BSV Annual Series @ Tatvaloka

[vijisubra]

The day's prog featured 2 concerts--- Vocal by Sankari Krishnan with MR Gopinath, J Balaji and Trichy Murali. Very nice concert-- well planned and executed.
This was followed by a Jalatarangam concert by Anayampatti Sri S Ganesan-- with his son Venkatasubramaniam, Madirimangalam Sri S Swaminathan and Trichy Murali.
I am impelled to write about this concert that I have just returned from.....

Songlist
Vatapi
Sadinchene
Orajupu
Tatwa meruga
Brovabharama
Pakkala Nilabadi
Manasa Sanchara re
Nandavanathil ore aandi
Note
Bhagyada Lakshmi
Mangalam

What a concert! I would never have believed Ganesan Sir to be 80-- what dexterity and control! Perfect kalapramanam and so melodious. Such a demanding instrument-- tough on gamakas, vilamba kalam. But he brought out the bhava of every raga so beautifully, so intact , it was sheer pleasure to 'watch' this concert. One has to see it to actually understand the music.( When you listen to a recording, you may be forgiven if you feel you are on a flight!)

Considering he is the only practitioner of this rare instrument-- and a fantastic one at that!-- it was indeed disappointing to see the sparse crowd..... Chennai is indeed unfathomable. He says he plays to full audiences in Kerala and other places.
His son explained the uniqueness of the instrument and the problems thereof. Fascinating.
Mridangam was outstanding-- Sri MSS( as we know him from our AIR days ) was so in sync with the music-- uplifting it in every which way. Such soukhyam, with vidwat....
Trichy Murali and Venkatsub played very well too. It is a tough job for the violinist! The tone of the Jalatarangam is also very rich and overshadows the violin.

A great evening-- thanks to Bharatiya Sangeeta Vaibhavam

[arasi]

And, thanks to you, Vijisub!
Great to get a review from a well-known artiste like you Strangely enough, only our mrudangam players in Rasikas.org are known to do that. Erode Nagaraj, Mannarkoil Balaji and Ram (who only gives song lists) for the concerts in which they play.
Hope you will write more.
Anayampatti is the only jalatharangam vidvAn in tamizh nADu now? More power to him.
In Karnataka, Seetha (Doraiswamy?) is a veteran player of the instrument.

[arasi]

Just heard (and heard the name) of another jala tharangam player of yore--Tiruchendur Appadurai Aiyangar, thanks to VKailasam!
I found it in a link he has posted in the Vidwans and Vidushis Section a week ago!

[rajeshnat]

Thank u vidushi Viji Subra. I have not heard jalatarangam yet in a live concert

[mahavishnu]

Thank you Smt VS. Very nice to get a review from you!

Anayampatti Ganesan is a national treasure. A great artiste and a wonderful person as well. I wish the Smithsonian would record him like the way the chronicled Pt Kamlesh Maitra's tabla tarang as an endangered instrument. Wishful thinking!

Sri Madirimangalam Swaminathan is an excellent mridangist and a true descendant of the Pudukkottai school. His use of thoppi and sowkyam when accompanying vilamba kala kritis and padams is remarkable. I heard him at Cleveland a couple of years ago, when he accompanied Sri M.Chandrasekaran's special vocal concert on padams. He was amazing!

[Nick H]

It is more than an endangered instrument, it is an almost extinct instrument.

How a bout a riddle: what is the musical instrument most of us have in our homes?

--- We all have bowls of different sizes, don't we?

I believe that the first time I ever heard jalatarangam was as background music in a Trivandrum fabric shop. It was obviously carnatic music, and from the sound I worked out what the instrument must be. I pestered various staff to let me know what the CD or tape was, but none of them seemed to know even where it was being played from . No matter; I have the same CD in my collection now.

I've been lucky enough to see it played twice here in Chennai.

I love Madirimangalam Swaminathan's play because it reminds me of my Guruji's style. Much more so than do other favourites who were his classmates, Balaji and Arun Prakash.

[vijisubra]

Thank you--- I will, time permitting write more often, esp with this encouragement from you all
Rajesh-- a pity you missed this one.
@ Arasi-- I think he is the only one of this calibre. He is also an accomplished violinist and an amazing vocalist! He took to the Jalatarangam after his brother passed away in 1984, on the advice of Paramacharya-- his son shared this with the audience.
@Mahavishnu-- If you can give me a lead on how to go about re the Smithsoniam, I am willing to follow it up !

[mahavishnu]

Smt VS: Thank you for your kind offer to follow up on this.

The Smithsonian Folkways label publishes a series on endangered instruments. Their main website is here: http://www.folkways.si.edu/find_recordi ... kways.aspx

The person to contact would be the curator and director named Daniel Sheehy, who is also an ethnomusicologist. +1.202.633.6455, [email protected]. If they would agree to record the Jalatarangam, no one would be happier than I.

The collection owes a great deal to Sri Mickey Hart, drummer for the colourful band Grateful Dead, who managed to get a number of Indian recordings into this series. http://www.folkways.si.edu/find_recordi ... ction.aspx

[vijisubra]

Thank you Mahavishnu. Will give it a shot!

[malavi]

Smt.Seeta duraiswamy is also a well known jalatarangam player and she is in chennai.At present due to oldage she is not able to perform i heard.she went to cleveland couple of years ago.

[mahavishnu]

Thank you Mahavishnu. Will give it a shot!

Godspeed. and thank you for your sincere efforts!