Venkateshkumar at Music Academy

[KNV1955]

A friend of mine suggested that I attend the Hindustani Vocal Concert of Venkateshkumar on 31st night. What a treat it was. A Rich Voice like Bhimsen Joshi. A fantastic concert. Later came to know that he is from a very poor family. It was Puttaraja Gawai, the religious saint and Hindustani musician who trained him to become a Musician. Has undergone rigorous Gurukulavasam. Ran away from the Ashram 4 times not able withstand the hardships. The attachment gives a background of this great Hindustani Musician. He sang 4 pieces. First one sounded like Kalyani janyam/2nd one was like Suddha Saveri/third one in lower ranges were like Darbari Kanada & in upper ranges like Hindolam. Last one was Sindhu Bhairavi Bhajan. (I don't know HM name for the ragas).

http://www.timeoutdelhi.net/music/class ... tesh-kumar

Wish everyone a very Happy New Year & plenty of good music to listen .
KNV

[Rsachi]

KNV
Yes he is outstanding!

[sureshvv]

Maru bihag
Durga
Kaushi Kanada
Shankara (bit like hamsadvani)
Bhairavi

[KNV1955]

Thanks Sureshvv. Yes i left out the 5th one.

[KNV1955]

It appears the crowd which attended this concert is not the usual Carnatic Music Crowd in Academy. I say this because the usual bursting into applause when the vocalist touches the high notte & holds his/her breath was missing.I heard this in 2 senior Carnatic concerts . Ranjani & Gayatri & Sanjay. The audience for this concert were highly matured & appreciative & applauded generously after the song was completed. I wish MA introduces every year atleast 2 outstanding Hindustani Musicians to the Chennai audience.

[varsha]

I wish MA introduces every year atleast 2 outstanding Hindustani Musicians to the Chennai audience.

Somebody has to introduce them to MA in the first place . SGS Sabha introduced Venkateshkumar to chennai in 1981 !!!!
And he has been singing here at Karnataka Sangha every year ..In a series organised by his Guru's Ashram.
btw All the greats from Karnataka - Maharastra (KG Bhatt , Ginde , Kaikini , CR Vyas , Mansur , Torvi , Vasantrao Despande , among others ) have sung for SGS Sabha.Precious recordings of which are locked up and rotting in some decrepit corner.

Here is a recording of VK from 1981 where he sings Jiya Mero Laal in Shyam Kalyan
http://www.mediafire.com/?0ekolnll1yu1by1

[squims]

I absolutely adore Venkatesh Kumar's music. There's a lot of warmth in his singing.

[KNV1955]

Varsha/squims. You are right in saying somebody has to introduce Hindustani Musicians to MA. For whatever it is worth I am going to tell the office bearers of MA whom I know personally to have atleast 2 talented artists featured during season.But I don't know the artists. Can you name them.The Chennai Audience should listen to Hindustani to develop sruti sense, swarastana suddham,gamakka suddham & open throated akara singing. It should be during season when Mylaporeans breath carnatic music. But it should not lead to Carnatic Musicians mixing Hindustani Music into Carnatic Music. No jugalbandhi. We should maintain the separate identity of both streams. Kumar Gandharva admired KVN music & sent his son to learn Carnatic Music from him.KVN heard him singing Hindustani Music & told him not to change track. He told him even the basics are different. The way Sa Ri ga ma is sung in CM is different from HM & it can ruin his HM singing .He was a performing artist. For eg they don't sing Ri instead they sound Re.A lot of Carnatic Musicians are taking too much liberties with Sruti Suddham, Swarasthaana Suddam,Uchcharippu, akaram singing & taking cover under so called "Vidwat". I don't find many good voices in todays Carnatic Music around. Till late eighties we had several sruti soaked voices MS/MMI/KVN/Brinda/MDR/DKJ & rich voices like Ariyakudi/GNB/Santhanam...... Voice Culture is the need of the day in Carnatic Music & for that we must listen to more of Venakteshkumars

[varsha]

Can you name them

I can upload concert tracks of them

[KNV1955]

Varsha. Pl do it. Seriously i am going to tell MA (few of them I know personally).

[Rsachi]

Malini Rajurkar.
Shahid Parvez (sitar).
Sayeeduddin Dagar for dhrupad.
Kalapini Komkali, daughter of Kumar Gandharva.
Varsha knows many!

[mahavishnu]

Great suggestions. They just had Kalapini Komakali a couple of years ago though.

My vote would be to get Syeduddin Dagar. Madrasis need to experience this. I am reposting something Varsha posted of his a few months ago. Absolutely haunting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQSiPHLtKDY It is a religious experience.

[vasanthakokilam]

Yes. That Syeduddin Dagar video that Varsha posted still haunts me and makes me go back to it once in a while.

[Rsachi]

Guys,
I made a DVD of the Jogiya+Bhpali of the Dagar singing in Vezelay church and lots of people who saw it at home simply LOVED it.
Surely a quiet ambience and my Bose audio helped. He sang that day first Bhupali and then Jogiya.

[Rsachi]

Please listen to Malini Rajurkar...raaga.com
I think she also performed in Chennai before.

[varsha]

Code: Select all

Varsha. Pl do it. Seriously i am going to tell MA (few of them I know personally).

http://www.mediafire.com/?14108bid2etep

A few samples in ,here.
The Puriya Kalyan track is by an artist who enchanted us within 500 mtrs of the MA last week .
In a 3 way conversation with two Veenas . Recording of which will be uploaded later .More about that in a different thread.

[squims]

Saw the Syeeduddin Dadar video for the first time now. What a beautiful rendition!

[kvn_bhakta]

Ashwide Bhide Deshpande, Ulhas Kashalkar and Uday Bhawalkar are IMO a cut above all the other Hindustani vocal artists today. Have they sung at MusicAcademy?

[annamalai]

Yes, Ulhas Kashalkar sang at Music Academy a couple of years back - almost to an empty hall. I have no idea why Music Academy schedules the Hindustani concert on Dec 31st, 7 PM - not a good time slot I would think.

Wasifuddin Dagar is another wonderful singer.

Talking about Dagarvani, there is a classic documentary on Fahimuddin Dagar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrRkf5L9 ... r_embedded#!

[hema]

A Rich Voice like Bhimsen Joshi. A fantastic concert.
KNV

If you liked him -- you should listen to Jayatirth Mevundi -- another student of Bhimsen (a very young person).
I was quite disappointed by Maru Behag -- I felt the swaras were rather repetitive. Heard Durga which was
pretty nice. Left after that.

[kvn_bhakta]

Jayateerth Mevundi is 41 years old - I think that may qualify as young by classical standards but surely not very young!

He didn't learn directly from Bhimsen Joshi, neither did Pt Venkatesh Kumar. Both are very good singers. Mevundi tends more to virtuosity and also imitates Bhimsen Joshi a lot.

[cienu]

Jayateerth is a disciple of Pandit Shripati Padegar who in turn was the senior most disciple of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.

[karaikurichi]

Looks like a bad miss for me. Dec 31st is one of the busiest days in the year for many of us working people. I wish the Academy has its annual Hindustani concert on a different evening where serious listeners have a chance to attend.

[kssr]

Interestingly, a few days back a friend mentioned that I should listen to Sri.Venkateshkumar. I will when I get an opportunity.

BTW, how old will be Sri.VK?

[Rsachi]

My rough math tells me he was born in 1956.