Captivating Instrumental Music at Biennale Stage for Patients

KOCHI:
If instrumental music can be as engaging as vocal, then Josey proved it yet again here at the weekly ‘Arts and Medicine’ programme organised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) on Wednesday.

Running his fingers expertly over the accordion, the musician who has been in the field for the past four decades, donned the main role at the 238th episode of the All-Wednesday cultural show. The middle-aged artist played the accordion to the melodious accompaniment of fellow artists: Wilson on the keyboard, Benny on the rhythm composer, Thankachan on the tabla, Paul as another percussionist and Maxi as the bass guitarist.

Born in a Fort Kochi pocket curiously called Saudi, Josey, who is basically a keyboard player, showed deep interest in music right from childhood. After all, his father, Peter Achappan who was a winch driver at the Cochin Dock Labour Board, was heavily into the arts.

Josey, a fervent fan of iconic musicians such as Mohammed Rafi, M S Baburaj and G Devarajan, was enchanted by the world of music as a toddler. At the age of seven, under the recommendation of his mother, Josey’s father bought him a harmonium on which he started practicing. Eventually, he went on to play for stage shows that chiefly featured legendary singer H Mehboob. Today, he is the key keyboard artist with the Mehboob Memorial Orchestra.

At the KBF’s programme in the Government General Hospital, Josey played hit numbers such as Chaundvi Ka Chand, Mere Sapno Ki Rani, Lag Ja Gale, Yeh Meri Zohra Jabeen and Zindagi Ka Safar, giving the motley audience a good taste of the musical experience from wind instruments that included ‘squeeze box’.

Josey was the harmonist for singer-actress KPAC Sulochana, who died in 2005 at age 67. He spent two years in dramas as well as ganamela, and was also associated with a Gulf- based music band for eight years. Enthusiastic as always, Josey has promised to be the next accordionist for the popular show, ‘RafiNite’.

The 2010-founded KBF’s weekly show, which is a joint initiative of the Foundation and Mehboob Memorial Orchestra, aims to provide quality therapeutic music for the solace of patients at the hospital. The show has become a popular event which features amateur and professional artists since it began in 2014.