Sangeeta Shankar (Violin)

Attended concert of Sangeeta Shankar (Violin) accompanied by Nandini (Violin), her daughter & Ajit Pathak (Tabla) on 11th Apr 2015 in NCPA, Mumbai with Ravi. This concert was part of 'Saz-e-bahar', a festival specially conceived to provide a window into the range of instruments that adorn the repertoire of Indian classical music.

Organizers informed that violin was brought  to India in 1790 by British. Balusamy Dixitar (brother of Muttusamy Dixitar) introduced violin in Indian classical music.

In first half of the concert Sangeeta presented evening Raag Gorakh Kalyan (गोरख कल्याण). She presented a composition in Tritaal that she dubbed 'beautiful melody'. Solo piece lasted only a couple minutes before Tabla was introduced. She was about supported by her daughter.

In the second half she presented a very traditional Thumri from city of Banaras called 'Bandish ki Thumri (बंदिश की ठुमरी)' in Raag Desh and Taal Keherwa. It was the first time I heard Bandish ki Thumri.

After Thumri she concluded the concert but audience was not satisfied and she was requested to play Bhairavi. So Sangeeta obliged the audience with a composition in Bhairavi (भैरवी) in Taal Dadra.

Sangeetaji is an excellent violinist. She has the finesse. She plays violin with attention to minute detailing. She plays delicately with great detail and plays effortlessly. Unbelievable. Sangeetaji demonstrated why she was nominated for Grammy award.

Young Nandini is also tomorrow's star. She is ready for stage. Her young age, expressive face and skills with violin drew applause and encouragement from audience.

Tabalji was OK. Sangeetaji had to signal him more than once about the requisite speed (लय) and when the Tabla needed tuning. It was just not his day.

This was first time I watched a Hindustani Violin concert. And I would like to hear more. Special mention of audience. Since Sangeetaji was playing delicate and minute notes, audience did not drown the music in clasps but  applauded the artists with wah-wah.

A WOW concert. Entertainment rating 9.25/10.

Rajrupa Chowdhuri (Sarod)

Attended concert of Rajrupa Chowdhuri (Sarod) accompanied by Satyajit Talwalkar (Tabla) on 11th Apr 2015 in NCPA, Mumbai with Ravi. This concert was part of 4th edition of 'Saz-e-bahar', a festival specially conceived to provide a window into the range of instruments that adorn the repertoire of Indian classical music.

Organizers introduced Indian music instruments starting from ancient India to modern day. Interesting information was that C.V.Raman has performed a lot of work on Tanpura and the black patch on Tabla. They informed that Sarod entered India in 18th century.

First half of the concert was Raag Shyam Kalyan (श्याम कल्याण). Rajrupa first played solo and then Satyajit joined her with Tabla. She demonstrated fine Sarod playing and was focused on details.

Rajrupa presented Raag Tilak Kamod (तिलक कमोद) in the second half of the concert. She presented a rachana taught to her guru by Joshiji.

Satyajit played marvelous Tabla. He showed why he is considered amongst top Tabla players of India. He also appreciated and encouraged much younger Rajrupa.

Rajrupa is a fine Sarod player. Rather than forcing the notes out of Sarod, she extracts them. Lady Sarodiya is a rarity. This was my first concert of lady Sarodiya. Rajrupa plays very well and with humility. She is definitely a star in making.

It was a small but cosy auditorium. Sound system was very good. Sarod required frequent tuning adjustments. A number of foreigners attended the concert.

An excellent concert. Entertainment rating 8.75/10.

Suchismita & Debopriya (Flute)

Attended concert of Suchismita Chaterji (Flute) & Debopriya Chaterji (Flute) accompanied by Sawani Talwalkar (Tabla) on 5th Apr 2015 in Chembur, Mumbai. I attended the concert with Ravi. This concert was part of 'Sangeet Samrat Alladiya Khan music festival 2015'.

This was a one raag concert. It was Raag Jog. First they played without Tabla (solo, tandem and synchronized) and later Tabla joined them. This raag lasted one hour.

To conclude the concert they presented a Thumri in Raag Mishra Pilu. They said that this has become rare now a days.

Most of the jugalbandis are of two different instruments. Previously I have also attended  carnatic violin duet concerts. This was first time I attended a flute jugalbandi. It was innovative and piqued my interest.

This was also a ladies special concert. It was interesting and entertaining. I had a premium seat right in front of the artists and about 10 ft away. Parents of the artists attended the concert with general audience. It was also birthday of their mother.

Suchismita & Debopriya displayed fine synchronized and complimentary flute play, though they went slightly out of sync on a couple of occasions. They displayed controlled flute in the first half an hour of concert where they played without Tabla, this was the best part of the concert.

Sawani justified her lineage by playing very good tabla. She refrained from playing fancy and stuck to traditional tabla play. She too missed a beat once.

The duration of concert was about 1 hr 10 minutes. Around 250 people attended.

A different concert. Entertainment rating 7.75/10.

Devaki Pandit (Vocal)

Attended concert of Vidushi Devaki Pandit (Vocal) accompanied by Sudhir Nayak (Samwadini), Girish Nalawade (Tabla) & Manisha Joshi (Tanpura) on 5th Apr 2015 in Chembur, Mumbai. I attended the concert with Ravi. This concert was part of 'Sangeet Samrat Alladiya Khan music festival 2015'.

Concert started with early morning Raag Yamani Bilawal (यमनी बिलावल). Never heard this raag earlier. She presented composition 'Prem galiyan mein (प्रेम गलियन् में)' in Rupak taal.

Then she presented bandish 'Mangal gao (मंगल गाओ)' composed by Pt. Babanrao Haldankar in Raag Alhaiya Bilawal (अलहैया बिलावल) and in Tritaal.

Then she presented Raag Hindol Pancham (हिंदोळ पंचम) in Jhaptal and later presented a tarana (तराना) also composed by Pt. Bananrao Haldankar in Tritaal.

Upon request of organizers she finally presented a Bhajan 'Kitak din Hari sumiran bin (कितक दिन हरी सुमिरन बिन)' of Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki in Raag Charukeshi.

Devakiji demonstrated mastery over the entire range of swars. She knew exactly which swar she wanted to go to and reached there effortlessly while demonstrating the minute details. She was in complete command of every swar. Amazing!

I would like to attend a more concerts of Devkiji. Previously I had heard her sing light music, this was the first time for classical. She was too good.

Sudhirji was appreciated by Devakiji and the audience regularly. He was too good. Tabla played only a supporting role.

There was noise in the sound system on a few occasions breaking the concentration of artists and audience.

The duration of concert was about 1.5 hr minutes. It was a full house of 400+.

An excellent concert. Entertainment rating 9.25/10.

Satish Krishnamurthy (Carnatic percussion)

Attended concert of Shri. Satish Krishnamurthy (Carnatic percussion) accompanied by Shivkumar (Violin) on 5th Apr 2015 in Chembur, Mumbai. I attended the concert with Ravi. This concert was part of 'Sangeet Samrat Alladiya Khan music festival 2015'.

Concert started with a shlokam composed by the great Vikku Vinayakram, followed by a poem for Mridangam, followed by very famous 'Maha Ganapati' composed by Muttuswami Dixitar in Aaditalam.

Then they presented a Kriti by Saint Tyagraja in Raagam Kapi (Hindustani equivalent Kafi)

Then he played Shiva panchakshar stuti (शिव पंचाक्षर स्तुती) by Adi Shankaracharya. He played it in 5 jatis (जाती) and then improvised.

Then they played Raaga-Thanam-Pallavi (RTP), the centerpiece of Carnatic music concert,  in Raagam Shanmugapriya. This RTP was composed by the violinist Shivkumar. Pallavi was in Aadi taalam and they also presented Raagmala and Sawal-Jawab.

Concert ended with two solo pieces. First was a Ghatam solo and last was a Mridangam solo. Artists received biggest applause of the festival at the end.

Satish played Mridangam, Ghatam, Kanjira. However he did not play them one after another. He played them together deftly switching from one instrument to another without breaking the rhythm. Though Mridangam was the principal percussion instrument of the concert, he played all of them with equal authority. He is versatile. Shivkumar also plays very good violin. Not only that, he also is a composer.

The duration of concert was about 1.5 hr. Since the concert was scheduled on a Sunday at 8.45 am, the attendance was on lower side of @ 75 in the beginning but increased to full house later on. There was a gaffe by organizers as the concert was advertised as Ghatam concert.

An innovative and excellent concert. Entertainment rating 9/10.

Raja Miya (Vocal)

Attended concert of Ustad Raja Miya aka Gulam Husnain Khan (Vocal) accompanied by Siddhesh Bicholkar (Samwadini), Yati Bhagwat (Tabla), Naved Khan (his son) & Madhuri Sharma (Tanpura) on 4th Apr 2015 in Chembur, Mumbai. This concert was part of 'Sangeet Samrat Alladiya Khan music festival 2015'.

Concert started with Raag Jayjaywanti (जयजयवंती). In keeping with tradition of Agra gharana he first sung nom-tom (नोम तोम) Aalap then a Vilambit bandish followed by a Drut bandish 'More mandirwa Milo (मोरे मंदिरवा मिलो)'.

Then he presented Raag Nat Bihag (नट बिहाग), a bandish 'Jhan jhan jhan jhan payal (झन् झन् झन् झन् पायल)' in Teen taal.

Upon farmaish (फर्माईश) he presented a Bandish of his Guru 'Sapaneme darasa dikha (सपनेनें दरस दिखा)'.

Finally he presented a Dadra in Bhairavi 'Banao batiya chalo (बनाओ बतिया चलो)' to conclude the concert.

Raja Miya sings very well in Agra gharana's forceful style. I had never heard his name earlier, but liked his singing. I went to the concert without much expectations but was pleasantly surprised. However his voice deteriorated in Bhairavi.

Siddhesh Played very good Harmonium. Ustadji had to tell tabalji multiple times what beat he wants.

The duration of concert was about 1 hr 10 minutes. Attendance was at the start of concert was @ 150 but it dwindled as the concert progressed. I think it was because of timing (it was getting late), not the singer.

A good concert. Entertainment rating 8/10.

Sudheer Nayak (Samwadini)

Attended solo concert of Shri. Sudheer Nayak (Samwadini) accompanied by Dr. Aneesh Pradhan (Tabla), Siddharth Wadia (Swaramandal) & Prasad Prabhu (Tanpura)
on 4th Apr 2015 in Chembur, Mumbai. This concert was part of 'Sangeet Samrat Alladiya Khan music festival 2015'.

Concert started with Raag Yaman (यमन). First he presented a bandish (बंदिश) in Jhap taal (झप ताल). And followed it with another drut gat (द्रुत गत) composed by Panna babu (Pt. Pannalal Ghosh).

Then he presented raag of  Jaipur-Atrauli (जयपुर अतरौली) gharana (btw Alladiya Khan founded Jaipur-Atrauli gharana) , Raag Tilak Kamod (तिलक कमोद). Then he played a gat composed by his Guru Pt. Tulsidas Borkar who was present in the audience.

Then he played a gat in Raag Tilak Des (तिलक देस), composed by Madhukarji (His guru's guru) and follwed it by a bandish as a gift to Anishji.

Finally he called Mahendra Shedge (Percussionist) to play Tal (टाळ) for final composition, a bhajan; 'Sant bhar Pandharit (संत भार पंढरीत)'

Sudheer Nayak is well known name as Harmonium player. He has nimble fingers and constructs seemingly improbable melody. Adnan Sami has a competitor for fastest fingers. Anishji played excellent tabla that was competitive and complimentary at the same time. He was appreciated by audience and Sudhirji.

Understanding between Sudhirji and Anishji was exemplary. This superb understanding made the performance more enjoyable. Sudhirji described Anishji as friend, philosopher and guide. As a result they were looking at each other most of the time rather than audience.

It was the first time I attended a solo concert of Harmonium. It was good to see an accompanying instrument gaining center stage. I had limited expectations from this concert but I enjoyed it immensely. Very impressed.

The duration of concert was about 1.5 hr. Attendance was @ 300.

A WOW concert. Entertainment rating 9.25/10.

Dr. Monica Shah (Vocal)

Attended concert of Dr. Monica Shah (Vocal) accompanied by Niranjan Lele (Samwadini), Bhushan Parchure (Tabla), Sneha Gosawi & Darshana Purohit (Tanpura) on 4th Apr 2015 in Chembur, Mumbai. This concert was part of 'Sangeet Samrat Alladiya Khan music festival 2015'.

Concert started with Raag Puriya Dhanashree (पुरीया धनश्री). She sung two compositions. First was 'Dagari laga (डगरी लगा), not sure of lyrics. She built the bandish note by note as if she had all the time in the world, without hurrying. Second composition was 'Panaghatwa jane na paun (पनघटवा जाने ना पाऊँ)' in madhyalay teen taal. Surprisingly audience did not clap at the end of first bandish, but rectified it at the end of second bandish.

Then she presented Raag Kirwani (किरवाणी). She sung a bandish of her guru Pandit Rasiklal Andharia (पं. रसिकलाल अंधारीया), 'Tore bin mohe chain nahi brij ke Nandlala (तोरे बिन मोहे चैन नहीं ब्रिजके नंदलाला).

She ended the concert with a Chaiti (चैती) of her guru Girijadevi 'Chait mas bole re koyaliya (चैत मास बोलेरे कोयलिया)'. I had never heard Chaiti live previously. It was good.

It was the first time I heard name of Dr. Monica Shah. She sung well and was well prepared. To my untrained ears, it appeared that while singing in upper octaves, she sings in falseto.

Accompanying artists were good. I think tabalji missed a beat once. Harmonium was good.

Audience was miser while applauding. Probably they expected more. The duration of concert was about 1 hr 10 minutes. Attendance was @ 125.

An OK concert. Entertainment rating 7/10.

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http://mandarconcertreports.blogspot.com/

Gauri Pathare (Vocal)

Attended concert of Gauri Pathare (Vocal) accompanied by Siddhesh Bicholkar (Samwadini) & Yati Bhagwat (Tabla) on 4th Apr 2015 in Chembur, Mumbai. This concert was part of 'Sangeet Samrat Alladiya Khan music festival 2015'.

Concert started with Raag Nand (नंद). Raag Nand is speciality of Jaipur Gharana (जयपूर घराना). First she sung khyal and followed it with a drut bandish 'Dhan dhan bhag Nand ko (धन धन भाग नंद को)'. Her students provided the chorus for bandish.

Then she presented Raag Gaud Malhar (गौड मल्हार), a traditional bandish (पारंपारीक बंदिश) 'Kari Kari badara barase (कारी कारी बदरा बरसे).

Finally she presented very famous composition of Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki 'He surano Chandra wha (हे सुरांनो चंद्र व्हा)'. Audience applauded as soon as she started.

Both Siddhesh and Yati are young artists. Siddhesh plays extremely well. He was too good in drawing applause from audience and artists alike. Yati also plays well, but sometimes he was a bit tentative. Two of Gauriji's disciples (Miss Damle & Miss Deshpande) accompanied with Tanpura.

Gauriji sung well. She displayed authority in singing bandishes and was humble. She gave credit of her singing to the Gurus and said that mistakes, if any, were hers.

The duration of concert was about 1 hr 10 minutes. Since the concert was scheduled at 4.30 pm, the attendance was on lower side of @ 125 in the beginning but increased later on.

Sound system was OK and did not trouble the artists. Today there were mosquitos in the auditorium but the number reduced as the audience started clapping.

A good concert. Entertainment rating 8/10.

Pt. Satish Vyas (Santoor)

Attended concert of Pt. Satish Vyas (Santoor) accompanied by Pt. Mukundraj Deo (Tabla) on 3rd Apr 2015 in Chembur, Mumbai. I attended the concert with Ravi. This concert was part of 'Sangeet Samrat Alladiya Khan music festival 2015'.

The duration of concert was about 1 hr 15 minutes. Satishji played two raagas. Concert started with Raag Jhinjhoti (झिंझोटी). Audience was seeped in the bliss of Jhinjhoti.

Then he played Raag  (चारूकेशी) for the followers of Carnatic music. First he played Aalap followed by two Bandishes (बंदिश).

Needless to say Satishji was outstanding. Even those who don't follow classical music, like Santoor. With Satishji playing Santoor even they would have enjoyed. Mukundraj Deo played fine solo dagga pieces. Looks like solo dagga play is an 'in thing'. He played in-beat and off-beat Tabla very well. Audience liked him very much.

Today's sound system was not up to the mark. Santoor requires very sensitive sound system, only then all the details are conveyed to the audience. Today minute, delicate and fast paced notes were lost.

Around 300+ people attended the concert. It was good to see a number of college going youngsters attend the concert along with the elders. All announcements, including one by Satishji, were in Marathi.

This was my second concert of Pt. Satish Vyas in four months. I had a feeling of deja vu because he played same raagas in Abu Dhabi concert as well. On the lighter side, when I met him after concert he said 'I would have played something different, if I had known you were in the audience.'

A  satisfactory evening. Entertainment rating 9/10.

Pt. Shubhendra Rao (Sitar)

Attended concert of Pt. Shubhendra Rao (Sitar), a disciple of Pt. Ravishankar accompanied by Pandita Anuradha Pal (Tabla) on 2nd April 2015 in Chembur, Mumbai. I attended with Madhav & Ravi. This concert was part of 'Sangeet Samrat Alladiya Khan music festival 2015'.

Concert started with Raag Maru Bihag (मरू बिहाग). Shubhendraji played solo Aalap-Jod-Jhala as per the tradition of 'Maihar gharana'. He played extremely well. Audience was spell bound, especially in Jhala. Even Anuradhaji could not help applauding.

Then he played Raag Mishra Khamaj (मिश्र खमाज), with Anuradhaji, first in Vilambit Teen taal and then in Drut Teen taal. Wow!

The concert lasted one hour and ten minutes. It was not a Sitar concert accompanied by Tabla but a Sitar-Tabla jugalbandi. Audience and organizers did not want the concert to end so soon, so the artists were urged to play more. They played Dhun (धुन) influenced by Bhatiyali dhun for another 8 minutes.

Shubhendraji is a perfectionist, he fussed over the microphone until he was satisfied. He played with complete concentration and was unaware of his surroundings. Anuradhaji demonstrated why she is called 'Lady Zakir'. She played competitive Tabla in her 45 minutes. The section she played only with dagga (डग्गा) was simply amazing. I had the best seat in the auditorium, only 10ft from the artists.

It was a knowledgeable and appreciative (दर्दी) audience. They did not miss any deserving opportunity to applaud.

It was a functional auditorium with bare minimum facilities. The auditorium had fans but despite the charged music it was not hot. Sound system needs improvement. Program started half an hour late. Organizers kept giving glasses of water to Anuradhaji and she was visibly perplexed because she never asked for them.

We left the auditorium with a feeling of 'Ye  dil mange more (ये दिल माँगे मोर).

A very good evening. Entertainment rating 9/10.