Sandeep Narayan & Ensemble to perform in Bengaluru this weekend

The Hindu

3 days ago

'I'm bringing Carnatic music to the table but with a different group of instruments,' says Sandeep Narayan. 'We've got a bass guitar with the flute, violin, mirdangam and kanjira — it is a mix of traditional and Western instruments.'
The artiste was talking over phone from Los Angeles, about his upcoming concert presented by the Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives in Bengaluru, this weekend.
'I am layering different elements to present a concert that will be easily digestible by audiences who may not be aware of the complexities and intricacies of Carnatic music. It is often considered too cerebral or complex, and I hope to rid listeners of that stigma.'
Melody makers
Though he grew up in the United States, Sandeep had an early initiation into Carnatic music. Not only was his whole family musically inclined, but his mother also gave lessons and his father organised concerts with Carnatic musicians who were touring Southern California
He says when he turned 11, his parents decided to send him to India for an in-depth study of this traditional art form 'as I was getting a bit naughty and not taking my musical studies seriously.' Here, he was mentored by KS Krishnamurthy for about three years, and after his passing, continued training under Sanjay Subramanian, one of his disciples.
After close to 12 years of regular classes, Sandeep says he began exploring this genre on his own. 'Until about four or five years ago, I considered myself a purist and was deeply entrenched in my Carnatic learning; my concerts followed a traditional format with the violin, ghatam and kanjira.'
'However, I noticed that wherever we had a tour, the audiences largely comprised South Indians. Not many people knew what Carnatic music was,' he says, adding that their only reference to Indian music seemed to be Bollywood.
'I wanted to do my part, even if it was small, to put Carnatic music on the world map. That is when I began thinking about different ways of presenting this wonderful traditional style of ours.'
Sandeep says he drew inspiration from a Mahashivratri program at Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore where he performed with different artistes. 'It lit something within me.'
Bengaluru offering
The more he worked with other artistes, the more convinced he became that Carnatic music was one of the few musical styles in the world that could connect with other genres, says Sandeep.
'I've noticed Carnatic music can make a connection through a ragam, thalam or nadi, whether you are working with hip hop, R&B, rap or jazz, as well as folk and Hindustani artistes. I want to make more of those connections and bring the beauty of Carnatic music to more people.'
'My goal is not to dilute Carnatic music, but to show audiences its wide range.'
Talking about his upcoming concert, Sandeep says it took the team almost year to put it together. 'Every time we perform, I want to bring in something new, and since we are coming to Karnataka, I have included more compositions in Kannada.'
Some of these include 'Chandrachooda' in ragam Darbaari by Purandaradasa, 'Akka Kelava' — a vachana by Akka Mahadevi and 'En Appan Allava' from Mahashivarathri, among others.
Sandeep will be joined by B Ananthakrishnan and Akshay Yesodharan on the electric violin, Sameer Rao on the flute and bass guitarist Akilesh, with SJ Arjun Ganesh on the mridangam and Sunil Kumar on the thavil.
According to Sandeep, such events are three-pronged affairs involving the artiste, audience and organisers. 'I hope audiences grow in number because the option of going online and listening to music is quite real. In order to preserve tradition, people must come out and attend concerts. Nothing compares to experiencing the energy, interaction and connection between the artiste and the audiences in real time.'
Sangamam was launched in 2022, as part of a year-long series by the Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives that aim to preserve India's cultural heritage.
Sandeep Narayan & Ensemble and Project Samskriti will perform at St John's Auditorium on July 12, from 5.30pm. Tickets on BookMyShow