| Black |
Black at Kolkata, in 2009.
|
| Background information |
| Origin |
Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Genres |
Rock, alternative rock |
| Years active |
1998 – present |
| Labels |
G Series |
| Associated acts |
Aashor, Purbo-Poshchim, The Watson Brothers |
| Members |
Jon Kabir
Mushfeque Jahan
Tony Vincent
Shahriar Sagar |
| Former members |
Tahsan Rahman Khan
Mahmudul Karim Miraz
Asif Haque
Tamzid Siddiq Spondon |
Black is a rock band from Dhaka, Bangladesh. They were one of the very first bands to come out from the underground scene in Dhaka and has over the years garnered a big enough fan-following to be considered a pioneer of alternative rock music in Bangladesh. The band has gained popularity over the years for their hook-laden rock compositions. In 2004, as a result of the band's immense popularity around the time of the release of their sophomore album, Utsober Por, Black was appointed the brand ambassador for Pepsi and Djuice, a youth based phone plan from Grameenphone and Telenor.
History
Formation: 1997-1998
Childhood friends and schoolmates Jon Kabir, Mushfeque Jahan and Tony Vincent always shared a similar passion towards music. Their time was mostly spent at each others' houses listening to records from bands such as Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden. Pearl Jam's debut album Ten had a profound effect on the three and is said to have been the tipping point at which they decided to take up music professionally. After convincing each other about their musical skills the trio decided to form a band and soon enough they were jamming at their friends homes. Initially they decided to name their group Dope Smuglazz, as a wink to the irreverent parental fears of rock music and its supposed concurrent substance abuse, but soon enough shifted to the name Black by a suggestion from fellow classmate and future band member Asif Haque.
Black was formed in 1998 with the five members of Jon in vocals, Jahan in guitar, Tony in drums, Asif for additional guitar work and Tamzid Siddiq Spondon in bass. Soon enough Spondon and Asif parted ways with the band to follow each others interests.
First single: 2000-2001
In the early part of 2000 Jon met Tahsan, a close friend of former band mate Asif, and after listening to him play the piano to which Jon commented on as being "tearfully melodic" invited him to play keyboards for the band. Black would first experience popularity with the release of their first single in the 2001 G-Series compilation album Charpotro. In November, 2001 the band filled the void of a permanent bass player with Miraz who was still a student of Black's current bass player Shahriar Sagar.
Amar Prithibi: 2001-2002
In 2002 Black would release their debut record titled Amar Prithibi. Work began on the album in fall of 2001, between which they had also released several other singles in various compilation albums, and came into completion fall of 2002.[citation needed] Notable singles include "Amra", "Obhimaan", "Amar Prithibi" and "Kothay". The album also displayed Black's earlier heavy music influences in songs like "Kobor" and "Ondhokarer Pashe".[citation needed]The album was considered to be a commercial and critical success.
Utshober Por and Offbeat: 2003-2004
Shortly after the release of Amar Prithibi Black rushed into studio and began working on their sophomore followup under the title Utshober Por. This album was completed at a much shorter time since the band already had enough material from Amar Prithibi for a second album. The album was a departure from Black's usually heavy and alternative styling and instead focused on more mellow and folk oriented tunes and dealt with more self-exploratory writing. Notable singles from the album include "Utshober Por" (title track) and "Shloak", which received frequent playback in commercial radio stations.
Due to the release of their breakthrough debut Black, who had by then become a near household name in Bangladesh, Utshober Por sold much faster. Considering the sudden emergence of piracy in music, the album had sold well enough to have superseded Amar Prithibi. The album was received fairly well by critics despite having sold so well. Soon after releasing Utshober Por, the band took a stab at acting. The members of Black were cast as a ragtag group of street urchins in the teleplay Offbeat. The soundtrack to the song had been a collaborative effort between Black and Arnob, of the folk group Bangla.
Death of Imran Ahmed Choudhury Mobin and hiatus: 2005
In April 20, 2005, returning home after successfully completing a tour in Chittagong the bus in which the band was on, crashed near a ditch on the road. The crash caused the death of Imran Ahmed Choudhury Mobin, a prominent sound engineer in the Bangladesh music industry and a close friend of the band. Band members Jon, Jahan and Tahsan suffered minor bruises and cuts while Tony and Miraz had to be hospitalized. The members of the band announced a hiatus until further notice. Miraz had been diagnosed with a permanently damaged patella and had to leave the band indefinitely.
Change in line-up: 2006-2007
From left to right: Mushfeque Jahan, Jon Kabir, Shahriar Sagar, Tony Vincent.
In mid 2006, Tahsan, frustrated with the band's relative inactivity, decided to follow a career as a solo musician. After a mutual agreement with the rest of the band he departed and released three subsequent solo albums. The incident was not taken lightly by fans with many accusations wavered towards Tahsan as being "insensitive", "egotistic" and "exploitative" and rumors swirling about internal dissent within the members of Black. Though completely untrue, fans and detractors still debate over his departure from the band.
The subsequent years the three remaining members of Black maintained activity, albeit at a much smaller scale, playing minor shows and concerts within Dhaka and releasing singles through G-Series' many compilation records. With no bass player to perform live with the band, Jon himself tackled the position of playing bass while singing. This proved to be strenuous to his health thus halting any and all activity for a short while. In mid 2007, Black had found their fourth and final member in the form of Shahriar Sagar, a longtime friend of the band and mentor to Black's previous bass player Miraz.
Abar: 2008
Stock photo from the add campaign for
Abar, promoting
anti-piracy.
After a five year hiatus Black released their third studio album Abar at July 10, 2008. Under the sponsorship of Warid Telecom a press conference was held at Bashundhara City shopping mall, followed by a gala event for the album's launch, in the capital. A documentary chronicling Black's career, including Imran Ahmed Choudhury Mobin's death, was shown and released publicly prior to Abar being launched. It was produced under Black's supervision and released through the G-Series label. The documentary features interviews by notable artists and figures amongst the Bangladesh music industry such as, Isha Khan Duray, Azam Khan, Sumon, Tipu and Iqbal Asif Jewel.
Discography
- Studio albums
- Compilation albums (contributed singles)
- 2000: Charpotro
- 2001: Anushilon
- 2002: Projonmo
- 2003: Din Bodol, Agontuk
- 2004: Lokayot, Agontuk 2, Shopnochura, Offbeat (Teleplay Soundtrack)
- 2005: Agontuk 3
- 2006: Shopnochura 2, Underground
- 2007: Shopnochura 3, Live Now
- 2008: Rock 101
- 2009: Rock 202
External links
