Chris Perry (musician)
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Chris Perry (born Xavier Pereira; 25 November 1928 − 25 January 2002) was an Indian musician, composer, songwriter, and film producer who combined jazz with Konkani music. He is known in India as the "King of Cha Cha Cha" and the "Man with the Golden Trumpet", and was the composer of the
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of
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.


Early life and career

Perry was born as Xavier Pereira in the neighborhood of Modsai in
Margão Margao (, ) is the commercial capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Goa. It stands on the banks of the river Sal River (India), Sal. It is the district headquarters of South Goa district, South Goa, and administr ...
,
Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...
, which was part of
Portuguese India The State of India, also known as the Portuguese State of India or Portuguese India, was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded seven years after the discovery of the sea route to the Indian subcontinent by Vasco da Gama, a subject of the ...
during the
Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...
, to Agostinho Pereira, a local musician, and Maria Conceição Fernandes, a
homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American English, American and Canadian English, Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational ...
, in a Goan Catholic family. He grew up with seven siblings. Perry's family was musical and, at a young age, he entered the Tiatr (musical theater) scene, under the name 'Bab Pinto'. He began staging his own tiatrs; he is remembered locally for the plays ''Noxibantlo Nhovro'', ''Padricho Lob'', and ''Vid Mog Kornaranchem''. He became a proficient musician, particularly on the trumpet and saxophone, known for having perfect pitch (
Absolute pitch Absolute pitch (AP), often called perfect pitch, is the ability to identify or re-create a given musical note without the benefit of a reference tone. AP may be demonstrated using linguistic labelling ("naming" a note), associating mental image ...
), and for his ability to switch from trumpet to saxophone mid-song. He was also a prolific songwriter, writing many of the hits of his time. Perry took the traditional Goan style of music and blended it with jazz. Through the late '50s, Perry moved back and forth between Bombay and Calcutta (now
Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
), and had his own band, the Chris Perry Band. Even after becoming well-established, Perry had to take part in the accepted practice of finding gigs. Every morning, Goan musicians gathered at the Calcutta restaurant Alfred's. The major bandleaders—Perry, Tony Cyril, Dennis Vaz, Johnny Rodriges, Johnny Baptista, Mike Machado, had their own tables. Anyone who was having an event that evening would come in and "order" musicians, e.g. 'one trumpet and one piano'. Each musician was paid 15 rupees; 18 if they wore white jackets with black trousers. Perry also occasionally played in a two-trumpet act at the
Taj Mahal Palace Hotel The Taj Mahal Palace is a heritage, five-star, luxury hotel in the Colaba area of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, situated next to the Gateway of India. Built in the Indo-Saracenic style, it opened in 1903 as the Taj Mahal Hotel and has historically ...
with the jazz star of the day, Chic Chocolate. In the late 1950s, Bombay was an extremely cosmopolitan city, and people from all over the world had settled there. Western influences were flooding in and everything was becoming westernized—especially fashion and music. The best restaurants served Western food, and offered dance floors and jazz bands. At the pinnacle of these restaurants was La Bella, in Bombay's
Fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
District. Anyone who was anyone was there, the place was packed every night and, because alcohol was still strictly prohibited, the doors were closed to reporters. It is known, however, that the Chris Perry band got their foot in the Bombay door at La Bella (and, because Goa was still under Portuguese rule, they had to have special visas to work there). By 1960, Perry and his band had a regular gig at Venice, the sophisticated nightclub in Bombay's Astoria Hotel. The Astoria is on
Churchgate Churchgate (Marathi pronunciation: ͡ʃəɾt͡ʃɡeːʈ is an area in the southern part of Mumbai, close to the Arabian Sea. The area is known for its unique architecture consisting of art deco style residential buildings, access to sportin ...
Street, the city's music and entertainment hub, and Venice was known as the 'jazz man's jazz club', a rendezvous for musicians from around India.
Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...
played there in 1958,
Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...
in 1963.


Personal life

In 1960, at the Bandra Fair in Bombay, Perry saw a 16 year-old singer, Lorna Cordeiro, perform the song "Underneath the Mango Tree". She was so good, and the audience reception so great, that he offered her a place with his band. Cordeiro, who was also from Goa and who had been brought to Bombay by the musician Raymond Albuquerque after she won a
Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ( ; born December 12, 1937), known as Connie Francis, is a retired American Pop music, pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is estimated to have sold more th ...
sound-a-like contest, was still in school. But she accepted and Perry became her mentor. Cordeiro, who was compared to
Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the James Bond music, theme songs to three James Bond films - the only artist to officially perform more than o ...
and
Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was t ...
, had a powerful
Contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...
and a natural feel for jazz. Perry rehearsed with her for six months before introducing her to audiences, and taught her how to dress, move on stage and use the microphone. She made her debut at the Lido Room in the elegant Firpo's Restaurant, Calcutta, singing
Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...
's version of " Cry Me a River." The band then began touring—to
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
,
Mussoorie Mussoorie () is a hill station and a municipal board, in Dehradun city in the Dehradun district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is about from the state capital of Dehradun and north of the national capital of New Delhi. The hil ...
,
Shimla Shimla, also known as Simla ( the official name until 1972), is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of British India. After independence, the city ...
, and
Ooty Ooty (; officially Udagamandalam (), Anglicisation, anglicized: Ootacamund , abbreviated as Udagai, ) is a town and municipality in the Nilgiris district of the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north ...
, before settling in Bombay. Perry was known as a genius, a perfectionist, and an obsessive. (According to his son, he slept with his trumpet and, every morning, before doing anything else, had a cigarette and blew the trumpet. His drummer, Diogo DeSouza, said: "Whoever joined his band ended up refining his craft. He could tell from a distance even if one small note went wrong on any instrument. He would meticulously write down the notes for each musician and he expected them to play it just the way he wanted." According to De Souza, Perry once gave a band member a black eye for playing a note incorrectly. It was a show night. He brought the musician an ice pack, and gave all band members dark glasses. It became their look for the evening. Perry was also a gambler, known for losing the band's wages at the racetrack. Perry wrote and recorded several
Konkani language Konkani, (Devanagari: , Konkani in the Roman script, Romi: , Kannada script, Kannada: , Koleluttu: , Nastaliq: ; IAST: , ) formerly Concani or Concanese, is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Konkani people, primarily i ...
albums with Cordeiro. He was signed to
His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...
, which initially refused to let Cordeiro record in the Konkani language. Perry fought on her behalf and His Master's Voice relented. Once the music was released, Cardeiro's career was on its way. From then on, she was known simply as 'Lorna', and was a household name throughout India. Perry's songs were catchy, toe-tapping or romantic; all were a blend of Goan folk music and jazz elements. These songs became instant hits and garnered significant radio play; their popularity was helped by the love story between the two. Audiences were drawn to Lorna, and to the obvious chemistry between her and Perry. Despite the fact that Perry was a married Catholic man with three sons, and their large age difference, the two began a very public extramarital affair. This created additional chemistry on-stage; off-stage, Perry was jealous to the point where he would punch any man who spoke to Lorna. The relationship ended in 1973, when Perry returned to his wife Maria Costa, who he married in 1958, and family. However, he forced Cordeiro to sign a contract agreeing to not perform with anyone else for twenty years. Perry enforced this contract, often with violence. Despite the fact that she was a mega-star throughout India, and was known as the 'Nightingale of Goa', Cordeiro had to leave the music world completely. She never married, and became a recluse and alcoholic. In 1995, when Perry was no longer a threat to her, she made a successful comeback. Perry encouraged the careers of other musicians and his songs were performed by
Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and range of voice ...
, Asha Bhonsle,
Usha Uthup Usha Iyer Uthup (born 8 November 1947) is an Indian singer known for her deep contralto voice and her versatility across genres and languages. A prominent figure in Indian music since the 1970s, she has received a Filmfare Award, and was honoure ...
, Adolf Fernandes, Seby Fernandes,
Hema Sardesai Hema Sardesai is an Indian playback singer and lyricist based in Goa, India. Born in Bombay, Maharashtra, she shot to fame in 1997 with songs from movies like '' Sapnay'', ''Biwi No.1'' and '' Jaanam Samjha Karo''. Early life Hema Sardesai w ...
, Lulu Fortes, C. Alvares, Ophelia, Mohana, M. Boyer and H. Britton.


Later career

By the mid-1970s, Bombay's jazz scene was dying. The government had raised the entertainment tax to 40%, making the business unviable for smaller establishments. Many musicians left the country or switched to film work. Perry went into film. He worked as an assistant to film composer Mohammed Zahur Khayyam, conducted Khayyam's orchestra for the film '' Trishul'' and '' Kabhi Kabhi''. He also worked for the composers Laxmikant–Pyarelal, R. D. Burman and Kalyanji–Anandji. In 1977, he co-founded a film production company which produced '' Bhuierantlo Munis'' (''Cave Man'' or ''Man From the Caves''), the first colour film in the Konkani language. The movie was based on
Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...
's novel ''
The Count of Monte Cristo ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Alexandre Dumas. It was serialised from 1844 to 1846, and published in book form in 1846. It is one of his most popular works, along with ''The Three Musketeers'' (184 ...
'', which features a prominent character named Abbé Faria, which in turn was based on the Goan Catholic monk,
Abbé Faria Abbé Faria () (born José Custódio de Faria; 31 May 1756 – 20 September 1819) was a Portuguese Catholic priest who was one of the pioneers of the scientific study of hypnotism, following on from the work of Franz Mesmer. Unlike Mesmer, ...
. Perry wrote the music and songs, including the hit
Dulpod Dulpod is a Goan dance song with quick rhythm and themes from everyday Goan life. The plural of ''dulpod'' in Konkani is ''dulpodam''. The dulpod is a folk song, anonymous, freely improvised, and sometimes lacking in thematic unity. The tunes of th ...
"Undrea Mhojea Mama", and the popular songs "Bhuierantlo Munis", "Nokre", "Chup Chup" and "Adeus". On 25 January 2002, Perry died of
Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...
at Holy Spirit Nursing Home in
Margao, Goa Margao (, ) is the commercial capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Goa. It stands on the banks of the river Sal River (India), Sal. It is the district headquarters of South Goa district, South Goa, and administr ...
. Two of his sons, Glenn and Miles Perry, who recorded the hit song "Moje Maim" when they were children, are successful musicians. In 2019, a road in
Margao Margao (, ) is the commercial capital of the Indian state of Goa. It stands on the banks of the river Sal. It is the district headquarters of South Goa, and administrative headquarters of Salcete sub-district. It is Goa's second largest ci ...
was re-named 'Chris Perry Street'. In 2015, Goan director Bardroy Barretto released the award-winning film Nachom-ia Kumpasar (Let's Dance to the Rhythm). It is a musical drama, in Konkani, which tells the story of the romance between Perry and Lorna, who are played by Vijay Maurya and Palomi Ghosh. The story is told through 17 popular Konkani songs from the 1960s and 1970s that were re-recorded for this film. Most of the songs were written by Perry, and the list includes those that were originally recorded by Perry and Lorna. These include "Abghat Kelo", "Aik Re Khobrankara", "Tuzo Mog", and the song that launched Lorna's career, "Nachoiea Kumpasar".


Awards

* Best Composer, Sound of Surprise, Bombay Musicians' Association ( Cine Musicians Association) 1964


Discography

Albums *''Concanim Hit Parade With Chris Perry And A Galaxy Of Top Artistes'' (1969),
His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...
*''Concanim Hits'' (1971), His Master's Voice *''Maze Le Lo'' (1976, with Mahesh Kumar, Naresh Kumar, Shakila Bano Bhopali), His Master's Voice *'' Frank Fernand And Chris Perry Vol 2'' (1976) *''Hit Music From Goa'' (1977),
EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
*''Concanim Hits: Chris Perry And A Host Of Stars'' (1979) *''Chris Perry's Golden Hits'' (1979, Lorna Cordeiro, Usha Mangeshkar, Ambar Kumar, Miles Perry, Giles Perry, H. Britton, Bab Peter, Tony Carr, M. Boyer, Antonet, Adolf. Re-released 2006) *''Lorna-Unforgettable Hits'' (2007, Lorna Cordeiro, as writer and arranger), Sinaris EPs *''Bebdo'' (1969, Lorna), His Master's Voice *''Chris Perry's Hit Songs'' (1970, Mohammed Rafi & Lorna Cordeiro), His Master's Voice *''Chris Perry's Hit Songs (Concanim)'' (1973, Mohammed Rafi & Lorna Cordeiro), His Master's Voice *''From Usha With Love'' (1976), EMI *''Super Pops III'' (1979),
Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by Netherlands, Dutch electronics company Philips and in 1999 was absorbed into Netherlands, Dutch-United States, American music corporation Universal Music Group. It was founded as Philips Phonograph ...
Singles *"Figaro Adlam" / "Tabdem Caoado" (1958),
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
*"Maim Sun" / "Chockri Chor" (1958), Columbia *"Bombay Baion" / "Valentina's Escape" (1966), His Master's Voice *"Piso" (1969) Lorna Cordeiro *"Bebdo" (1969) Lorna Cordeiro *"Saudichem Gantar" (1969) Lorna Cordeiro *"Sopon" (1969) Lorna Cordeiro *"Caliz Boong Bang Zata" (1969), Tony Carr & Delphine *"Noxibac Roddtam" (1970), Lorna Cordeiro and
Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and range of voice ...
*"Maria" (1970), Lorna Cordeiro and
Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and range of voice ...
*"Bom Jesuchea Conventan" (1970), Lorna Cordeiro and
Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and range of voice ...
*"Combea Sadari" (1970), Lorna Cordeiro and
Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and range of voice ...
*"Tuzo Mog" (1971), Lorna Cordeiro *"Nachoea La-Bam-Ba" (1971), Lorna Cordeiro *"Abghat Kelo"(1971), Lorna Cordeiro *"Aik Re Khobrankara" (1971), Lorna Cordeiro *"Amerikak Pauxi" *"Lisboa" *"Sorga Rajeant" *"Fottkiro Mog" *"Red Rose" Lorna Cordeiro *"I'll Always Love You" *"Moje Put" (1969), M. Boyer *"Cu Cu Ru Cu Cu" (1973), Tony Carr *"Mog Boom Boom Boom" (1973), Bab Peter *"Moje Maim" (1973), Giles Perry, Miles Perry *"Beautiful" (1974),
Usha Uthup Usha Iyer Uthup (born 8 November 1947) is an Indian singer known for her deep contralto voice and her versatility across genres and languages. A prominent figure in Indian music since the 1970s, she has received a Filmfare Award, and was honoure ...
*"Marialina" (1976), H. Britton *"Bus Conductor" (1976), H. Britton *"Kazarachem Utor" (1976), H. Britton *"Nokre" (1976), Adolf Fernandes *"Aik Re Khobrankara" *"Nachoiea Kumpasar" *"Piti Piti Mog", Antonet


Film credits (music)

*''Kabhi Kabhie'' (1976) *'' Trishul'' (1978, uncredited-music department) *''Nachom-ia Kumpasar'' (2015)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Chris 1928 births 2002 deaths 20th-century Indian musicians 20th-century Indian singers 20th-century trumpeters Indian jazz musicians Indian jazz trumpeters Konkani-language singers Musicians from Goa People from Margao Musicians from South Goa district Tiatrists