Ai mere dil kaheen aur chal: Enoch Daniel & his orchestra

If you’re a Hindi filmi music aficionado-if not, ask your more discerning nana-nani-you’ll know the sonic splendour of ‘Ai Mere Dil Kaheen Aur Chal,’ that nugget from the 1952 Dilip Kumar-starrer, Daag. But turning that Talat Mahmood-sung, Shankar-Jaikishan-composed song into a shimmering number is Enoch Daniels & His Orchestra.

The first track on Vintage Wine, a 1969 collection of Hindi film hits arranged by Pune-based master accordionist Daniels is a dazzling take on an old classic. The ‘orchestra’s’ lush instruments infuse it with Tijuana sass that’s far more samba than ever evident in the Sailendra-Hasrat Jaipuri lyrics in the original. That infectious brass sound punches happy holes throughout.

The tempo is perfect, allowing you to savour each note and phrase. And yet, without missing a beat, it’s frisky, downright restless. You don’t need any words to know that the music-the song-is singing its utter desire to set its heart go wandering elsewhere, anywhere. Be awestruck by how a 1969 rendition of a 1952 song can knock your socks off today.