Pazhani Subramania Pillai's jazz collaborations?

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gsn
Posts: 81
Joined: 30 Oct 2005, 07:04

Post by gsn »

Hello all!

I have read somewhere (probably on Sangeetham) that Sri Pazhani collaborated with a jazz drummer in the late 1950's . Does anyone know who this drummer was? Any recordings available of this duo?

Thanks!

Girish

gsn
Posts: 81
Joined: 30 Oct 2005, 07:04

Post by gsn »

The band was "Dave Brubeck Quartet" and the drummer is Joe Morello. Now, to get hold of a recording or two! UCLA Ethnomusicology library has two radio recordings of Pazhani with Morello, so I wrote to them asking if they could make copies. Anyone know how such requests are perceived? In other words, might I get lucky and have a copy of the radio recordings, or will I likel;y be given the heave-ho?

-G

arasi
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Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

Interesting. Dave Brubeck at 86 is still playing, so is his son. I had no idea he had connections with India and that too with Pazhani 'Subbudu', as I heard him addressed when I was a child.

Pazhani Subramania Pillai was a sweet man. I can never forget him becuase without him I wouldn't have had my own little private library. How? Well, we
know that he loved automobiles and would change the model every now and then. At one point, I guess he didn't feel like parting with his 'no va' (won't run')--an old but beautiful car. A La Salle--(must have been an american car) a huge sea green beauty--in the days one saw only black and ocasionally dark green cars. It was a spacious sedan. PS needed parking space and my uncle, a good friend, obliged by lending him a spot in his garden. At that time, I went to school in Chennai and was living with my uncle's family. The La salle, as I called it, was my reading nook, my haven. The seats were comfortable. The car and its interior looked as though it were new. I arranged all my books in the front seat and the wide back window ledge. I flaunted my collection when friends came to play. I had a circulating library of children's magazines. It was my little world and sometimes I got into trouble by not being around in the house at dinner time or to run an errand. I was oblivious to the rest of the world reading, snug in my nook on wheels...
He gave me a gift of a place but not of laya!
Last edited by arasi on 17 Aug 2006, 07:10, edited 1 time in total.

vasanthakokilam
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01

Post by vasanthakokilam »

Great story Arasi...Thanks for sharing it.

bob denard
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Joined: 19 Aug 2006, 21:13

Post by bob denard »

Hi,
While talking about Dave Brubeck, he released an album in 1958 after an 80-date tour he did with his band throughout Europe and Asia ("Jazz impressions of Eurasia"). There are six songs, each being a vignette of a country or place he'd seen ("Brandenburg gate", "Marble Arch", "Dziekuje"...). The last one is "Calcutta Blues". It's interesting to hear how Brubeck perceived and transcribed what he heard with his own idiom. He's not held in high regard as an improviser, more as a composer. On that last track they try to emulate some Indian sound, Joe Morello having tuned his toms (i guess more or less like tablas), Brubeck playing modal with very sparse harmonic accompaniment.
I have it here, i don't know if that can be posted, and i don't even know how to post it... if anyone is interested let me know...

vasanthakokilam
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01

Post by vasanthakokilam »

Here is a one minute sample of 'Calcutta blues'...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000 ... 12?ie=UTF8

(Scroll down and look for the samples )

How long is the piece, Bob?

bob denard
Posts: 14
Joined: 19 Aug 2006, 21:13

Post by bob denard »

vasanthakokilam wrote:Here is a one minute sample of 'Calcutta blues'...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000 ... 12?ie=UTF8

(Scroll down and look for the samples )

How long is the piece, Bob?
it's 9:54..

thamizhisai_piriyan
Posts: 1
Joined: 02 Jan 2012, 21:24

Re:

Post by thamizhisai_piriyan »

gsn wrote:Hello all!

I have read somewhere (probably on Sangeetham) that Sri Pazhani collaborated with a jazz drummer in the late 1950's . Does anyone know who this drummer was? Any recordings available of this duo?

Thanks!

Girish
a recent article on the history of karnAtaka sangItham in north america published by the hindu newspaper and written by the newly minted sangItha kalAnidhi vidwan thiruchi sankaran, prompted me to look this up. and to my utter delight, the jam session is available in full here: http://www.tajmahalfoxtrot.com/?page_id=56.

the aforementioned calcutta blues is there in full too. makes for delightful listening.

enjoy!

also some very interesting pictures of brubeck & co's chennai visit can be found here:

http://digitalcollections.pacific.edu/c ... erm/Madras

Nick H
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 02:03

Re: Pazhani Subramania Pillai's jazz collaborations?

Post by Nick H »

Well done for finding the music ... and the thread here to post about it :)

Welcome to rasikas.org


...and the music is wonderful!

harimau
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Joined: 06 Feb 2007, 21:43

Re: Pazhani Subramania Pillai's jazz collaborations?

Post by harimau »

Nick H wrote:
Well done for finding the music ... and the thread here to post about it :)
You just missed the nice concert today at Raga Sudha and the conversations after the concert.

That is where I heard about a 1958 All India Radio recording of Pazhani Subramania Pillai with an American jazz group. The recording must still be in AIR archives but there is no easy way to get it out.

vasanthakokilam
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01

Re: Pazhani Subramania Pillai's jazz collaborations?

Post by vasanthakokilam »

harimau, the link provided by thamizhisai_piriyan is the 1958 All India Radio Chennai recording of Pazhani Subramania Pillai with the jazz drummer of the Dave Brubeck quartet.

Nick H
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 02:03

Re: Pazhani Subramania Pillai's jazz collaborations?

Post by Nick H »

harimau wrote: You just missed the nice concert today at Raga Sudha and the conversations after the concert.

That is where I heard about a 1958 All India Radio recording of Pazhani Subramania Pillai with an American jazz group. The recording must still be in AIR archives but there is no easy way to get it out.
:^) :^) :^)

Just missed
is right: I was there in the afternoon and left at 6.15 :(

The jazz post is amazing. Often, this sort of "fusion" consists of a more or less regular tani injected along with some western musicians. PSP really plays jazz. A gem!

Gamakam
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 23:04

Re: Pazhani Subramania Pillai's jazz collaborations?

Post by Gamakam »

This program was telecast under the title "When the Mridangam Played Jazz".

Trichy Sankaran recounted the program and the events sorrounding it in detail, when I interviewed him for my book onPalani. I've tried my best to document all that he said to me. When Sankaran met Joe Morello, several years after the program, Morello recalled Palani's greatness and remarked, "Your literally made me sit and practise for hours".

I've listened to the AIR recording. The recording is another example of PSP's integrity. In the final korvai, the third round doesn't come out alright. PSP doesn't cover up his mistake. He starts all over and plays it the right way.

uday_shankar
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:37

Re: Pazhani Subramania Pillai's jazz collaborations?

Post by uday_shankar »

Sometime in the late 80's I happened to attend a lec-dem by Veena Balachander for the Youth Association of Carnatic Music (YACM) where he recalled this event.

Never one to mince words, VB said he had tried to dissuade PSP from doing this because of the "incompatibility" of the drums and PSP's mridangam in terms of rhythmic complexity as well as volume ("avan batla yethavadu balakka adicchu thalliduvan"). Apparently, VB had managed to sow the seeds of doubt in PSP's head who responded (and Balachander, ever the thespian, enacted a hilarious imitation of PSP's expression, mouth filled with betel leaves opened in a sort of 'O') with "othundu irukka padado ?" (I suppose I shouldn't have accepted?). But PSP was not one to renege on a commitment and VB went on to say that this tryst with Morello was not the best way to showcase PSP's greatness as a rhythm artist.

VB was such a colorful character...his account of his interactions with Musiri and their joint attendance of a Yehudi Menuhin program was equally hilarious.

Gamakam
Posts: 241
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 23:04

Re: Pazhani Subramania Pillai's jazz collaborations?

Post by Gamakam »

Uday,

I'm not sure if PSP had agreed to play "along" with the jazz musicians.

According to Trichy Sankaran, PSP was called to show case Indian Drumming to the visitors. When the Jazz musicians started playing, PSP started drumming extempore and the idea of collaborating was born instantaneously. If this is true, I'm not sure if SB would have had a chance to dissuade PSP from collaborating.

regards
Lalitha Ram

uday_shankar
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:37

Re: Pazhani Subramania Pillai's jazz collaborations?

Post by uday_shankar »

Lalitha Ram
I am fairly confident about the accuracy of my recall. If you need to get to the bottom of it as an official biographer of PSP, I'll be glad to contact the YACM folks of the time (like Vijay SHiva) to see if there's a recording of SB's lec dem.
Uday

Gamakam
Posts: 241
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 23:04

Re: Pazhani Subramania Pillai's jazz collaborations?

Post by Gamakam »

Uday,

Thanks for the response.

It will be interesting to get to the bottom of this incident. I'm not questioning the accuracy of recall either. I just posted what I got to know from Sankaran sir, who was presnet during this particular incident. What Sankaran sir recalled and what SB seemed to recall doesn't seem to match.

Pls. do see if that recording exists. I'll be very interested in listening to it.

BTW. I'm not the "official" biographer of PSP:-) I took nobody's permission when I wrote the book.

Thanks again for the response.

Lalitha Ram

cacm
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Joined: 08 Apr 2010, 00:07

Re: Pazhani Subramania Pillai's jazz collaborations?

Post by cacm »

Dave Brubeck lived just 15 mins from Weslyan University & his son studied there two & learnt Veena & used it well in his playing etc. Joe Morello used to come to Weslyan a lot & learnt from Palghat Raghu also. Actually I used to bring KVN& RAGHU to my Apt. in Manhattan & they have played at Village Gate where all the great Jazz players used to perform & once Just performed before Tony Bennett who was mesmerized....
When Morello came to India he performed in several JAM SESSIONS with Palani in addition to AIR & I have one such recording with me. I DO NOT have time to upload it etc but will be happy to share it when I come to Chennai in September. Both are also heard exchanging, speaking etc as they play. Very Exciting stuff........VKV

Sivaramakrishnan
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Joined: 02 Jan 2010, 08:29

Re: Pazhani Subramania Pillai's jazz collaborations?

Post by Sivaramakrishnan »

gamakam! pl ensure you get the recording (that one 'in addition to AIR') from cacm. You may even think of sending one of your friends to cacm to upload the same!

September 2012 seems to be too far!

varsha
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Joined: 24 Aug 2011, 15:06

Re: Pazhani Subramania Pillai's jazz collaborations?

Post by varsha »

VB said he had tried to dissuade PSP from doing this because of the "incompatibility" of the drums
While respectfully accepting Uday_Shankars account of the events , here we are .. with a record of a different approach taken by SB , in this lecture . Here he seems to be convinced that all different branches of musical endeavours , were at one point of time , emanating from the same source .
http://www.mediafire.com/?p9s4z8b72my98v8

Emani Sankar Sastry is on record though , talking about his collaborations with Jazz Musicians .In one of his concerts at Mysore .

prasadsarang
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Joined: 19 May 2016, 09:50

Re: Pazhani Subramania Pillai's jazz collaborations?

Post by prasadsarang »

Here is a link to some of the photos from that collaboration. One can see Palani playing both Mridangam and Kanjira and checking out drums of Joe Morello !

https://calisphere.org/collections/26313/?q=&start=24

prasadsarang
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Re: Pazhani Subramania Pillai's jazz collaborations?

Post by prasadsarang »

Gamakam wrote: 03 Jan 2012, 11:43 This program was telecast under the title "When the Mridangam Played Jazz".

Trichy Sankaran recounted the program and the events sorrounding it in detail, when I interviewed him for my book onPalani. I've tried my best to document all that he said to me. When Sankaran met Joe Morello, several years after the program, Morello recalled Palani's greatness and remarked, "Your literally made me sit and practise for hours".

I've listened to the AIR recording. The recording is another example of PSP's integrity. In the final korvai, the third round doesn't come out alright. PSP doesn't cover up his mistake. He starts all over and plays it the right way.
Yes, he plays the famous korvai of Pudukottai Dakshinamurthy Pillai at the end (often played by Prof. Trichy Sankaran in his concerts).

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