The Playlist Special: Pozy Dhar

Mumbai guitarist-composer Pozy Dhar relies on the bygone era, mostly the Sixties, for some of the best music that came out in the world.

Pozy Dhar. Photo courtesy of the artist

1. “God Only Knows” The Beach Boys, 1996

This is my favorite song of all time. It’s a love song which opens with ‘I may not always love you’, yet makes sense. I have heard it over and over for days and never gotten sick of it.

2. “Naima” John Coltrane, 1959

It’s impossible to try and articulate the genius of John Coltrane in words. He was blessed with immense chops, improvisational abilities, fresh ideas and the gift of writing beautiful melodies and this tune captures it all so well.

3. “Riverman” Nick Drake, 1969

Not every four-chord song has to be formulaic and predictable. This one envelops you in its darkness and doesn’t let go. I love the close voicings in the string section; it’s minimalistic but so effective.

4. “Sailing” Christopher Cross, 1980

Intelligent pop from the 80’s. It doesn’t take multiple listens to love this song, it’s just there ready to be cherished, the earlier you discover it the better.

5. “Peaches en Regalia” Frank Zappa, 1969

Quirky, humorous and melodic. Instrumental music often sounds like it’s meant only for musicians but this song defies all of that. Intricate yet memorable.

6. “Cry For You” Andy Timmons, 1994

Andy puts his all in each and every note, not just his tone and phrasing, even his pick attack is so full of meaning. It’s a long tune but it just builds and builds. What blows my mind is that it was all pretty much one take!