umayALpuram k. sivarAman
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There are few mridangists who can be appreciated by rasikas irrespective of whether one understands layam or not. I belong to layam gnana soonyam's who can appreciate shri UKS.
One general attribute of his is the way he superbly steals few strokes of mridangam , incidentally when a singer grasps for a little lung space . Incidentally he has done with the jAmbhavan SSI (most difficult to steal..),who has rightly praised UKS in the url.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/10/13/stor ... 280400.htm
Another incident was two years before , when Suryaprakash was singing a rAgamaliga swaram of darbAri kAnadA ,for about 5 minutes he transformed the mridangam to tabla and went back to mridangam. A very memorable layam exposition
One general attribute of his is the way he superbly steals few strokes of mridangam , incidentally when a singer grasps for a little lung space . Incidentally he has done with the jAmbhavan SSI (most difficult to steal..),who has rightly praised UKS in the url.
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/10/13/stor ... 280400.htm
Another incident was two years before , when Suryaprakash was singing a rAgamaliga swaram of darbAri kAnadA ,for about 5 minutes he transformed the mridangam to tabla and went back to mridangam. A very memorable layam exposition
Last edited by rajeshnat on 15 Oct 2006, 22:49, edited 1 time in total.
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Nice Hindu article. To me, Sivaraman mama is indeed the doyen of percussion artistes.
It was a great honour to host him when he played in Sydney some years ago and get to learn some korvais from him. As an aside, he prefers the spelling 'mrudangam' to 'mridangam' and he despises the term 'mrudangist' - mrudangam artistes is preferred!
It was a great honour to host him when he played in Sydney some years ago and get to learn some korvais from him. As an aside, he prefers the spelling 'mrudangam' to 'mridangam' and he despises the term 'mrudangist' - mrudangam artistes is preferred!
For all my Feelings of having missed out listening to the great masters in the Golden Era 50-70 years ago, I have always comforted myself that I had one great experience , as compensation-
The experience of attending a Concert where UKS plays the Mrudangam.
The very sight of this master -as we rush to take our seats - in a majestic posture , half turned sideways and assessing the audience with a sway of his head, His deep set eyes and a twist of his mouth which borders on a smirk,the deep bass voice and impeccable language... they all add up to make blood rush through my veins .
As Rajesh says I hardly ever understand the intricacies of what he is playing , but I have always felt his style is just like a Cushion beneath the track of the main performer - always supporting it from below- as though the rendering needed to be held up for all of us to see
I have tried hard, these last few days to locate something that measures upto to my unabashed admiration for this genius.
Many years ago , one day while I was having Lunch (Prasadam) at Nanganallur Anjaneyar temple, I noticed a few video tapes tumbling out of the overstacked cupboards.
One look at the labels and I felt sorry for the genies that were bottled up in those covers- I dont know for how many years.
As I Started to discuss this with a friend who was a volunteer there , I thought of offering to convert those videotapes -to vcds-for the temple.
One thing led to another and in no time I was handling an expensive project.I had to quickly find a few known people to share the burden ( I was just into business then ,and was at a stage where I started realising the truth about the statement -WHO SAYS MONEY IS LIKE DOUGH . DOUGH STICKS TO THE HAND )
However at the end of the project -those thankless friends ended taking up a copy but never bothered to pay up their share.
It was one such day That I felt like complaining to the Lord -after I had finally handed over the complete set to the temple authorities.
The Lord with all his knowledge about the fact that I was penniless , had decided to put this extra burden me .
Strangely that day , we were delayed for some silly reason and as I picked up my Sundal in the queue I had one last look at the Diety to see if he was still making fun of me, but felt otherwise.
Just then the Secretary of the temple committee entered and the chap who was giving me the prasadam callled out loudly
"Sir, this is the person who converted all those videos for us."
I came out of the queue and We got busy talking for a few minutes , and he enquired about music collections etc
Finally he sprang a surprise -
"I hope you have collected your expense towards this."
And realising that none of us had ever discussed this , he admonished me for not bringing up this issue before and thanked me for saving their treasures from getting spoiled.And he immediately wrote out a cheque for the full amount.
Here is a clip from one of those tapes.We had to struggle a lot to clean them up etc and one can notice those damaged portions , but to my mind it is a brilliantly shot Video - One that brings out the artistry of this Titan in all its elegance.
Hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.
http://www.rogepost.com/dn/6xjj
http://www.rogepost.com/dn/h0wg
http://www.rogepost.com/dn/k3nf
PS Kindly do not post these links in other forums and that too with notes like Courtesy Coolkarni- They are a source of endless trouble to me .Something which has made me cut down on video uploads.
But for the sake of this thread i am willing to make an exception.
happy viewing
The experience of attending a Concert where UKS plays the Mrudangam.
The very sight of this master -as we rush to take our seats - in a majestic posture , half turned sideways and assessing the audience with a sway of his head, His deep set eyes and a twist of his mouth which borders on a smirk,the deep bass voice and impeccable language... they all add up to make blood rush through my veins .
As Rajesh says I hardly ever understand the intricacies of what he is playing , but I have always felt his style is just like a Cushion beneath the track of the main performer - always supporting it from below- as though the rendering needed to be held up for all of us to see
I have tried hard, these last few days to locate something that measures upto to my unabashed admiration for this genius.
Many years ago , one day while I was having Lunch (Prasadam) at Nanganallur Anjaneyar temple, I noticed a few video tapes tumbling out of the overstacked cupboards.
One look at the labels and I felt sorry for the genies that were bottled up in those covers- I dont know for how many years.
As I Started to discuss this with a friend who was a volunteer there , I thought of offering to convert those videotapes -to vcds-for the temple.
One thing led to another and in no time I was handling an expensive project.I had to quickly find a few known people to share the burden ( I was just into business then ,and was at a stage where I started realising the truth about the statement -WHO SAYS MONEY IS LIKE DOUGH . DOUGH STICKS TO THE HAND )
However at the end of the project -those thankless friends ended taking up a copy but never bothered to pay up their share.
It was one such day That I felt like complaining to the Lord -after I had finally handed over the complete set to the temple authorities.
The Lord with all his knowledge about the fact that I was penniless , had decided to put this extra burden me .
Strangely that day , we were delayed for some silly reason and as I picked up my Sundal in the queue I had one last look at the Diety to see if he was still making fun of me, but felt otherwise.
Just then the Secretary of the temple committee entered and the chap who was giving me the prasadam callled out loudly
"Sir, this is the person who converted all those videos for us."
I came out of the queue and We got busy talking for a few minutes , and he enquired about music collections etc
Finally he sprang a surprise -
"I hope you have collected your expense towards this."
And realising that none of us had ever discussed this , he admonished me for not bringing up this issue before and thanked me for saving their treasures from getting spoiled.And he immediately wrote out a cheque for the full amount.
Here is a clip from one of those tapes.We had to struggle a lot to clean them up etc and one can notice those damaged portions , but to my mind it is a brilliantly shot Video - One that brings out the artistry of this Titan in all its elegance.
Hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.
http://www.rogepost.com/dn/6xjj
http://www.rogepost.com/dn/h0wg
http://www.rogepost.com/dn/k3nf
PS Kindly do not post these links in other forums and that too with notes like Courtesy Coolkarni- They are a source of endless trouble to me .Something which has made me cut down on video uploads.
But for the sake of this thread i am willing to make an exception.
happy viewing
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Mr. Coolkarni I dont have words to thank you for this. I wish we had the full thani though. As you have said rightly in your post this great mridangam vidwan is a matter of pride for Carnatic music. Undoubtedly one of the greatest EVER. May God give him long life and strength to continue to enchant us like he does!
sankiranam
another memorable bit in mp3.
One that i listen with the Volume full blast !!!
to catch all the silken movements of the fingers ..
http://www.rogepost.com/n/5372159567
a track where three great artists produce magic - not to forget the genius of the Composer.....
well there is no point in trying to describe these moments.
another memorable bit in mp3.
One that i listen with the Volume full blast !!!
to catch all the silken movements of the fingers ..
http://www.rogepost.com/n/5372159567
a track where three great artists produce magic - not to forget the genius of the Composer.....
well there is no point in trying to describe these moments.
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is it possible to post the audio part alone for the whole tani ( am i asking for too much). This could be one of the very few concerts with 3 of the best percussionists (UKS,GH,THV) playing together. Add bmk , tnk on the stage & ssi in the audience . i was lucky enough hear it live . in fact i have heard some of the very rare concerts - MS , bmk with msg,uks , in this venue
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rajumds
i am not sure of the venue either .
But i have heard this was the inaugural concert ( Bismilalh khan also played there in that series)
Looks like it was performed in an auditorium - looking at the audience.
Other concerts held at the temple have very poor accoustics- as heard in these videos.
The one that you attended must have been a second concert that was held at the temple premises- he starts of with his own composition on Anjaneya.
i am not sure of the venue either .
But i have heard this was the inaugural concert ( Bismilalh khan also played there in that series)
Looks like it was performed in an auditorium - looking at the audience.
Other concerts held at the temple have very poor accoustics- as heard in these videos.
The one that you attended must have been a second concert that was held at the temple premises- he starts of with his own composition on Anjaneya.
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during the initial days the concerts were held in a huge pandal errected outside the temple. afterwards they were shifted inside the temple . bmk was the 'asthana vidwan'(is he still) of the temple during that time. but i am not too sure .if it was held in an auditorium then i didn't attend. the back ground & venue look similar to the MS concert which was held outside the temple.
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I still remember the first time I saw UKS sir live was in Australia, in a concert organized by Pallavi almost 10 years ago now! I was only 9 or so then, and had just started learning mrudangam. I remember my teacher at the time talking to me afterwards and saying if I noticed the tremendous speeds he has when he plays farens. Since then, UKS sir has been my role model in everything relating to mrudangam... seeing him live is like a great lesson in itself.
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Coolkarniji,
Is there any chance of getting the full concert atleast audio ? BMK TNK UKS THV HS one of the top combinations. I have seen that you are not uploading concerts now for obvious reasons . But this is a special request. A video of the main piece / RTP(if there was any)will definitely be a bonus. To see BMK-TNK-UKS in action. ah awesome combination!
Any chance of more UKS thanis? Thanks for DKJ - MSG - UKS that simply great!
Is there any chance of getting the full concert atleast audio ? BMK TNK UKS THV HS one of the top combinations. I have seen that you are not uploading concerts now for obvious reasons . But this is a special request. A video of the main piece / RTP(if there was any)will definitely be a bonus. To see BMK-TNK-UKS in action. ah awesome combination!
Any chance of more UKS thanis? Thanks for DKJ - MSG - UKS that simply great!
Veera-hindolam
I am afraid I have to decline.The "Obvious reasons" are still very very valid.
My bottomline is -How to keep the educative aspect going forward without infringing on anybodys rights - including the rights of members who complain elsewhere instead of just alerting me.
This ,I have arrived at ,after numerous emails to me and Let us stick to this plan.
I have survived a few stumping chances and I intend playing well within my crease- Even if rasikas keep tossing up flighted deliveries !:D
But as i said earlier , anyone is free to visit me for Lunch.That is an open invitation.
I am afraid I have to decline.The "Obvious reasons" are still very very valid.
My bottomline is -How to keep the educative aspect going forward without infringing on anybodys rights - including the rights of members who complain elsewhere instead of just alerting me.
This ,I have arrived at ,after numerous emails to me and Let us stick to this plan.
I have survived a few stumping chances and I intend playing well within my crease- Even if rasikas keep tossing up flighted deliveries !:D
But as i said earlier , anyone is free to visit me for Lunch.That is an open invitation.
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You can download a belting Sri Krishnam in Thodi by SSI followed by thani avarthanam. Accompanied by Mysore Manjunath on the violin and Umayalpuram Sivaraman. I do not know the name of the ghatam artist. Performed for Dussera festival, Mysore, 1981.
http://www.rogepost.com/n/3947510187
http://www.rogepost.com/n/3947510187
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K-ji and MRI Fan,
What a video. As many have already said, Sri UKS is indeed a living treasure for carnatic music. The unbridled joy, pride and devotion to the art is clearly seen by Sri Harishankar and Sri UKS's mannerisms when they watch and appreciate each other playing...there are reasons why we attach veneration in addition to the joy that yesteryear artists brought us...this thani shows us all of those reasons. They were great on the dais and off it too. Once, when Sri PMI's son had come over to NJ, I had the opportunity to listen to him talk to my cousin about the life and times of his father and other greats. He would only talk abt Sri Harishankar's limitless love for his art and the total unassuming modest person that Sri Harishankar was. It was so wonderful just to listen....
I thank you with all my heart for these videos.
What a video. As many have already said, Sri UKS is indeed a living treasure for carnatic music. The unbridled joy, pride and devotion to the art is clearly seen by Sri Harishankar and Sri UKS's mannerisms when they watch and appreciate each other playing...there are reasons why we attach veneration in addition to the joy that yesteryear artists brought us...this thani shows us all of those reasons. They were great on the dais and off it too. Once, when Sri PMI's son had come over to NJ, I had the opportunity to listen to him talk to my cousin about the life and times of his father and other greats. He would only talk abt Sri Harishankar's limitless love for his art and the total unassuming modest person that Sri Harishankar was. It was so wonderful just to listen....
I thank you with all my heart for these videos.
Last edited by mahesh33 on 01 Feb 2007, 05:50, edited 1 time in total.
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Australian audiences will get to see and hear Sri Umayalpuram Sivaraman after a gap of nine years. He is touring Australia from the end of February 2007. Two concerts are planned in both Sydney and Melbourne and one in other cities.
For more details see
www.inconcertmusic.com.au
and www.pallavi.org
For more details see
www.inconcertmusic.com.au
and www.pallavi.org
Last edited by mohan on 01 Feb 2007, 07:28, edited 1 time in total.
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Coolkarni sir,
Thank you very much for the recording. I've already seen it (it's posted on youtube.com at http://youtube.com/watch?v=U_8Bi-6lq70), but I'm sure other rasikas will appreciate it.
Thank you very much for the recording. I've already seen it (it's posted on youtube.com at http://youtube.com/watch?v=U_8Bi-6lq70), but I'm sure other rasikas will appreciate it.
http://file.uploadr.com/c715
Two masters in action -- lovely piece of music.
part 2 follows.
different flavor to "maye ' , initially I thought He was going to play in charukesi !!
could not help the small lag between audio and video.after all the trouble I went thru in converting divx to mpeg.
Two masters in action -- lovely piece of music.
part 2 follows.
different flavor to "maye ' , initially I thought He was going to play in charukesi !!
could not help the small lag between audio and video.after all the trouble I went thru in converting divx to mpeg.