Kanamma Concert
Earlier this month, I had this wonderful opportunity to be a part of a concert, the purpose of which was noble, in more ways than one. The Art, Arattai and Aarpattam festival organized by NalandaWay in partnership with UNICEF, gave me not just this opportunity but also truck loads of fun and that exquisite feeling of having spent time on something full of life and value.
Intended to be a platform for children, teachers and parents to interact and inspire one another, the festival this time, took on the theme of ‘Girls are Superstars’. I happened to be a part of the inaugural concert – “Kannamma”.
Anil Srinivasan, Chennai based pianist, whom i look up to as my brother, brought the gang (myself, Vedanth Bharadwaj, Rakesh Raghunathan & Gurucharan) together, along with percussionist Jonathan Singer for an eclectic musical evening, featuring songs composed by poet Bharathiyar.
The virtuosity of the legendary poet, displayed in each one of his works, especially the ones on the empowerment of the girl child, was the major source of inspiration for us. Simple diction laden with persuasive messages – We put in the best of our efforts to match our music to this pattern the poet followed.
In keeping with the theme of the day, we chose popular compositions such as Ninnai Charan adaindhen, Chinnan Chiru Kiliye, Agni Kunju, Kaatu Veliyidai, Paayum Oli and Suttum Vizhi. Of these, I played the flute for Ninnai Charan, Agni Kunju and a solo on rag Panthuvarali.
The highlights of the concert however were the participation by young girls from Vidyodaya School (Chennai) in singing out the songs and also giving life to the evening, with dance performances. Even during the time of rehearsals, I couldn’t help but relive my childhood days through all the expressions, chatter and frivolity (doesn’t that make it art, arattai and aarpattam!) of those kids. Amidst tight schedules, working on this concert, actually provided as a stress-buster of sorts.
Vedanth’s vocal recital of a couple of Meera bhajans, Anil’s flawless rendition of melodies on the piano and Rakesh’s melifluous voice were held in high regard by the audience. And of course, the appreciation that came by my way, added to my strengths and humbled me as always.
The evening was indeed a wholesome treat for the child in me.
Music of the world
A tour through the website would throw light on Navin’s association with music in the non-filmy segment too. Collaborations with artistes from world over in this young age, actually adds to his element of versatality and such projects kindle his quest for eternal learning. One such interesting collaboration is with the world-music record label based out of Chennai, called EarthSync. Their maiden and the most acclaimed
Kartick & Gotam Team: vocalist Mahesh Vinayakram, Israeli music producer and designer Yotam Agam, flautist Navin Iyer, percussionist K.V Balakrishnan, dancer Meera Seshadri, Israeli music composer Patrick Sebag and vocalist Anuradha Viswanathan
album is Laya Project – wherein the team from EarthSync toured countries that were affected by the Asian Tsunami and brought out music from lesser known lands and presented that in a contemporary format. This is to say, one gets to listen to music from Myanmar & Thailand shaking hands with South Indian Thappatam & Odiyattam. Laya Project is a collaboration of cultures across lands and it celebrates the resilience of the human spirit
It will certainly be a surprise for many, to come across something as off-beat as a world-music label in Chennai. Navin’s association with the label dates back to more than a year. He has contributed majorly to the live shows of Laya Project such as in the Perth International Arts Festival etc. Navin’s melifluous flute can also be heard in the other projects of EarthSync such as Nagore Sessions and the Voice Over the Bridge.
Over the last two months, Navin has been touring cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad along with other artistes from EarthSync for the live shows of the album, Business Class Refugees, the first album of Kartick & Gotam (Yotam Agam and Patrick Sebag of EarthSync). The album is an electro folk remix of all of EarthSync’s folk productions. An attempt to create an alternative and unusual electronic theme for the new album. You can read more about the album in: Kartick & Gotam\’s – Business Class Refugees, for there’s a very interesting story behind the genesis of this album. You can also listen to some of the tracks of the album from that page.
Also check out a trailer of the live show and a video from Business Class Refugees Live during the EarthSync Festival 2009:
Kartick & Gotam\’s Business Class Refugees Live Trailer
Business Class Refugees video – Navin Iyer
While the trailer gives a sweeping preview to what the album is all about, the video highlights the brilliance of Navin’s music and EarthSync’s uniqueness in blending music from all parts of the world.
“Working with the EarthSync team is a liberating experience. Be it Laya Project or the latest Business Class Refugees, it has brought out the best in me. With artistes like Vocalist Mahesh Vinayakram, Violinist Padma Shankar, percussionist K.V Balakrishnan and very passionate Yotam, Patrick and Eyal from Israel, by the side, it is more like holidaying with the family and doing some beautiful music at the end of the day. I always look forward to these live shows with EarthSync as this is one collaborations that has given me the ticket to music at an international level. I am actually looking forward to discovering more such labels and artistes to work with.”