Jayanthi Kumaresh performing at the Cup ‘o Carnatic show in Chennai’s Narada Gana Sabha | Photo Credit: B. Velankanni Raj What if a raga could unravel like a bedtime story, or a ragam tanam pallavi echo with laughter. Can humour find space between a veena phrase and a ghatam beat? And what happens when a […]
Pandit Bickram Ghosh | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The biennial Udupa Music Festival is breaking with tradition to present a concert this year to celebrate 10 years of bringing together Indian classical music and the performing arts. Helmed by Giridhar Udupa, Sandhya Udupa and Bhargava Halambi, this edition will feature a stellar line-up with the likes […]
Shruthi S Bhat accompanied by G. Kaliasapathy on the violin and G.N. Bhuvan on the mridangam. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Shruthi S. Bhat made a statement with both intent and content right at the outset of her concert, which was devoted exclusively to the compositions of Bhadrachala Ramadasu. It is rare to come across a […]
Girija Devi, who elevated the profile of thumri | Photo Credit: S. R. Raghunathan It may be eight years since her passing, but musical soirees in memory of thumri queen Girija Devi continue to be held. It shows the lasting impact of her music and persona. The recent one was organised in Delhi to mark […]
Singer-composer Job Kurian at his concert | Photo Credit: Robin Joseph Job Kurian is a few months away from completing 20 years as a professional musician. Job is among those few reality show stars whose careers did not fizzle out after their initial tryst with fame; he soldiered on in the independent music scene as […]
The album’s cover showcases Menty Jamir’s photo of singer-songwriter Ditty in the forests of Aravallis | Photo Credit: Special arrangement Verse by verse, chorus by chorus, singer-songwriter Ditty unfolds the uncomfortable layers of society in a sonic space so melodically comforting that it lulls the listener of her new album, KĀLĪ, into a dream of an […]
Sadiq, Asin and Zakir | Photo Credit: Courtesy: SAZ The music of Rajasthani folk band, SAZ (an acronym for Sadiq, Asin and Zakir), inhabits spaces between the traditional and the contemporary. Their original compositions create much curiosity among community elders and musical mentors in the village. Urban listeners (who encore and keep them on stage […]
It is a homecoming of sorts for the British-Bangladeshi rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer Mumzy Stranger with the recently-released ‘Ki Kori’ (‘What Can I Do’ in Bengali) featuring American artiste Muza. In an interview, Mumzy says ‘Ki Kori’ is not just another musical experiment, but a deeply personal, global statement. He opens up about the […]
The year 1975 was a culturally significant one for parallel cinema in Karnataka, with the release of MS Sathyu’s Garam Hava, BV Karanth’s Chomana Dudi, Pallavi by P Lankesh, Kankana by MBS Prasad and GV Iyer’s Hamsageethe. While the first two films received a great deal of critical attention, Hamsageethe faded from public memory despite […]
In a hall resonant with reverence, rare echoes from the bygone era of Carnatic music came alive. At Narada Gana Sabha, in the presence of Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti, veteran Carnatic vocalist Trichur V Ramachandran paid a heartfelt tribute to his guru, the inimitable G.N. Balasubramaniam (GNB), on the maestro’s 60th Memorial Day. The event, a […]
