T.K. Ramamoorthy ~ Fabulous Notes & Beats of the Indian Carnatic-Jazz [1969, EM, 2011]

EM1091LP

A1. Gowla
A2. Ranjani
A3. Begada
A4. Mohana
A5. Natta

B1. Udaya Ravu Chandrika
B2. Byag Maya Malava Gowla
B3. Sahana
B4. Kanakangi
B5. Rasikapriya



Musicians taking part in this recording:

[Indian Instruments]

Veena ~ Ch. V. Kameswara Sharma
Gotuvadayam ~ D. Kittapa
Flute ~ K. Sanjeevi
Tabla tharang ~ N.V. Moorthy
Tape ~ J. Dass
Conch [senku] ~ Kuppuswamy
Ghatam ~ S. Narayana Iyer
Mridangam ~ C.P.S. Bhaskar
Chandai & sudha madhalam ~ N.C. Narayanan
Tabla ~ P.S. Lakshmanan
Jalra ~ P. Rajiah
Buyl bul Thara ~ Abubaker

[Western Instruments]

Bass clarinet ~ Varadharajan & Ganesan
Saxophone ~ Erric & Willy Horn
Piano ~ S. Ramalingam alias Babu
Guitar ~ Sadanadan
Double bass ~ P.I. Johnson
Trmpet ~ Newzealand
Drums ~ Tony D'Costa
Bongo ~ P.S. Lakshmanan



'Sly, syncretic combination of Carnatic raga & bachelor-pad lounge. Gossamer background blends worthy of any Esquivel record, snazzy licks on unique instruments, and a lilting, almost blushing sense of swing. Ramamoorthy is a violin player from Tamil Nadu. Like many large cities, Chennai has it's own film industry: Kollywood- named after the neighborhood where the studios are, Kodambakkam. Traditionally, it's known as a center for regional language movies (Telugu, Malayalam, etc), and by far the most famous composer from the area is Ilaiyaraaja. From 1952-65, Ramamoorthy was the elder songwriting partner of the more famous harmonium player and 'King of Light Music' MS Viswanathan (who seems to've played a fast Mort Shuman to his salt-of-the-earth Doc Pomus). Ramamoothy is still around, and recently gave expert singing advice (while wearing a kurta & missing half his teeth) on the Tamil answer to American Idol.' ~ weirdo

perch merch

likely me fav reish this year, which sez a lot i fink. this slab achieves errything you might hope to hear from such a promising title & remains uniquely true to carnatic melodies. one of john zorn's personal faves too, apparently. 320 snakey rips later

Inedit - South India - O.K. Subramaniam, Nagaswaram in the Carnatic tradition

South India - O.K. Subramaniam, Nagaswaram in the Carnatic tradition
(Inde du Sud - O.K. Subramaniam, Le nâgaswaram dans la tradition carnatique)
Inedit W 260119, recorded 2003, CD released 2004

Tracklist:
1. Varnam : Ninnu kôri (Poochi Shrînivâsa Ayyangâr 1867-1919)
2. Kriti : Râma nannu brôvarâ (Tyâgarâja 1767-1847)
3. Râgam-Tânam-Pallavi (Traditional)
4. Bhajan : Alarshara paritâpam (Swâti Tirunâl Mahârâjâ 1813-47)
5. Tillâna (Swâti Tirunâl Mahârâjâ 1813-47)
6. Tiruppugal : Niraimati (Arunagirinâthar, 15th century)

VA - Indian Music: Songs of a Golden Age [Мелодия] 1956

VA - Indian Music: Songs of a Golden Age
[1956, Мелодия Д-2681]
Melodiya, 1956, RU

a1. Debabrata Biswas
a2. Suchitra Mitra
a3. Vijay Raghav Rao
a4. Kanak Das & Debabrata Biswas

b1. Suryanarayana
b2. Har Krishna Lal
b3. Surinder Kaur
b4. Krishna Pillai
b5. Suchitra Mitra

Melodiya [Мелодия], the Soviet state record company had in its catalogue a significant number of releases with music from non-Soviet territories. This one is an impossibly rare & wonderful document showcasing stars of 1950's India from all over the region. Whilst renowned in their glory daze, the collective memory of these artists certainly seems on the verge of extinction, even in India.

Debabrata Biswas [Bangla:দেবব্রত বিশ্বাস 1911–1980] was a Bengali singer, one of the best-known performers of the songs of Rabindranath Tagore [Rabindrasangeet] or Tagore songs. He was born in 1911 in Barishal and then later came to Kishorgonj of Mymensing district of British colonial undivided Bengal province of India. His music, though not always technically pristine, was notable for its exceptional depth of emotional expression verging on the dramatic. His early gramophone recordings of Tagore songs brought out in the late 1940s demonstrate soulful full-throated expression of melody with a strict adherence to the rules and norms of tradition, written and unwritten, which he felt obliged to break in the early 1960s - considered by most to be his heyday up to the year 1969. His renderings in this period show amazing power of voice and modulation, compounded with overt emotional expression of a kind hitherto unpractised by his contemporaries. His voice at this period ranged at ease within the three octaves and with varied tempos and rhythms and showed greater variety of emotional expression from the thunderous and rumbling to the soft and mellow. Somewhat audacious and overpowering in his personal feelings, his enunciation of the words of over-used and hackneyed Tagore lyrics extracted new meanings and freshness from the compositions. Some of his numbers which surely goes deep into the heart of Bengalis are Akash bhora surjo tara, Je ratey mor duarguli, Pinakete lagey tonkar, Tomar kache ebor magi etc.

Suchitra Mitra is also a well respected exponent of Rabindra Sangeet, or the songs of Bengal's poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore. As an academic she remained a Professor and the Head of 'Rabindra Sangeet Department' at the Rabindra Bharati University for many years. She has done playback singing and acted in a Bengali films as well.

Surinder Kaur [Nov 25, 1929 – June 15, 2006] was an Indian singer songwriter. She sang mainly Punjabi folk-songs, where she is credited for pioneering & popularising the genre and was later known as the ‘Nightingale of Punjab’; she also sang some Hindi movie songs, between 1948-52. By far my favourite song here.

Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao [born 3 November 1925] is an Indian flutist. He was born in Narasaraopet, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Next to nothing is known of the exponents of Karnatic musqiue herein, Har Krishna Lal, Krishna Pillai & Suryanarayana. any information about these artists or a tracklist of the song titles is most appreciated. thanks to Zwan for preservng this culturally profound historical treasure & to Arvind & Hung Far Lo for your resplendant enthusiasm in the informational dissemination of this precious musique.