A rare instrument like the Banjo seldom finds its out ofAmerican or Australian culture. However, millions of kilometres away, in thesleepy village of Aldona, there is one such musician. He probably the only oneof his kind, who at 77 years of age, has kept this instrument alive and foundhis way to the top of the charts via ‘Youtube’.
When asked how it all started, Marcel Fernandesnostalgically reminisces, “My father taught me the violin when I was just aboutten years old. Soon after that he passed away. After that I practiced on my ownand never underwent any formal training. I had to go to college in Mumbai as in the 50’s there were no EnglishColleges in Goa. After graduating, I went overseas in January of 1957. While Iwas there, somewhere around 1960, I bought that Banjo. It was a German Banjo. Ibought the book from there and since I knew the rudiments of music notes, Igrasped the chords off that book.”
Marcel still has the same Banjo and is sentimental aboutletting it go. He says that the banjo has almost fallen apart several times buthe manages to fix it and play it none the less. As banjos are rare even as aninstrument, Marcel uses guitar strings as a substitute.
When asked about his collaboration with Colin D’Cruz, hesays, “It just sort of happened. My son has a friend named Neville who is aflautist. He told my son to introduce me to Colin from Jazz Goa.” The fact thatMarcel played the Banjo was a huge draw for the pro-bono recording company.Colin said, “The fact of the matter is that people like Marcel are the truemusical icons of the state. They may not perform commercially, but their talentis immense. This is primarily what Jazz Goa is about. Promoting artists such asthese, that are otherwise unheard of.” With the initial contact having been established,Marcel went on to record a Konkani song ‘Sorekan’ which topped the ‘Soundclick’charts online.
Marcel now plays forchurch feasts in Aldona, and for personal gain. He feels that playingprofessionally is not his cup of tea. “I like to play for my friends andfamily. I’m not cut out for playing professionally. I do it because I enjoy itand not for the money,” He concludes with a wink.
