Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

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surati
Posts: 1
Joined: 21 Apr 2008, 08:05

Post by surati »

Hello ppl, what do u think about the veena player Jayanthi kumaresh? I feel that she can achieve the heights attained by her illustrious guru if she improves her consistency. I've attended a lot of her concerts and found that 80% are bad and 20 % are excellent. And she also needs to be more versatile as she repeats a LOT of compositions.


With respect to technique, she has scant regard for sahityam sometimes and does not pull enough to bring out flavour of raagas like suratti or lalitha and can get very repetitive with phrases(like her aunt Smt. Padmavathy Ananthagopalan) . However, when she plays well she plays really well. All her flaws seem to vanish and her kalpana shakti becomes oceanic.


You are welcome to disagree with me if u want;);)
Last edited by surati on 21 Apr 2008, 08:39, edited 1 time in total.

cacm
Posts: 2212
Joined: 08 Apr 2010, 00:07

Post by cacm »

Dear s,
I think she is absolutely FANTASTIC. She has managed to inculcate the Lalgudi school's unbelievable technical discipline and combine it with S,B'S Flair to become one of the truly great Veena artists from a very young age. She & Veena Gayathri ( who is at almost genius level) are the SHINING STARS in MY OPINION. The fact Jayanthi has a tendency to play difficult & some what unfamiliar ragas may be what turns the average listener off to some extent. Late Madurai Mani Iyer when asked by very talented musicians why they are not as popular tho' their vidwat & presentations of Apoorva ragas were brilliant always said that unless Gana ragas & familiar kritis are the staple in concerts they do not shine with many listeners. This from some one who was the ultimate expert in Apoorva Ragas!
Reg repeating lots of compositions the ONE& ONLY MALI ALWAYS PLAYED A SMALL NUMBER HIMSELF REPEATEDLY but each time it was a new revelation! I feel MMI'S answer when he was asked why he sang VATAPHI so many times was he was attempting to render it perfectly at least once!......vkv
Last edited by cacm on 21 Apr 2008, 10:57, edited 1 time in total.

mohan
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 16:52

Post by mohan »

Surati - I have to disagree with you. I think she is an outstanding young artist. Her style is quite different to S Balachandar's so it is not fair to compare with that style.

cienu
Posts: 2387
Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 11:40

Post by cienu »

Surati - I do not think your comment is fair to the artist. From what you say , you have heard Jayanti on the Veena many times.

Jayanti is indeed one of the outstanding Veena players of the younger generation.
WRT technique , I feel that you should base your statement on facts and post the clip wherein you feel that the Raga Bhava or the flavor of the Sahitya has not been fully brought out. (ofcourse subject to copyright rules and regulations)

Lastly I notice that you are a new member who has registered today and this is your first post. I would request that you dont start with criticism and contribute to the forum in various threads. This way your views will carry more weight.

Unfortunately there have been lot of new "forumites" who have been in the "shoot and scoot" category and therefore do not inspire much confidence. I would be happy if you do prove me wrong though by continuing in the forum and sharing your knowledge on various subjects ;)
Last edited by cienu on 21 Apr 2008, 15:33, edited 1 time in total.

PUNARVASU
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Joined: 06 Feb 2010, 05:42

Post by PUNARVASU »

I agree completely with vkv4304, Mohan and cienu.JK is an outstanding artist and provides chaste, sampradaya music.

Mimzy
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Joined: 22 Apr 2008, 01:53

Post by Mimzy »

Smt. Jayanthi is an outstanding exponent of the Gayaki style, in my opinion. She has managed very ably to incorporate the versatility of the veena with her wonderful bani. The Veena is a very difficult instrument to master and I think her playing is testament to this. Also, each musician is entitled to their unique style of playing, and it is not very fair to pass judgment based on this.

Nick H
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 02:03

Post by Nick H »

... and each audience member is entitled to express their opinion!

indianmusicbuff
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Joined: 23 Apr 2008, 09:41

Post by indianmusicbuff »

A mediocre performer, glorified beyond imagination. Riding on good PR

ramakriya
Posts: 1876
Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 02:05

Post by ramakriya »

hmmmm, looka like this thread is atracting many new registrations ;) I wonder ....

-Ramakriya
Last edited by ramakriya on 23 Apr 2008, 11:42, edited 1 time in total.

Nick H
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 02:03

Post by Nick H »

And having just said that all are entitled to their opinions, I must maintain that!

I would say (as a non-musician, mind) that her technique alone raises her far above mediocre, and that I have hugely enjoyed her programs.

I have not seen her play for a long time (several years): when I last did she was somewhat experimental, including drum pad stuff. That I don't like ---personally.

true_rasika
Posts: 20
Joined: 06 May 2007, 18:49

Post by true_rasika »

Dear RasikAs:

I think Jayanthi Kumaresh is BRILLIANT. She has imbibed very well the SB style of playing (heavily gamaka laden and amazing / unbelievable / delightful), and has done a smart thing to indulge in manodharma in a more sensible / lmited fashion and not go overboard with a particular rAgam or part of a concert like SB, that eccentric genius. Plus, coming from the Lalgudi family, she has the gAyaki approach, azhutham and stamp of chaste classicism that is typical of that School. So she truly represents the best of both worlds, and has managed to evolve a style which is a 'happy unison' of both schools.

I also like the way JK carries herself on and off the stage. On stage, she cuts out all the frills and concentrates on what she knows and does best - play the veena. Off stage, she seems to keep a low profile and does not throw her weight around - unlike many other artistes who are approaching the peak of their respective careers or have already peaked at a very young age....She is one solid artiste all set for a 'marathon' musical journey, and I do hope that she remains that way all the way through.

I listened to JK in a Jugalbandhi with Gaurav Mazumdar in NJ around 2 or 3 years earlier. She was outstanding and GM, though quite good, simply could not keep up with her brilliance. My most recent exposure to a JK concert was in NJ on April 12. She was accompanied by her cousin Sriram Brahmanandam and a youngster (Canadian of Srilankan origin) on the morsing. JK was as usual at her mesmerising best and rendered a lovely Charukesi RTP...Sriram excelled throughout the concert with his very mature and refined playing and tremendous anticipation. The only pity was that his mridangam was not in great shape - resulting in a somewhat odd sound.......but still not that bad to dilute the overall quality of the concert. A quick word about the youngster on the Morsing - he is THE morsing / upapakkavAdyam player to watch out for. I have never been in a concert where the morsing player drew repeated rounds of applause. He produced some extraordinary and unique sounds from the instrument - which is generally relegated to an insignificant place in concerts. It would be helpful if someone could recall his name for me....

My apologies for digressing from the topic of this thread - of discussing JK - but thought of penning this mini-review of her NJ concert nevertheless in the hope that it is not a terrible deviation.

Thanks!
Last edited by true_rasika on 04 May 2008, 20:05, edited 1 time in total.

sureshvv
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Joined: 05 Jul 2007, 18:17

Post by sureshvv »

I found her solo concerts quite good. The couple of concerts that i attended (one of which was at TTD on vaikunta ekadasi almost a decade back) when accompanying her guru were "phenomenal".

sridhar_ranga
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 11:36

Post by sridhar_ranga »

true_rasika wrote:Dear RasikAs:

IA quick word about the youngster on the Morsing - he is THE morsing / upapakkavAdyam player to watch out for. I have never been in a concert where the morsing player drew repeated rounds of applause. He produced some extraordinary and unique sounds from the instrument - which is generally relegated to an insignificant place in concerts. It would be helpful if someone could recall his name for me....

My apologies for digressing from the topic of this thread - of discussing JK - but thought of penning this mini-review of her NJ concert nevertheless in the hope that it is not a terrible deviation.

Thanks!
I was fortunate to attend this concert at Bridgewater temple. IIRC, the Morsing player's name was Surender.

Sri

mohan
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Post by mohan »


appu
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Joined: 20 May 2007, 09:46

Post by appu »

A very eloquent and articulate speaker. I enjoyed the article very much. keep up the good work, Jayanthi.

cienu
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Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 11:40

Post by cienu »

Revisited this thread after a long time as it became active on Mohan's post. It was indeed a very nice article. Jayanti has always been among my favourites in the younger generation of Veena players.

Whatever happened to Surati, the person who started this thread on a rather unpleasant note and has since vanished ! This also happens to be the only posting of Surati on the Rasikas Forum !
Last edited by cienu on 04 Jul 2008, 18:21, edited 1 time in total.

vallaki
Posts: 81
Joined: 02 Jul 2009, 20:45

Post by vallaki »

Jayanthi's veena is brilliant.I do not claim to have listened to a lot of her music, I was supposed to have been in in her kutcheri last year at bridgewater temple which unfortunately was cancelled due to rains.. But what ever I have heard so far I really like.

Especially that thanam piece on you tube posted by mEERAGOPAL.

Well, anyways, I am partial to all vainikas and love them all.

Sam Swaminathan
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Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 08:45

Post by Sam Swaminathan »

Both as a person as well as a professional vainika, Jayanthi is a brilliant person.
Last edited by Sam Swaminathan on 05 Jul 2009, 03:49, edited 1 time in total.

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by rajeshnat »

Roughly a week back I saw in the paper that jayanthi kumaresh has also got this year's prestigious sangeetha choodamani award from sree krishna gana sabha - Congratulations to vidushi jayanthi kumaresh.

rshankar
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by rshankar »

Congratulations to Smt. Jayanthi! Well deserved.

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by rajeshnat »

I have not heard her even once , but I think she is of late building good presence with lots of press writeups. She is indeed a good fighter and is working hard to bring veena back to more acceptance . I wanted to attend this concert at skgs that is reviewed - but could not ,hoping to hear her soon.

http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday ... 291780.ece

Rsachi
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Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by Rsachi »

Rajesh,
Try the You Tube clips as well as some tracks on Twaang, an app.
Her CDs from live concerts by Charsur are also good. There is an album 'Veena' at raaga.com

rshankar
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by rshankar »

I love Smt. Jayanthi's (and Smt. E. Gayatri's) music for one big reason - they do not 'play' the vINa, they caress it with respect and love to produce nAdam...

mahavishnu
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Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by mahavishnu »

I agree, Ravi. Well said.

Rajesh, As Sachi mentions, you should find the earliest opportunity to listen to her live. I find her music to be extraordinary. In addition to those suggestions there is a wonderful lec dem with parivadini that also showcases her gnanam and technique.

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by rajeshnat »

She gives well rounded answers to almost all questions .
http://theaalaap.com/site/theqs/JayanthiKumaresh

I am not sure if that answer "Instrumental music allows you to fix the narrative according to your imagination. It’s not fixed to a particular scenario. " is applicable atleast to me , because when I hear her play I only hear vocal music without words . She is a fighter like her periamma padmavathi (I have talked with her few times she is so deep in expressing herself and falls at the feet of all music gods), has the musical depth and aesthetics like her mama mahavidwan LGJ and also has few more surely great qualities like her amma(vidushi rajalakshmi) and other sister(vidushi brahmanandam). My awareness with her mom is near zero and brahmanandam possibly few touchpoints when she played with LGJ. VIdushi Jayanthi is also the sishya of the great veena balachandar- perhaps all facets of her family and gurus are reflected in the above Q&A.

rajeshnat
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Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by rajeshnat »

Interview of this lovely vainika . Could she not additionally add the name of her aunt Padmavathy Ananthagopalan , instead of saying my guru is my aunt who is the sister of LGJ. Looking forward to hear her .
http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/m ... 290861.ece

rshankar
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Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by rshankar »

Rajesh - it’s very possible that it was left out by a foolish editor..:

kvchellappa
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Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by kvchellappa »

Another interview:
I liked this : "Practising (anything), according to her, needs segregation from technology as much as it takes technology to learn something as novel as Indian Classical Music."
https://www.classicalclaps.com/a-cup-o- ... -kumaresh/

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by rajeshnat »

Lovely writeup when Vidushi Jayanthi Kumaresh received the Indira Sivasailam Award. May more laurels come your way. If there is a link where I can hear what she spoke that would be great.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/ch ... 209683.ece

rshankar
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Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by rshankar »

Congratulations to the vidushi. Richly deserved, and may she receive many, many more!!

arasi
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Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by arasi »

The veena spoke, but the deft hands that play it make it sound as sweet as it does. Congratulations to
Jayanthi Kumaresh for getting this prestigious award. May the music of her forefathers and of gifted women in her family continue to flourish in her :)

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by rajeshnat »

The spectacular vidushi Jayanthi Kumaresh got an award in Delhi. There is a writeup dated Nov ,2019 from The Hindu.
https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/ ... 971498.ece

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by rajeshnat »

Another writeup in Dec 01st 2019 for this extraordinary vainika
https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/ ... 123357.ece

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by rajeshnat »

First page Writeup from The Hindu Friday Review dated May 14th,2021. Great Vainika
https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/ ... 551310.ece

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Jayanthi kumaresh: Vainika

Post by rajeshnat »

Dec 2021 review of one of the most outstanding vainikas of present times
https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/ ... 071457.ece

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