Ravindra Chary (Sitar)

Attended concert of Ravindra Chary (Sitar) accompanied by Satyajit Talwalkar (Tabla) organized by Anubhooti at India Social and Cultural center, Abu Dhabi, on 30th May 2014.

Raag of the concert was Raag Yaman.

First Raviji presented Aalap, Jod, Chanda and Jhala. Followed by Gat composed by Ustad Shahid Paevez in Rupak taal.

He then presented a very old Bandish from Kirana gharana in Teen taal.

Composition of Ustad Wahid Khan (grandfather of Ustad Shahid Parvez) was next presentation.

From there they entered seamlessly into Sawal-Jawab (सवाल-जवाब). The artists got a standing ovation for it.

Finally he switched to light music and played dhun (धुन). It was a medley of Assamese, Rajastani, Afghani dhuns.

Raviji is an excellent Sitar player and he demonstrated his finess and command. I came to know that he is an equally good harmonium player. His humility was evident when he expressed gratitude that a top artist like Satyajit is accompanying him and appreciated the hospitality of Anubhooti.

Raviji drew first applause within a minute of starting the concert. And the applauses continued till the end. He has composed a special Bandish on the day of concert in Raag Yaman and titled it 'Anubhooti' in honor of the organizers. It was a privilege, however he forgot to play it. Audience was disappointed.

Satyajitji demonstrated why he is considered one of the foremost tabla exponents today. His economy of movement fascinated me. He played a bouquet of variations with bal (बल) on different bol (बोल). This was a learning experience for students of Tabla. He also drew repeated applauses.

Both artists were visibly enjoying playing with each other and that doubled the joy of audience. People congratulated the artists and organizers. Audience was not ready to come out of the mood for a long time.

Sounds system was optimum. With four programs going on at the same time sound engineer was stretched.

A magical concert. It was an Anubhooti (अनुभूती).

Entertainment rating 9.75/10.

Disclaimer: I am a founder member of Anubhooti.

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.