Concert by Sandeep Narayanan in Los Angeles on May 8 2010

[veeyens3]

J\


As an Angelino, I am pleased \to inform fellow rasikas that a a yungster,, , Sri Sandeep Narayanan, born, bred and educated in Los Angeles area, gave a delightful concert on May 8 010 in Los Angeles. He was accompanied by Sri Raman Iyer on the violin, veteren Sri Guruvayoor Dorai on the Mrudangam and Sri Nirmal Narayanan, his elder brother, on th Morsing ,when he rendered the following items.`
1, Kalyani Varnam,
2.Paramananda natana Kedaram Adi Sri Swathi Tirunal
3.Ennalu Subhapantuvarali capu Sri Tyagaraja
4.Kalai Thooki Yadukula kambodhi Sri Marimuthayya Pillai
5.Kayarogahamesam Abheri Ropakam Sri Muthuswamy Dikshidar
6.R,T.P. Charukesi , Shuddha Sarang Nattai Kurinji
7.Chinnam suru Kaliye Bharathiar Ragamalika
8.Abhang Abogi
9.Tillana Savithri(?) S.Kalyanaraman
The concert reflected the results of Sri Sandeep's prolonged training under Sri Sanjay Subramaniyan. The accompanying artists helped in enhansing the standard of the concert. Special mention should be made of the performance of veteren Sri Guruvayoor Dorai who not only complimented sri Sandeep;s performance but also guided the Morsing artist Sri Nirmal, who incidentally is a good Mrudangam Artist, having had the benefit of tutelage under Maestro Sri Umayalpuram K.Sivaraman. Personally, I felt that Sri Sandeep has to develop astyle of his own

[arasi]

Thanks for the review. GuruvAyUr playing too!

Deepsand,
You gave a performance in LA and did not even let rasikAs know? Fellow rasikAs in town (or nearby) would have been interested in hearing you!
I have heard Sandeep several times in Chennai and like his music very much. The one chance I had last season, I missed Sorry, Sandeep.
Will certainly listen to you the coming season.

[Abhishek]

Thanks for the review! Looks like it was a great concert.

Did he sing the pallavi in all three rAgams or were Shuddha SArang and Nattaikurinji just part of the rAgamAlikA swarams?

[veeyens3]

sorry, my notoruius or famous bad memory faiis me in remembering what all happenned 12 hrs back For example, I did not remember that Sri Sandeep sang Sri G,N.B's krithi Kamalas Sadane when I was typing the brief report. Coming to Abishek's query, I think Sandeep rendered the swaras only for the two ragas mentioned by him. I am sure there will be some younger members of this forum who will be reporting on the concert soon

[mahakavi]

>>.Chinnam suru Kaliye Bharathiar Ragamalika<<
Please, please, pay attention to the words. It is an insult to Bharathi
It is "sinnanj ciru kiLiyE"
To conform to proper transliteration, it is "sinnanj ciRu kiLiyE"

[rshankar]

Sri Veeyens is a nonagenarian - should we not cut him some slack...and thank him for his wonderful spirit of sharing?

[arasi]

Ah, the way we seniors get chastised :$

[mahakavi]

Sri Veeyens is a nonagenarian - should we not cut him some slack...and thank him for his wonderful spirit of sharing?

1. I am not taking him to task. I recognized he is a senior citizen from the way the post sounded and he is due all respect.
2. He has written the list very carefully. All I was asking was "please, please" correct the words.
Don't people notice the tone and the spirit in which the appeal was made?
My goodness!

[cienu]

1. I am not taking him to task. I recognized he is a senior citizen from the way the post sounded and he is due all respect.
2. He has written the list very carefully. All I was asking was "please, please" correct the words.
Don't people notice the tone and the spirit in which the appeal was made?
My goodness!

Hello Mahakavi !
I feel that your communication in post # 5 was perfect if addressed to me
My personal opinion is that the sentence "this is an insult to Bharathi" could have been avoided as it sounded a little harsh.
In written communication over any forum since each rasika perceives the "tone" differently one needs to be a little cautious to ensure that the crux of the message does not get side tracked.

[mahakavi]

>>My personal opinion is that the sentence "this is an insult to Bharathi" could have been avoided as it sounded a little harsh.<<

cienu:
I get your message. The sentence in active voice sounded harsh. I didn't mean to say the poster insulted Bharathi. If I had said "Bharathi would have been offended" that would have "toned" the "harshness" down, I guess. What got me was the word "kaliye". It was not to be considered a typo like "suru". Hence my comment. I am sorry if my comment offended the concerned poster. But I hope everyone gets the message that I conveyed. If a pallavi line from any Thyagaraja's kriti was mangled lots of folks would jump on it too.

[1920veeyens]

These postings are not an end to anything but only to convey some thoughts. If mahakavt has recognised the song inspite of it not adhering to his concept of what is right,, then the posting has achieved its object, If he chases the shadows and loses the subject, then it is his prerogative. May Rama bless him

[mahakavi]

My personal apology to you, Mr. Veeyens.
Shadow chaser---I am not
Substance chaser----I plead guilty

[1920veeyens]

As an Advaithin, I am unable to recognise "My" and "you" in mahakavi's posting

[mahakavi]

Same here!

[arasi]

Mahakavi,
Beware of the gray panthers!
Only kidding
Had a chance to read your essay on mathematician Ramanujan elsewhere. Good stuff.

Meanwhile, Sandeep is looking for his review which is getting buried in deep sand now!

[mahakavi]

arasi:
In my limited life I have seen all kinds of panthers. I claim my ancestry to the Thamizh heroine who chased away a tiger with a winnow. So let the panthers (especially the gray ones) be warned too. I am not an advaidin but an agnostic, so I have the required perspective.

By the way, I am not holding anybody from reviewing the concert of Sandeep. Those who want to review can ignore all this prattle and post their review.

[arasi]

Mahakavi,
When it comes to diversions in a concert review, you are rarely a culprit whereas I'm often one among several others. There is no reason why you should take it personally

[veeyens3]

In the din and noise generated by my typing abilities (or lack of it), we seem to have lost sight of my reference to Sri Sandeeps style of singing. In mastery over raga, laya , stage mannerism, lung power etc, he is ditto Sri Sanjay Subramanian. O ld timers will recollect how srivanchiyam mani Iyer (hope i remember the name correctly). inspite of his talents in singing exactly like Madurai Mani Iyer never, to my knowledge, made beyond radio artist stage with one concert every six months. I know about many current youngsters (I do not want to name them as it may generate controversy ) who are clones of their masters and are not as successful professionally as they deserve. to be. This should in no way be considered as an adverse criticism of Sandeep as I am one of his wellwishers, having known him since, you have guessed it correctly, from the day of his birth

[mahakavi]

veeyens:
You are right about the shortcoming associated with being a clone of one's guru. It is imperative that the shishyas pick up all the shiny attributes of their gurus but take a detour and put their own stamp on the overall style. TVS emulated MMI to every bit of the detail (even to the aaaa,eeee, oooo etc.,) and the repertoire too. However, he lucked out and made it to the top. MLV transcended out of her guru's style and made a mark for herself. So here is a similar advice to Sandeep. Let him decide now itself how he can maintain Sanjay's bANi while establishing a course of his own. Being young is an advantage in that he can switch gears easily.

That is a good observation veeyens, on your part.

[mahesh3]

Sandeep has several similarities to Sanjay. And, he is like a dynamo in energy added to a stage presence that I am sure will stand him in good stead in the future. He is not just a clone. Where is he differentiating himself to Sanjay? I think its a little premature to talk about this aspect. Let us just enjoy watching his career unfold. Additionally, a broader media presence, expansion of the concert circuit to now traverse the globe, added opportunities beyond chennai and AIR, plus a greater willingness on the audiences to listen to a guru and variations of the same guru suggest to me that sandeep will be very well accepted in the coming years. He has all the tailwinds going for him. Same to be said for Ravikiran, Abhishek, Pandit and Subashri. Let us cheer and just enjoy the feast:)!

[arasi]

Mahesh3,
You have said it.

[kssr]

I heard Sandeep in "Valarum Kalaignarkal" (Growing artists) TV programme. Extremely impressive. Unmistakable Sanjay gestures but not a clone. Good manodharmam. A rough generalisation would be all shishyas of great artists who are also successful, TVS, MLV,Sudha, have developed good manodharmam. Those clones who copy only the gestures, thukkadas, etc., without the vidwat fall by the wayside.
Sandeep is also very intelligent. His replies to the interviewer- clear Tamil diction and an equally clear American accent, brings an instant smile to the listeners. He said that he is presently giving 100% of time and effort to CM and after a time if he feels differently he will move on to something else!! Absolute clarity and no mincing words. Wish him a very good future in CM

[thenpaanan]

... So here is a similar advice to Sandeep. Let him decide now itself how he can maintain Sanjay's bANi while establishing a course of his own. Being young is an advantage in that he can switch gears easily.

Not having listened to too many Sanjay concerts I am unfamiliar with the Sanjay bANi. Can someone post some characteristics of this bANi?

Thanks
Then Paanan

[sreecons]

There is a Sanjay topic under Vidwan section. This discussion could possibly continue there?!

[behag]

he is a very promising singer. but he has all sanjay's mannerisms on stage, it is most uncanny. actually the same is true for swarna rethas, another student of sanjay's that i heard in the recent past.

[kssr]

Not having listened to too many Sanjay concerts I am unfamiliar with the Sanjay bANi. Can someone post some characteristics of this bANi?

I wonder if any baaNi can be defined in words, be it MMI, MDR, GNB, TNS. Sanjay is an excellent performing artist. Flawless good voice. Good manodharmam. Extraordinary self confidence. Gives a lot of exercise to his body and facial muscles during concerts. Concerts are an enjoyable experience. There must be several recordings on Youtube. Can check out.

[thenpaanan]

I wonder if any baaNi can be defined in words, be it MMI, MDR, GNB, TNS. Sanjay is an excellent performing artist. Flawless good voice. Good manodharmam. Extraordinary self confidence. Gives a lot of exercise to his body and facial muscles during concerts. Concerts are an enjoyable experience. There must be several recordings on Youtube. Can check out.

Fair enough. I was just hoping for some general hints. E.g MMI bani was based on perfect shruthi alignment at all times but a narrow repertoire with a partiality for sarvalaghu. The GNB bani was based on brigha-based singing with extensive repertoire and bias towards fast neraval and swaras. The TNS bani might be characterized as a virtuosity-based performance with extremely wide repertoire including extensive handling of rare ragas with a bias towards complex kanakku swaras. There, I have stuck my neck out. You may or may not agree with my assessment so please propose your own.

But to come back to the topic is it possible to characterize the Sanjay bANi or the Sandeep bANi thus? I see that part of the characteristics is extensive physical gesturing but what about the musical characteristics? Musicians tend to have their favorites or comfort zones. What are Sanjay/Sandeep partial to?

-Then Paanan

PS> I realize we moved out of discussing Sandeep Narayanan so I would not be averse to moving this to the relevant thread.

[arasi]

thenpaanan,
Since you have given half the answer by the clarity in your question, let me try to say what I feel, having heard both the guru and the shishya, and of course, it is based on my own taste and approach to music.
One can imitate or emulate a favored elder musician and we all know the latter comes easy. Well, all the greats you have mentioned are emulated by Sanjay, though he throws in a moment of imitation in the works for entertainment value (not intentionally but spontaneously, I would think). I would add MDR too to your list. Ari figures too?
Yes, Sandeep has his master's gestures. He also shows signs of imitating (emulating?) Sanjay's b(p)ANi which is Sanjay's own--which he has culled from the masters, has internalized them and comes out with his own brand of music. Sanjay is too young for us to speak of is style (pANi) yet. He is still evolving (versus feeling comfortable in an easy, creatively less challenging state). His other students too, along with Sandeep, show signs of not aping their guru blindly (the gestures are there)--which speaks well of the guru. He guides them to their own pastures and does not encourage them to be clones, is my guess.

[1920veeyens]

Bani is something abstract, defying classification and codification in absolute values If I think X sings likr Y and you think that X does not sing like Y both of us are right as we are entitled to our views

[thanjavooran]

Bani is something abstract, defying classification and codification in absolute values If I think X sings likr Y and you think that X does not sing like Y both of us are right as we are entitled to our views

Kindly refer DVD on musical legends under General section for definition by OST

Thanjavooran