Carlton Kitto: The end of an era for bebop music

Once upon a time, Park Street in Kolkata was the epicentre of dance, music and good food. Big bands playing bebop and swing music, ladies twirling in beautiful long gowns, gentlemen smoking cigars and sipping on their wine glasses — the whole atmosphere was electric.

This was Kitto's world.

He began his music career in Chennai in the 1960s and moved to Kolkata a decade later, plucking at his guitar strings and belting out tunes in some of Park Street's most famous musical hubs — Mocambo, The Golden Slipper, Chowringhee Bar, Moulin Rouge, Blue Fox, and Trincas. 

A hardcore bebop fan, Kitto, whom I had the honour to meet in person, told me, “Music is what comes from the heart. I love bebop and nothing else. I have played bebop for the longest time ever and consider it to be the most graceful form of music ever. It is catchy and full of fun.”  

An aging man in his bow tie and smart suit, Kitto always stood out in the crowd. An unsung legend, he would bring alive the 1940s with his bebop techniques, making people sit up and want to listen to him. 

Adrian D'Souza, a jazz drummer who just got off a flight from Vishakhapatnam and learnt of Kitto's death, said: “I have always heard of Kitto from Louiz Banks and Pam Crain. This man never used any effects. He would just plug in his guitar and play music that came from his soul. His very personality reflected in his music.” 

Having played with some of the world's most famous jazz musicians such as Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, David Leibman, Larry Coryell, Chico Freeman and Charlie Byrd, one would expect him to be snooty and high-handed. On the contrary, this legendary musician was down-to-earth and a very quiet person. 

“He was a sea of knowledge and he had no attitude whatsoever. His death is like the passing of an era,” said Usha Uthup, who has played many a gig with Kitto. “I am always nervous before a show. But in spite of that performing on the stage with him was always exciting,” said Uthup, who broke down while remembering him. “Today is one of the saddest days. Kitto was the true guru of guitar and an amazing teacher. I still remember when we were going through the sheets of music for Hello Dolly, the musicians came and told me, “Didi this has to be Kitto's chords”… such was the authenticity of his chords.  

Having played string jazz once for Queen Elizabeth in 1969 when she had come to India, the humble septuagenarian who lived in a scantily furnished dilapidated flat on Alimuddin Street, always remained true to his first love — bebop.   

“Musicians tend to keep flitting from one form of music to another, but not Kitto. He loved bebop. He was very orthodox that way. He never wanted to play any other form of music. That kind of dedication is rare. Even big money was not lucrative enough for him to move to any other form of music,” said Isheeta Chakravarty, a jazz vocalist and a former student of Kitto.

As jazz music on the whole began to fade, Park Street became a shell of what it used to be. The wines, cigars and the dancing women in ball gowns and sparkling jewels began to fade away, leaving the slate white for a new form of music to make its mark. Hindi bands slowly began to make their presence felt and when fights broke out, the government imposed a 90% tax on all restaurants and bars. Kitto continued to play with a few other performers for private parties, till the tax was lifted with the help of Usha Uthup, Neil O'Brien and the American Consul General's wife. Kitto joined the Calcutta School of Music where he was allowed by the principal to conduct a few bebop concerts every year. 

As Big Band days began to get numbered across Europe as well, what with the entrance of music that had a little more knee-jerk for youngsters, Kolkata too got sucked into the same vortex. But Kitto's performances, in spite of all the change, continued to remain unhindered. The death of the lone crusader, who defended the glorious history of jazz, marked the end of the golden days of bebop in the City of Joy.