ARUN PRAKASH

Carnatic Musicians
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hnbhagavan
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ARUN PRAKASH

Post by hnbhagavan »


rajeshnat
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by rajeshnat »

Lovely writeup , but not agreeing on the silence part . Very crisp and lovely writeup .Happy 50th birthday. For many who may not know the popular bho sambho in revati that made maharajapuram santhanam omnipresent in all homes was tuned by ArunPrakash dad L Krishnan, Possibly that point could have been added with a little reduced photo of TMK-RKSK-KAP (in the hardcopy there is a photo of these 3 vidwans).

Sachi_R
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by Sachi_R »

Image

Rajesh, thanks, I did not know that the song Bho Shambho (Swami Dayananda Saraswati) was tuned by KAP's father. It is a very evocative composition. The tune gives a hint that he was a percussionist, too!?

The other day, TMK sang a Kapi composition of Perumal Murugan. It was extremely well-tuned. He said it was tuned by KAP. Hats off.


Long back I had expressed the feeling (of many others, too) that KAP is like a noncommittal Independent Member of Parliament. I daresay I have observed some musicians squirm in discomfort when he does not provide to them the mridangam beat handle to hold on to when they move on to anupallavi or charanam. I have also known some insipid tanis from him, and some not very agreeable take-offs with the song.

But let me come to my own more mature understanding of KAP today:

* He is an exemplary and unique percussionist. His Nadam is never unwholesome. His playing is never like a step-mother's beating her unwelcome step-son (an unwholesome imagery if ever there was one, apparently SSI said it πŸ™ƒ about another mridangist).

*He has expansive silences. It affords the musician and the audience the much needed space for "connecting the dots". It is a Zen-like thing where they say the bird in flight leaves no footprints.

*And more than anything else, I have seen KAP come mightily to the rescue of the musician, (many instances with TMK), by adding a weight and shape to the music that was otherwise missing.

He is a unique artiste. Happy birthday to the maestro. πŸ’

TMK has done the right thing writing this piece. πŸ‘

rajeshnat
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by rajeshnat »

Sachi_R wrote: ↑04 May 2018, 11:00 [
* He is an exemplary and unique percussionist. His Nadam is never unwholesome. His playing is never like a step-mother's beating her unwelcome step-son (an unwholesome imagery if ever there was one, apparently SSI said it πŸ™ƒ about another mridangist).

*He has expansive silences. It affords the musician and the audience the much needed space for "connecting the dots". It is a Zen-like thing where they say the bird in flight leaves no footprints.

....
Happy birthday to the maestro. πŸ’

TMK has done the right thing writing this piece. πŸ‘
Sachi,
His nAdam is really great . I am completely with you on that.

But when you say expansive silence and connecting the dots and zen thing all that is good in visual words . May be you read lot of self help books. Aurally he is to me more of an expansive vacuum then being characterized expansive silence.πŸ™ƒ

Happy Birthday is fine sachi , calling him maestro .I hope Palakkad Mani Iyer and his parama guru Pazhani Subbudu do not come out of their expansive silence from their respective graves .πŸ’

All said he will become quite well sought after with respect to competition . In his competition ring of mrudangam performers many especially bit senior mrudangist usually ask for dil maange more volume and tear your eardrums , vidwan arunprakash will be a miniature vellore ramabadran atleast in nAdam part . Best wishes on his 50th year, he has done so many pallavi lines and each of them has its own charm - a streak of GNB is also there in him as his dad L krishnan is sishya of GNB.πŸ‘

The Hindu continues to do the right thing for TMK and that keeps feeding more great writeups. vidwan Arunprakash truly deserves this lovely writeup.

sureshvv
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by sureshvv »

Please check https://charsur.com

They have an audio with KAP playing his trademark style.

Sachi_R
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by Sachi_R »

Rajesh,
I stopped reading the cover titles of self-help books displayed in airport book stalls when I graduated to a life which necessitates minimum air travel (after a life of perhaps several hundred flights).
If you think Zen and connecting the dots are about self-help, I think you SHOULD read some self-help books. You will discover that they don't talk ideas too abstract for the feeble-minded.

I sense you have a discomfort about my calling KAP "maestro". If you think PMI and PSP will turn in their graves by my calling KAP a maestro, I disagree. I see they are quite comfortable with people calling many others maestros. Perhaps they have moved on?!?

rajeshnat
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by rajeshnat »

Sachi_R wrote: ↑04 May 2018, 13:25 Rajesh,
I stopped reading the cover titles of self-help books displayed in airport book stalls when I graduated to a life which necessitates minimum air travel (after a life of perhaps several hundred flights).
If you think Zen and connecting the dots are about self-help, I think you SHOULD read some self-help books. You will discover that they don't talk ideas too abstract for the feeble-minded.

I sense you have a discomfort about my calling KAP "maestro". If you think PMI and PSP will turn in their graves by my calling KAP a maestro, I disagree. I see they are quite comfortable with people calling many others maestros. Perhaps they have moved on?!?
Sachi,
I should have not stated self help books at all and could have avoided that slight detour. My bad , let us move on. In general Let us reserve for some more years to call many as maestros, no big deal there . I stand by what I have stated on his style of play, the house is divided with Arunprakash play and we usually have only 2 extreme camps - dots will surely exist in silence but not in vacuum.

Sachi_R
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by Sachi_R »

Listen to this recent concert. I am holding no brief for KAP. I think this is a good example of how he accompanies in a concert.
https://youtu.be/xegdHioSSQk

Nick H
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by Nick H »

Sachi, I like your writeup on KAP better than TMK's. No surprise: you're the better writer.

However, I can put aside that, as an editor I wouldn't give TMK a single column inch, and accept what he has written as his own on-stage experience... which it is.

Sachi_R
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by Sachi_R »

Nick,
You're much closer to the core Carnatic scene than me, you're a percussionist to boot... So I defer to your thoughts.

rajeshnat
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by rajeshnat »

Personally I had a chance to talk with L Krishnan before the Narada gana sabha in that cafetria, then I did know that he was a great tunesmith . I just told him enna sir you gave bho sambhO to maharajapuram santhanam and I asked him how he tuned . He was happy with my question and gave an answer more like God helped me . I did not know that he learnt then from GNB then , now knowing more about GNB especially since the last 2 days , looks like GNB has created a whole ecosystem of excellence, he is not just great new baani , but great newer baani

When L Krishnan passed away here was this writeup
http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday ... 517960.ece

Nick H
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by Nick H »

Sachi_R wrote: ↑04 May 2018, 17:08 Nick,
You're much closer to the core Carnatic scene than me, you're a percussionist to boot... So I defer to your thoughts.
If I could claim as much, then I could claim to even belong to the same lineage, for ArunPrakash's guru was one of my guru's gurus. But I really can't claim: I am no sort of percussionist/musician, not even the playing-at-home-sort, nor do I even have much mastery of the theory.

I'm just one of the least-informed ordinary audience members... and I enjoy ArunPrakash's playing very much!

Sachi_R
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by Sachi_R »

What a coincidence. The concert (video I linked before) has been reviewed! Here are the words used to describe KAP's playing by sankark:
KAP was so good - I still don't get what for is he being castigated! He has his own way/style of playing - no assault on ears being the most key thing in that, and no 20-30 min percussion thani (percussion kutcheri within kutcheri) in a 2:30 - 2:40 hours concert, modulating his play to bring lot of soft & emphatic plays.

Nick H
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by Nick H »

Maybe he should play one song in every concert loud, fast and imposing.... Just to show that he can :lol:

I'm sure he could if he wanted to., and maybe others, are used to seeing him accompanying artists for whom the gentle approach is very suitable, but I've seen him play for others and he can.

ram1999
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by ram1999 »

Sachi_R wrote: ↑04 May 2018, 11:00 Image

Long back I had expressed the feeling (of many others, too) that KAP is like a noncommittal Independent Member of Parliament. I daresay I have observed some musicians squirm in discomfort when he does not provide to them the mridangam beat handle to hold on to when they move on to anupallavi or charanam. I have also known some insipid tanis from him, and some not very agreeable take-offs with the song.
Arun Prakash is a lovely accompanist, he is unobtrusive and plays as required for the kriti, not too loud, not too soft, and there is no unnecessary drumming which is jarring to the ears. I guess it is a different path that he has chosen and does add sheen to the music.

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

ArunPrakash

Post by rajeshnat »

K Arunprakash on his recent ragasudha performance and CD release writeup in The Hindu dated July 20,2018
https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/ ... 460819.ece

Sachi_R
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by Sachi_R »

Truly commendable.
Such efforts recreate interest in our scriptures and help musicians deliver not such music but also an experience of devotion.

rajeshnat
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by rajeshnat »

Composer-mridangist K. Arunprakash will lead a team of musicians in performing Sundaravalli Ammal’s songs at an upcoming event. From The Hindu dated Aug 26,2021

https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/ ... 119040.ece

shankarank
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Re: ARUN PRAKASH

Post by shankarank »

Kaanada Kovilgal Kelaada Geethangal
kaNDa naDai Sri Arun Prakash now composing on kANAda naDaigal. Besh! Besh! See! My poetic quip line acquired it's own meaning ;) :lol:

P:S: naDai means the entrance to the abode of the lord! Another meaning.

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