Pearls in unknown depths

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 14 Jul 2007, 02:33

SB- sitar too
Akkarai Subbulakshmi - violin and vocal
Ranjani and Gayatri- vocal and violin.
And there are dancers who can sing as well...

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 14 Jul 2007, 03:03

arasi: I think her name is Akkarai Shubhalakshmi.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 14 Jul 2007, 04:15

Chandrasekharan Violin and Vocal.
Ganesh of the Ganesh Kumaresh Duo sings very well.
So does violinist, Lagudi Vijayalakshmi.
Chitraveena Ravikiran sings very well.
From his name, I assume vocalist Chitraveena Ganesh of the Carnatica brothers can play the chitraveena.
Jayanti Kumaresh can also sing well.

Of the dancers who sing, none is more famous than sangIta kalAnidhi T Balasaraswati. Arasi, who among the current crop of dancers sings? I know of Vasumati Badrinathan from Bombay. I have also heard Dr. Padma Subramniam sing - she actually has a masters degree in music from Madras University.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 14 Jul 2007, 07:20

Ravi, you know that Vyjayanthi Mala is as proficient in music as her mother Vasundara Devi was--a lovely voice with a lot of bhAvam. I have a feeling several of the dancers are well versed in music (though they do not sing as professionals). Sumitra Nitin (who has sung the Arasi CD songs) and her sister Sunanda Narayanan are both good dancers as well as singers.
Sukanya Prabhakar is an unusual combination: ghatam and vocal.

Lakshman,
I don't know how Akkarai spells her name. Then again, blame it on the sabhas and newspapers which can publish the same artiste's name on the same page differently during the season. and unless I get their autographs and they sign their names legibly, I wouldn't know!
Now, Neyveli or Neyvely? How do (guru) 'vidyaarthi' Santhanagopalan, Narayanan and Venkatesh spell Neyveli (y)?

meena · Post by **meena** » 14 Jul 2007, 07:55

Akkarai Subbulakshmi or Akkarai Shubhalakshmi mystery solved

DELETED

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 14 Jul 2007, 08:10

Funny--right under her recording info (Subhalakshmi there), she is referred to as Subbulakshmi, if you need to contact her!

violinlover · Post by **violinlover** » 14 Jul 2007, 08:37

surely sir!!! this is a very powerful forum with many ardent rasikas. so it can do lots. for example, read the fortnightly article in the hindu( it consists of articles on unsung musicians) we can get in touch with them,
arrange their concerts or lec-dems and allow them to share their experiences with us. some of our professional musician-members would surely know excellent singers without enough opportunity to showcase their talent. we can correspond with them and arrange their concerts too.
for example, S.Girish( grandson of T.Muktha) B.Umashankar, are some of the not-so-popular good musicians who have not reached the heights they ought to have.
these are just some of the many options that can be done. we, as rasikas, may talk to sabha secretaries and persuade them to arrange atleast 5 concerts of our choice without banking on sponsors for every concert.
this will help the unsung heroes to come out and once they are set, they don't need us to back them again. after all we are rasikas and it is our right and duty to listen to great carnatic music!!!

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 14 Jul 2007, 08:48

IIRC Shri TNS also knows to play flute. Perhaps he is the greatest all rounder.
LGJ violin (also vocal)
vijayashiva vocal (also mridhangam)
abhisek raghuram vocal (also kanjira)
Delhi sundarrAjan violin (also vocal)

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 14 Jul 2007, 15:00

arasi wrote:Sukanya Prabhakar is an unusual combination: ghatam and vocal.

Arasi- Are you confusing Sukanya Prabhakar with Sukanya Ramagopal? The former is a vocalist- she does not play the ghaTa.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 14 Jul 2007, 19:15

DRS,
Thanks for correcting me. Since we are normally used to referring to artistes by their first names, and since age sometimes aids our forgetting one half of a name too, this confusion. Thank goodness, seniors are a minority on the forum!
If it is so with the name Sukanya (only two in Bangalore), imagine what the case would be with a name like Gayatri!

vs_manjunath · Post by **vs_manjunath** » 14 Jul 2007, 20:54

arasi wrote:Ravi, you know that Vyjayanthi Mala is as proficient in music.

She is learning with Smt DKP for the past several decades. She has also learnt from Balamurali.

thanjavooran · Post by **thanjavooran** » 16 Jul 2007, 20:44

In thiruvaiyaru on aradhana day a booklet consisting of pancharatna kritis is given to all rasikas. This is for close follow up of kritis sung by eminent vidwans. But few participants refer this book while paying homage to saint thyagaraja. Is it becaz the pancharatna kritis are less handled by musicians in their regular concerts? One step ahead few vidwans refer note book for lyrics even while rendering other kritis. Is it justifiable.? If it is for slokam or virutham in ragamalika pattern [in my view] it is acceptable. In general refering a slip in a concert -- is it an healthy practice?

Ragjay · Post by **Ragjay** » 25 Aug 2007, 08:34

Hi During 1990 visit to Tiruvayaru I heard a concert of Vyjayanthimala accompanied on the violin by Kunnakudi Vaidhyanathan ...... Raghavan

mokshamugalada · Post by **mokshamugalada** » 10 Oct 2007, 00:59

Pantula Rama plays the Viola too.
She is A grade in Vocal, B-high in Violin and viola.

kunnakkudybala · Post by **kunnakkudybala** » 14 Nov 2007, 17:15

'Pearl in unknown depths. This quote is more suitable for Kunnakudy Venkatarama Iyer, who is no more. Though he was a legend in carnatic music and had a flare to hindusthani music he was branded as noncarnatic vidwan and so he was not offered much opportunities by the then sabhas. He was a top ranked in AIR. But to my surprise his records are not available in AIR and not being played. But the records of his contemporaries are being broadcosted and there recorded CDs are sold in AIR counters in the December season. But I will have to accept that he was very weak in public relations. I am sure many such vidwans are not coming to the lime light only because they are not qualified in Public relations. Discuss

baboosh · Post by **baboosh** » 14 Nov 2007, 20:14

kunnakkudybala wrote:'Pearl in unknown depths. This quote is more suitable for Kunnakudy Venkatarama Iyer, who is no more. Though he was a legend in carnatic music and had a flare to hindusthani music he was branded as noncarnatic vidwan and so he was not offered much opportunities by the then sabhas. He was a top ranked in AIR. But to my surprise his records are not available in AIR and not being played. But the records of his contemporaries are being broadcosted and there recorded CDs are sold in AIR counters in the December season. But I will have to accept that he was very weak in public relations. I am sure many such vidwans are not coming to the lime light only because they are not qualified in Public relations. Discuss

I fully agree with your comments that they are not good in PR.In one interview,MBK stated that TS was an asset as a promotion Manager for MSS which others did not have.That was quite true.For all such performing artistes,they need to be exposed at the right forum and in a measured way and not overexposed or underexposed.Also it may need support from Press and other media also to create a hype.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 14 Nov 2007, 22:12

True. 'Full many a gem of yesteryear has gone unheard' not only for lack of PR but for several other reasons.
Thank heavens for modern inventions, starting from the tape recorder to the internet which has brought to us treasures in music...

kunnakkudybala · Post by **kunnakkudybala** » 15 Nov 2007, 06:47

There was a carnatic legend named 'Mazhavarayanendal Subbarama Bhagavathar'. There is a story about him for his contentment. He was living in Ariyakudi's house. As any wife does his wife also commented that he is not going for programs which was there livelyhood and asked him to lookat Ariyakudy who was performing in many places, almost daily travelling by train, etc. .. Subbarama Bhagavathar 'look, i accept that Ramanujam is having tight schedules but he lives only in trains and bullock carts, but we are only enjoying his house.' This was the mentality of most of the vidwans of yesteryears.

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 15 Nov 2007, 08:40

Those who are nAdOpAsakas are not found performing in concert halls - they would prefer to perform for themselves or in the public street corners and temples. They do not have any PR.

They are the ones whom Sri Thyagaraja implies as 'bhramara' on the ''kamala' called 'paramAnandamu' enjoying the 'svara rAga sudhA'. To them alone 'telusunu inta saukhyamani' like Sankara - the one who 'svara rAga laya rasamandu rAma nAmamanE kaNDa cakkera miSramu jEsi bhujincE'. (Sri Thyagaraja also makes a passing reference about 'baka bhEka's usurping the 'kamala'.)

These are the people who make the music what it is. They are the real 'Idols of Carnatic Music' - whom the neo-iconoclasts would like break apart because they do not conform to the 'standard' musician and, probably, because they feel uncomfortable.

One such hint of performing for the sake of Rasikas in the street is found in the movie 'tillAna mOhanAmbAL'

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 24 Nov 2007, 07:31

http://www.sendspace.com/file/tfyb8y

this video clip is only a sample.
Artist - Vijayanagaram Vardhini.
Brilliant Stuff !!

Remember this upload of mine ?
She sings at Vani Mahal on Nov 28th 6 Pm

thathwamasi · Post by **thathwamasi** » 26 Nov 2007, 16:28

Coming back to the allrounders topic. Apparently Flute Mali can play both violin and mridangam. He claimed to be better at violin than flute. His obituary issue for Sruti magazine mentions a concert where Maharajapuram Viswanatha iyer sings, accompanied by Chembai on violin and Mali on Mri. Then after sometime, Chembai Sang, with Mali on Vio and MVI on Mri. Then the concert ended with Mali on flute, chembai on Vio and MVI on Mri.

Lalgudi Mama and T N Krishnan, both play the flute. There a few artists, like B Shreesunderkumar and K V Gopalakrishnan who could play both Mridangam and Kanjira. Bombay Balaji, the mridangist is a competent vocalist as well. I think Papanasam Ashok ramani plays mridangam. So does Seshachary of Hyd. Bros. I am sure Master Balamurali Krishna plays the mridangam as well. I think he was under the tutelege of Karaikudi Mani for sometime. Sanjay used to play the violin as well but I think he stopped playing because of a fracture of his arm. Shriram Gangadharan can play the flute as well.

Last but not the least, as always with me, something about Kanjira Harishankar. Harishankar can play Kanjira with his right hand and left hand. And he plays mridangam left handed. So we can term him as a musical ambidexter...

kunnakkudybala · Post by **kunnakkudybala** » 03 Jan 2008, 07:55

Long back, our members were suggesting to pick the pearls by meeting them once in two months. in that connection Manakkal mama was met. Is it continuing ? i would like to know. i humbly say that i am running a music school and i am arranging programs on behalf of that during pradosham. In fact i would like to do something what ever possible in thisconnection.

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 15 Feb 2008, 08:12

http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?so ... 018&T=4429

It is my passion to sing and I have uploaded 112 of carnatic/bhajans in the above website. You all may like to enjoy those songs. Thanks for listening