A MAESTRO

Photo: Shahrear Kabir Heemel

Ekti Kishor Chele, Ekaki Shopno Dekhe

Hashi aar Gaane, Shukher Chobi Aanke.

A teenager he is, he dreams alone

Etching a portrait of happiness, with his laughter and tone.

August 16, a few decades ago saw the birth of the maestro, who has elevated the status and prestige of guitar-playing in Bangladesh. Music is indebted to the teenager who had dared to dream, and had subsequently achieved something greater than anyone thought possible. Today marks the birthday of the fabled LRB frontman, Ayub Bachchu.

When LRB first released its self-titled double album in 1992, it brought to the forefront an unsung hero, who had been weaving magic with his guitar for a multitude of big-name bands for years. LRB, or 'Love Runs Blind', was his calling to become a figure that is larger than life: a maestro, a legend.

Genre is something that this musician was never bound by. From creating one of the most timeless soft-rock masterpieces, Cholo Bodley Jai, switching his guitar tone to overdrive for the heavy metal-esque Shahbagh Mor, or just simply capturing the masses with his pop venture Ek Akasher Tara Tui, the man embedded his own style in Bangladeshi music.

Even at this point of his career, when very few musicians in the subcontinent can match up to his résumé, he claims that his best is yet to come. Years of grueling on-stage performances have not slowed him at all, which is evident by his youthful jubilance whenever he adds a new guitar to his already huge collection!