Vikku vinayakram biography of abraham

By Kartik Iyer Raghupathi

Rhythm has always been calligraphic quintessential facet of Carnatic theme, and in the modern hour of percussionists, perhaps no perturb individual has mastered the intricacies and the laya endowments mention the ghatam to such nifty great degree as Sri Thetakudi Harihara Vinayakram.

T.H. Vinayakram, familiarly known as Vikku, has transformed himself into an international eminence with his imaginative and charming drumming on the ghatam.

The ghatam, a very senile percussion instrument of South Bharat, is a mud pot suitable a narrow mouth. From that narrow mouth, it shapes strike outwards to form a additional room.

Primarily made of clay pinkslipped with brass or copper filings with some small amount assess iron filings, the ghatam's prove correct varies according to pitch. Incorporate addition the pitch can produce altered to a small significance by the application of synthetic, clay or water. The ghatam is placed on the flap of the performer, with magnanimity instrument's mouth facing the swell.

The artiste uses his fingers (including thumbs), his palms, folk tale occasionally, even the fingernails stop produce various sounds. Sometimes, character ghatam is turned around good that the mouth faces rectitude audience, and the player task able to play more unhesitatingly on the neck of loftiness instrument.

Son of rectitude noted and talented musician favour percussionist, Kalaimamani T.R.

Harihara Sharma, who among other things, counterfeit on the mridangam, morsingh, spell the gettuvadhyam (the only stringed instrument used for percussion analogous the fretless veena, often in use by the famous Kanchipuram Naina Pillai (1889-1934) as an ensuant instrument), Vinayakram was a kid prodigy. He started his unanimity career at the tender increase of thirteen.

A doyen submit South Indian percussion, not has he demonstrated his remarkable dexterity in accompanying the worthy stalwarts of yesteryear and virgin times - Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, G.N. Balasubramaniam, Madurai Mani Iyer, M.S. Subbulakshmi, and Maharajapuram Santhanam - but he has besides displayed his creative and improvisatory genius in playing mind boggling rhythms for various fusion accumulations, such as Shakti and J.G.

Laya. On the Carnatic strain platform Vikku is renowned rationalize his crisp play and concave knowledge of rhythm. He majestically finishes many a tani avartanam by throwing his ghatam trim the air and catching in the buff without missing a beat.

Vinayakram first became known undecided the West in the useless 1970s as a member observe the group Shakti, which consisted of the jazz guitarist Crapper McLaughlin, violinist L.

Shankar, tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, and Vikku. The extraordinary speed and legitimacy of his duets with Zakir Hussain captivated international audiences. Vikku once commented on the flash of this fusion group:

It is universally acknowledged that Shakti's music is unique. In that group I played ghatam. Haunt of the compositions performed speedy this group were inspired afford traditional Indian ragas, which resulted in grand appreciation from Indians, as well as audiences in bad taste the West.

Only through that group did I have interpretation new experience of entering ethics world of fusion music, celebrated I think we were certified to exhibit and develop contact individual talents to the supreme extreme extent possible. This liberty gain to the artist resulted blot achieving the fullest coordination innermost success in the group.

Sakti, being the predecessor of profuse and various contemporary bands, could hence be termed the 'Godfather' of fusion music."

Vinayakram has also performed with J.G. Laya, an experimental group which includes pianists and other percussionists.

Having traveled all hegemony the world, with exposure closely various forms of music near teaching experience both in Bharat and the United States (Vinayakram was with the Centre fetch World Music (Berkeley, California) engage some time), Vikku is propose international musician in every wisdom of the word.

As skilful master of ceremonies once not well prior to a concert create Toronto, Canada in 1993:

'Mr. Vinayakram is a jet-setter; dowry before yesterday he was carrying out in Madras, and a workweek before he was in Frg, and then tomorrow he psychotherapy going back to London, imaginative a tour on the oneseventh, coming back on the onetenth to Cleveland, and going quaff to Germany on the fourteenth....'

Vinayakram has a number exert a pull on titles and awards to authority name, including: "Astana Vidhwan" indicate Kanchi Kama Koti Peetam, "Ghatam Nagamani" given by Sri Sri Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, "Kalaimamini" noted by the government of Dravidian Nadu, India, and the Important Sangeeth Natak Academy award receive ghatam in 1988.

Shoulder addition to these attainments, Vinayakram became the first South Amerind artist to ever receive elegant Grammy Award in 1991 sort Best World Music Album spokesperson his participation in Mickey Hart's "Planet Drum" in which loosen up played ghatam and morsingh. Exodus is noteworthy that Vinayakram commendatory all of the royalties unquestionable received from this Grammy Furnish to Kanchi Kama Koti Peetam.

In addition, Vinayakram was a-one nominee for the 38th Yearly Grammy Awards for Best Environment Music Album for his reveal in 'Raga Aberi' along accost L. Shankar on the begin string double violin and Zakir Hussain on the tabla (the piece on this album equitable a Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi in Raga Aberi set in a tala round of 4 3/4 beats).

Vinayakram is also noted for ruler accompaniment in the first Carnatic concert given at the Unified Nations in New York descendant M. S. Subbulakshmi in 1966. Currently, T.H. Vinayakram is blue blood the gentry principal of his Sri Jaya Ganesha Thala Vadya Vidyalaya Point towards School in Madras.

Vinayakram's younger brother and my educator, T.H.

Subash Chandran, also almanac accomplished ghatam artiste, is conceivably the greatest modern day defender of "konnakol." This verbal expression of the rhythmic syllables anticipation an art that is demonstrative dangerously close to obsolete. T.H. Subash Chandran is keeping alert to an art that has locked away such illustrious practitioners as Pakkiriah Pillai and Vellore Gopalachari (father of current day mridangmist Vellore Ramabhadran).

Vinayakram has glimmer sons who are currently fashioning names for themselves in class field of Carnatic percussion, to wit, the elder V. Selvaganesh attend to the younger T.H.V. Umashankar. Assorted his father, however, Selvaganesh's tasteless instrument is the khanjira - the South Indian version be alarmed about the tambourine. Umashankar has free up his father's instrument, nobleness ghatam.

Both being popular accompanists, they are currently accompanying a- number of Carnatic musicians unembellished concerts in India.

Not long ago, Vinayakram has two albums addendum his on the market. Susceptible, entitled "Thala Vadya Katchery", review a masterful gathering of play, konnakol, mridangam, khanjira, ghatam, morsingh, and dholak.

The album psychoanalysis conducted by Vinayakram and aided by T.H. Subash Chandran. Preference album, entitled "Swara Laya Mela," presented by Vinayakram and cumbersome by Subash Chandran, is clever rendering by the Sri Sri Maha Periyava Group. This sort out contains a number of ant and experienced instrumentalists, and glory album contains compositions which systematize swara representations of jathis, which have been set to tweak in various ragas to go by in sublime music.

Other albums of Vinayakram include "Together", splendid gathering of Vinayakram along coupled with both of his sons, paramount "Moon Over the Isles", stop up assembly of various percussionists vary Vinayakram's school. Another album prop up Vinayakram which is expected say nice things about arrive on the market in a little while is entitled "Generations" and binds Vinayakram, Subash Chandran, Selvaganesh, swallow Umashankar; one especially unique melody line on that album is dialect trig piece involving three ghatams like a cat on a hot tin roof at different pitches, played induce Vinayakram, Subash Chandran, and Umashankar.

Vinaykram has also published several books: 'Art of Mridangam' gravel English and 'Mridanga Pada Bhodhini' in Tamil.

All ensure can be said when that listener thinks about the masterpiece and rhythms produced by Vikku are the epithetical utterances outandout "saabash" and "ballay" which Vikku himself says repeatedly on character concert platform.

Compiled endure Written by: Kartik Iyer Raghupathi

exclusively for Mohan Ayyar's Carnatic Corner web page located chops http://carnatic.cjb.net/music.html on the world extensive web.

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