The Score Magazine January 2015

ISSN 0974 – 9128

Vol 08 Issue 01 - November 2014

 thescoremag

 @highonscore

 www.thescoremagazine.com

India's National Pan-Genre Music MagazinE

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Yamaha Powers BAND OF THE MONTH

Raghu Dixit Project tell us about their musical journey across the country.

Casio Powers Keyboardist OF THE MONTH

Sunitha Sarathy talks to us about her association with Casio

Special Feature greenwomen

Malcolm Braff of Greenwoman: Up & close

Cover Story

Shashank

Subramanyam The Story of a Revolutionary Flautist

Also Inside : Trendy and Traditional Attire Classical Musicians Must See

the edit PAD A little shy of 5 years, we’ve made enormous strides in our journey to create the first national music magazine. Those words have resounding meaning, because we don't carry an imported name, nor do we place imported musicians on an artificially elevated pedestal. The sacred belief that the culture of a country must be ably personified by a medium from that country is represented in every inch of what we do, for who else can propogate our culture but us?

Yes, we seek to embody “Make in India” as enunciated by our Honorable Prime Minister. We also exemplify “Make for India”. It’s this swadeshi pride that has driven us to create something unparalleled: “a pangenre national music magazine for and by Indians”.

As we step into 2015, we reaffirm our principles and hope to do better what we have done well over the past few years.

i nside Band of the Month

22 POWERED BY YAMAHA Does the name need more explanation?

Jai Hind!

Ajay Prabhakar Director - Strategy and Planning

 thescoremag  @highonscore  thescoremagazine.com  www.skore.in  +91 95000 12975  contactus@highonscore.com Director, Strategy and Planning : Ajay Prabhakar Director, Business Development : Pragash VM Head - Marketing & Operations : Sneha Ramesh Associate Editor : Ananya Ashok Content Coordinator : Nidhi Iyer, Shreya Bose Editorial Advisor : Nikila Srinivasan Creative Director : George Vedamanickam Lead Designer : Nipun Garodia Cover Photography : Dwarakanathan Ravi The Score Magazine is wholly owned by

Shashank

10 Subramanyam This Grammy nominee is a sheer maestro

Keyboardist Of the Month

18 POWERED BY YAMAHA Sunitha Sarathy talks to us about her association with Casio

26 Special Feature Malcolm Braff of Greenwoman: Up, close and personal with the lead keyboardist!

brand partners

30 Festival Focus

DISCLAIMER: Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photography or illustrations without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and illustrations. Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publication and accordingly no liability is assumed by the publisher thereof. Advertising copy and artworks are the sole responsibility of the advertisers. http://www.motherteresafoundation.org.in The Score Magazine is proud to support the Mother Teresa Foundation and urge our readers to join us in giving back a fraction of what we have been given.

All you need to know about ’14 Hornbill Festival

32 Fashion Segment Glitz and Glam of the Classical music scene

Shashank Subramnyam He’s a Grammy Nominee and one of the finest flautists of Indian Classical Music. Shashank Subramanyam has over thirty years of experience on the stage since his first performance at age six.

By age twelve he was performing in the top music circuits in India as well as worldwide. A year after that, he was awarded ‘A’ Grade for All India Radio at the tender age of thirteen. Over the years, the maestro has not only captured the hearts of many with his soulful playing, but has in turn developed a unique style of playing that has been an inspiration to flautists across the world. As the December Music Season approaches in Chennai, Score had the opportunity to sit down with the maestro to talk about his life, music, and the music scenario today.

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Ananya Ashok

I’ve heard you used to practice upto 11 hours a day as a youth. Most kids at that time would’ve been out playing and doing normal kid stuff. Not to mention, it’s not an easy task for adults either! How and where did the drive come from?

I would say my father has been my biggest motivator. Ofcourse, 11 hours did not necessarily include continuous singing or practice. It would also involve continuous exposure to music like listening, practicing, and attending concerts. The training as a whole was about 10-12 hours a day. My father would come back early from his work and it used to be music all the time from then. He would teach me korvais (rhythmic calculations) during trips or any spare time. The inspiration also came from watching/listening to performers of yester-years and ofcourse I was told by people often that I too will get to that level of performance, and so the drive came naturally from all that.

Having given countless concerts in your life, you’ve played everywhere, explored numerous facets of Carnatic/Hindustani music and practically worked with every major accompanying artist in the field. Is it always a new experience performing every time? What do you do to spice things up?

A Concert depends on the artists many times. For instance in a Jugalbandhi (A fusion performance of North Indian and South Indian Classical styles of music), it’s really not about you.

You’re actually a part of a big puzzle and, I don’t consider these concerts as presenting what I know. It’s really about listening to other artists, blending in and visa-versa.

After you reach a certain level as a musician, everyday is a different day.

Instrumentalists have that challenge many times to present something entertaining for their audience. Sometimes you must be in a position to gel with others. Sometimes requests from audiences come up. So as a result, every concert is always a new experience.

Your flute is so different from the usual Carnatic flute in terms of the sound that it produces. Can you tell us about your unique approach to the instrument and what sets your sound apart from other flautists?

When I was young, my father and I visited the legendary flautist Sri TR Mahalingam. He had advised my father when we visited him to have me not listen to any flautist so that I may develop a style of my own. So, I’ve never learned from any flute guru in my life. I actually started with violin first, but then I used take any cylindrical object and play. One day I picked up the instrument and I

found I could play it. Maybe over the years I have gone through the grind. I’ve been exposed to the best of best in terms of vocal music. At the same time I’ve traveled all over, been exposed to musicians, and interacted with all of them. All of that put together has contributed to newer techniques and different approach to flute playing. Especially in this field where vocal music takes precedence, you need to really stand out as an instrumentalist. So when you practice and you get an idea, you have to build on that idea. It is a variety of things that have resulted in the final product.

In concerts, you have mentioned about and demonstrated the technique of playing two octaves simultaneously. How did you think of this and what is it about this specific technique that makes it so difficult?

It was an accidental finding, really. When I played concerts during my young days, I used to notice several challenges from my end. For instance, not having the same range as a violinist. The have a 3-octave range on the instrument. The flute is usually half octave at the base, one full mid-range and half octave on the top. That used to intimidate me because it was restricting for me as a flautist. Then I brought in the system of base flute, extending with different flutes to match.

So while these experiments were going on, I also noticed that many violinists could very comfortably play two Sa’s at the same time. It was during those times that I would think that achieving the same sound on the flute was a possibility. So I started focusing on my instrument. I proceeded to approach a non-South Indian flute maker. I sat with him and explained about the instrument and then got a flute made specifically for me. And then from there many possibilities arose. This was mainly because I had already overcome many difficulties presented by the instrument through rigorous practice. Much of the flute making was more on trial and error basis and was never perfect. And I always admired how perfect the sound of North Indian Flutes used to be. So I went to my flute maker in Delhi, sat with him for hours together and he helped me develop a suitable instrument for Carnatic. With intensity you can make the tone crack into two octaves. Further exploration allows you to take it a step further and decide which octave to accent and what not.

In recent years you’ve been seeking guidance from the legendary Pt. Jasraj and you’ve also accompanied/given performances with him. Tell us about your experiences learning and performing with him?

It’s been a great journey. I’ve always been a fan of Hindustani Music. In Chennai it’s a shame we don’t have Hindustani musicians at all. The same goes for the North as well with respect to South Indian Musicians. Atleast in Bombay, you have access to some good teachers. There came a point when I was looking into the next stage of what to do in my career. Initially I thought maybe I’d make Hindustani Music a profession. I never went after it though, but I started learning. It’s a great system of music. The level of detail, perfection, everything is something to truly learn from the system. It can be anything from designing a speech, presenting an artist, and the respect for senior artists.

It’s a very wholesome experience. So I started learning from him and it helped make my music better and gave me newer perspective. I gained a better understanding of how to present a raga for example. For instance if I have 1 hour, I could play a dozen compositions and kill time or play one raga and fill the time that way. It made me personally more adaptable for a North Indian organization to invite me to play. I could go out there, present a proper Carnatic concert and present one raga and show them that Carnatic musicians are capable of The

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presenting a concert in that format as well. In any case, the old format of South Indian Classical Music itself was such that an artist of that generation would sing one raga for an hour or more at stretch. In Hindustani music, they teach how to really present a raga in an interesting way. They’ve developed a system that is very complimentary to each other. You don’t have to depend on tala because tala is ingrained. You have a tabla player who gives constant reference to tala. You don’t have to sing every composition in different paces. You have compositions that suit the tempo you choose like vilambit, madhya lay, and taranas that are fast, so you don’t have to stretch one composition. Many times in carnatic music it doesn’t work to stretch a single composition one can’t present a heavy composition at a breezy speed. Yet the raga is capable of going in that tempo. Which means there should be a medium. In that sense I like Hindustani music a lot as it has a composition for every tempo. Brings in a lot of variety. That is something I feel can be successfully adapted to Carnatic music as well.

There is playing for one’s self, playing for a specific audience, and then striking a balance between the two.

Where do you see yourself with respect to these three categories?

If I say I’m playing a serious concert I have to play a serious concert. If I want to see myself on a stage at a jazz club, I should play something that suits the environment otherwise I shouldn’t even attempt it. At the same time, people like to add adjectives to everything like gimmickry, etc. But whatever the case, it is challenging to perform like that. I personally think though, one should strike a balance. If you are playing in Music Academy for instance, you have to play according to what that place demands.

You certainly can try new things but the core of its values should not change. Last but not least, one should never take an audience for granted. Every concert should leave an impression. If you call yourself a master/maestro/legend, it should be worthy of your

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name and one should not take things casually. Over a period of 40-50 years, musicians who painstakingly built a career will have left their work behind through recordings and such. There is a sense of responsibility when you record. Your works are used as reference points in the future and so, you don’t want to be a bad reference. So, I won’t consider anything gimmickry. Many criticize Kunnakudi Vaidhyanathan for example, but I say it was very hard to play like him. He was a great artist. There is a place for everything and the way it is presented is what matters.

Who would you say has been your greatest support(s) in your career?

I would say the people at large. The field of Music hasn’t made it easy for me any day. Though I’m a Tamilian by decent I was always treated as a Kannadiga in Chennai. Every step has been difficult.

Even today, some don’t socially accept me. But those who have helped me are the organizers of sabhas. They have featured my performances regardless of who tried to sway them coupled with fans who have stood by me for my work.

You’ve been a part of several fusion collaborations in the past and continue to collaborate with musicians from all over the world. What is your take on the importance of fusion as a genre and the impact you hope to make with your collaborations?

It is a learning environment and you learn a lot. However, I can only truly appreciate teams where artists contribute equally.

Unfortunately, the term fusion has been misrepresented often. It is almost an avenue for those who are not successful otherwise to live off other’s talents. If you take Mahavishnu orchestra or Remember Shakthi, they are made of giants in the field who have meaningfully contributed to new ideas. Fusion as a concept is wonderful, but it has to be meaningful. There is no point in taking part if you have not mastered your art thoroughly before getting

Over a period of 40-50 years, musicians who painstakingly built a career will have left their work behind through recordings and such. There is a sense of responsibility when you record. Your works are used as reference points in the future and so, you don’t want to be a bad reference.

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into it. Fusion must be effectively fusing two styles of music towards a meaningful journey. I’ve appreciated a lot of fusion bands and been a part of a lot of them as well. It is most definitely the wave of the future. Classical music has always and will always have its place. But, there are many in the world that want an alternative to classical music, and fusion fills that void.

You are a teacher as well. Tell us about your approach to teaching and the values you believe in/try to instill as an educator of the arts.

All my teachers were more practical than religious. They wouldn’t equate religion to music. KVN always taught music as a science.

There was a precise approach to everything. I would say I have that same approach. I ask after reaching a certain stage what the student wants to learn. I would think that they must strive to be fundamentally strong. They must be able to play anything and any note. They must be able to sing and learn compositions right. For me it’s like piecing together pieces of a puzzle. As a student, one has to go through training in all areas of music.

What are your views then on taking time to get on stage?

There are teachers who stretch the fundamental training too much.

I’m interested in teaching how things are done and not how they used to be done. I will tell a student to become a maestro rather than trying out ideas on stage. Practice 10 hours at home and present in such a way that others wouldn’t have heard that way of rendering before. Whatever you perform, you have to be successful otherwise don’t go on stage. I’ve lived that way and so I strongly believe one shouldn’t perform if one can’t. Again I’ll reference to Hindustani music here. Musicians are never considered musicians until they’re about 30-40. But when they come out, they are just these bright stars that do nothing but shine.

What are some qualities that appeal to you when listening to music? What appeals to you?

Virtuosity: the ability to perform something spectacular. That is something that is truly difficult to achieve and that always impresses me. Other things are ofcourse a wholesome presentation, voice control, tonality. Last but not least, pleasant demeanor on stage that doesn’t consist of extreme facial expressions (smiles).

What in your opinion is something that needs more recognition/awareness in the classical scenario as a whole?

I think there must be more awareness in North India with respect to South Indian musicians and music tradition. Just as we integrate North Indian musicians in our festivals, North Indians should bring more South Indian musicians to their circuit. There is more awareness among South Indians in that sense. However even here, more awareness should be brought to instruments.

It has become a lopsided field now handful of instruments and many vocalists. This should change if possible. Finally, it is high time that a bunch of instrumentalists come up with instrumental repertoire. They should try and aim to make instrumental compositions. This way we can create two distinct themes in Carnatic music: vocal music and instrumental music.

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www.stringtemple.com

Inside Music A composer, playback singer, and inventor, Ramesh Vinayakam is a multifaceted music man.

In this article he briefs us about the different approaches of the East and West when it comes to achieving aesthetic music, as well as the influence of Western music in the Indian system of music.

Have you ever wondered why the east did not invent the Piano or the west the Tanpura?

Tanpura and Piano, truly great instruments which mesmerise the world with their beautiful sound. One, for its simple design with a stroke of human ingenuity and the other, for its marvellous engineering.

A perfectly tuned Tanpura generates the all pervading pure lush drone which would engulf not merely your ears but your heart and would leave you in a state of trance.

After all the genius of the instrument lies in the fact that it is prepared, an ancient precursor to John Cage’s prepared piano! The preparation being the small piece of a thin thread inserted at the bridge for each of the strings; it gives the special twang so unique to the Tanpura, that which simply triggers the sweet rich harmonics!

Oh! Haven’t I revelled putting my ears into the belly of such a Tanpura and remained blissful even long afterwards! After all it is the sound of heaven!

And the Piano!

An incredible instrument, at once harmonic and melodic. And it is a percussion instrument too . That which produces the delicate of the delicate, to the thunderous, of tones, the droplets of musical nectar, with which it can drizzle or rain or pound a torrential downpour of music ; And that which would always take you to another garden of the same heaven!

Oh Yes! These two instruments. Undoubtedly the pride of east and west.

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But to come back to the question... or rather to answer it.

No, the Europeans would not have designed the Tanpura or the Indians the Piano. Ever.

Why? Because the direction in which their respective musical evolution went would simply not allow it.

They just would not need them as the functions of these two great instruments are diametrically opposite to each other.

The Tanpura. Built to anchor the music firmly to a tonic; while the Piano. to constantly shift it!

They play these ‘opposing’ roles and can hardly fit in the ‘other’ music.

While the eastern ragas explore the various colours of combinations of notes against the anchored “Sa”, the harmonic western music is all about modulations exploring the colours of notes by changing and moving the tonic, the “fluid Sa”,!

A culture evolves its own music, dictated, defined and directed by its own philosophies and outlook, its own preferences and tastes, and invents, builds and designs the instruments with the flavour that suits best to it. Western music would never ever want an instrument that grounds its music to one tonic while Indian music would shudder using that which would meddle with the “Sa” and therefore the colours of the raga!

Leave alone inventing, these two great classical music systems would never even allow into their precincts, those instruments that function against the grain of their musical foundations. There isn’t any of a chance that it might design something that is suitable for the

Ramesh Vinayakam Interestingly, there were bowed Indian instruments already like the Sarangi and Tar-Shenai but had failed to interest the Carnatic clan.

Over Centuries.

However, this seemingly “ultra traditional” South did not preclude itself from adopting the Violin.

That the violin has replaced the traditional Veena the very instrument of Goddess Saraswathi, not only as the instrument of accompaniment but also as a solo stands a testimony to its open mindedness.

In time, the south started to produce great players of the instrument in a new method- of posture, of technique, of tone production, throwing new light and insight on the capabilities of the Violin.

An array of great violinists appeared, Chowdaiya, M.S.Gopalakrishnan, T.N Krishnan, Lalgudi Jayaraman L. Subramaniam . Even the greatest Hindustani Violinist N.Rajam is originally from the Carnatic fold.

These are the people who have effortlessly dazzled the likes of Yehudi Menuhin with their music and unravelled the capabilities of the Violin of which the West wasn’t even aware.

And in this lineage of great stalwarts comes V. S. Narasimhan, Violinist Extraordinaire. Composer of the highest calibre. Founder and first violinist of the Madras String Quartet. Breathtakingly versatile. At ease with any and all of these systems. At home with a krithi or tumri or a sonata. other system!

It would be improbable Well.

Even impossible.

Or so it seems.

Unless one forgets the Violin!

The Violin is indeed purely a western instrument made for Western music. Introduced to India by the British. Along with the English language, education, religion and so on and so forth, the British brought in their music too. And when they did play the Queen of instruments, the impeccable Violin, exhibiting its tone and color, emanating from the warmth of the G string to the bright sheen of the E string, India was listening.

Especially the South.

Yes. The ‘conservative’ south it was which did not miss to identify the nuances the Violin produced , its dynamic range, its infinite capabilities, its flexibility, its speed, its expressive potential, matched only by, the human voice..

In fact, it recognised its soul mate.

It simply embraced the violin endearingly and made it its own. The fretless bowed violin and its perfect design is best suited for producing the intricate gamakas! Amazing that another classical system of the world has developed the perfect instrument to play the most complicated and nuanced Carnatic music that even the North Indian Music is wary about.

He undoubtedly pioneered the method of playing Carnatic ragas in the western tuning with the western posture. Respected and revered, he is one great source of inspiration to all the violinist musicians, across all genres, from the Classical to the Film, who adore him. Emulate him.

Mastering the techniques of playing the Violin in both these great classical systems he fused their methods. He catered not only to the needs of the film music which demanded every style of music of the world to be performed but also set new standards for other violinist to aim for.

The man who was the source of inspiration for Illayaraja to tread new path in orchestral fusion work. His ear for finesse and yearning for perfection unparalleled.

It isn’t therefore surprising at all that the scholarly Narasimhan with his penchant for writing music is determining a new path of his own unique beautiful fusion work. Fresh and new in its form, approach, texture and content.

His music, written for the string quartet explores the pleasant and beautiful possibilities of a natural fusion – not the contrived - that unbelievably combines retains the functions of the grounded “tonic” along with tone shifting harmonic expeditions in the graceful setting of the string quartet.

A new euphonic sound that elevates and endears itself to the listener, subtle in its disposition, enchanting in its effect.

Aptly named String temple his label produces as an offering, the modern music of ragas, of harmony, of style, of tradition, of exploration, of elevation, of euphony.

Ah! It is the music of the language of the soul.

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Sunitha Sarathy

Sunitha Sarathy has recorded for over 350 songs for leading music directors including Harris Jeyaraj and AR Rahman. A record winning singer, a CASIO educator endorsee and an irrepressible artist.

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Tell us about your experience working with Casio Keyboards?

I’m really happy to be an educator endorsee with CASIO. I currently own a Privia PX350 Digital Piano which I use at my vocal school, Sunitha Sarathy’s School Of Vocal Excellence (SoVE).

The piano's build quality is solid. I still remember my mother buying Casio keyboards for her use for many years, from Burma Bazaar :-). (She now has a Celviano AP450). I used to carry one of the Casios for performances in school and college.

It’s remarkably easy to use, for me. I’m used to playing on my mother’s 120 year old piano, so the full 88-key range and the action of the keys on the Privia PX350, feel comfortable to me. When I’m practicing and I make mistakes, I can turn down the volume. The students absolutely love the look of the piano and my accompaniments on the same :)

What are your current projects?

I have 4 Tamil movie releases this month. I have also signed up with Amaranta Entertainment to produce my EP, with songs I’ve been writing for a while now, which should be out later this year.

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How have Casio keyboards suited your style of playing and teaching?

T he two quick things that drew me to using Casio are great sound and familiar touch.

How did you choose Keyboard as your instrument? Was it a natural calling?

I grew up in a house full of musicians. My mother has been playing Classical piano for over 60 years. My Uncle was a multi-instrumentalist and shaped the careers of many film musicians and music directors. My grandfather, an accomplished violinist and pianist, taught M.S.Viswanathan Western music. When I started singing, I graduated naturally towards the piano to accompany myself.

Tell us a little about your performing experiences? Anything special that you would like to share?

When I was in school, I thoroughly loved playing and singing, though at times I was more an accompanying keyboardist than a singer. We had an all girl band that used to sweep all prizes Memorable at culturals. They used to like my performances with percussive style of playing, and my your keyboard arrangements of the covers that we Couple of ‘Best Vocalist’ prizes used to do :) in school and college when I Your cover song of 'Ennodu was accompanying myself and my version of Ennodu Nee Nee Irundhal’ from I became Irundhal . really famous and you used

Casio Keyboards in that song?

How was the experience?

I used to play piano quite a bit in school and college.

As my singing career took off, I kinda let the piano part take a major backseat. With ‘Ennodu Nee Irundhaal’,

I thought it would be nice if I could get back to playing and singing :) I was a little nervous about it, but the response to the video has been tremendous enough to encourage me to do more :) I have started playing more piano from the time I’ve started my vocal school (SoVE) as well.

How fulfilling is this industry for you?

Keyboardists that inspire you My mother and my uncle, Dondieu Divin, Matt Littlewood. Growing up, I used to love watching Nick Rhodes, Herbie Hancock, David Foster.

I’ve completed 14 years in the film industry. I’ve sung various styles across multiple languages, had many chartbusters and worked with the best. I like the fact that I can interpret the song like the music director wants it and still retain my touch and stylistic embellishments.

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Ritesh Khokhar With over 20 years of performance experience, Ritesh is one of the finest musicians to hail from the capital city of New Delhi. His passion for Jazz earned him a scholarship from Berklee College of Music, Boston in 2000.

He led his jazz band ‘Bluefunk’ till 2006 and got back to playing with a Rock band again in 2010 playing Keyboards with BANDISH. With 3 Albums released with Universal, Times Music and Sa Re Ga Ma respectively, Bandish is currently one of the finest performing Rock band in the country.

Ritesh currently holds many key positions in the industry including Chief Executive of Bridge Music Academy, Senior Music Consultant with Music Basti (NGO Working with children at risk through music), Academic Consultant with Trinity College London in India and actively performs with BANDISH.

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How does it feel being a Roland endorsee?

It is indeed a matter of pride for me to represent a prestigious brand like Roland. As a musician I have grown up watching the pros around me use Roland instrument and amps at concerts. My appointment as an endorsee with Roland is definitely a milestone in my musical journey.

How do you think Roland is making its contribution in supporting music education in India?

Roland stands for quality in whatever they do. The company has invested in the research and development of music education system that are in tune with the technology available today. Computer games based learning and assessment for learning drums, piano and soon to follow other instrument is a breakthrough in the music education business. Roland Music Schools are already making waves in the music education industry.

What convinced you to become a Roland endorsee?

I am no stranger to the standards that associate with the name! I have been a fan of their sound engines since the early 90s and have been fortunate to use some of their instruments all through my career.

XP series was perhaps the most popular Roland that took the Indian market by storm and till date you can find these being used in the studios. When I got a call asking me to consider this endorsement, I didn’t need to give it a second thought!!

As a music educator, what do you think is the state of the musical disciplines in this country?

Music education in India has a long way to go before it enjoys it’s due importance. In the west, the benefits and importance of the arts education, especially music, is established and is as important a part of schooling as any other academic subject for decades. In India educationists are still considering including music in the school curriculum at a serious level. Having said that, quality of music education has come a long way in last decade and serious students do have a number of quality institutes to choose from. Last 5 years have also seen a considerable rise in the acceptance of Jazz with thousands of audience now warming up to many jazz bands performing around the country.

Could you tell us a little bit about your own process of learning and teaching music?

I started performing before I learnt even the basic rudiments of music. My musical gifts were sufficient to give me a serious start into music performance and soon I was guided by senior musicians around me to pursue a formal education in music. After performing for 7 long years, learning music completely by ear, the formal education made me realise how little I knew about music. I immediately got hooked to the practice bug spending 8 to 10 hours a day in my practice

room. There was (and still is) so much to learn that entire lifetime is not sufficient. I started teaching in 1999 substituting for my teacher at Delhi School of Music, what followed was private tuitions.

Having spent such serious time at practice I knew what it takes to achieve a serious standard of performance at any instrument, which led me to consider setting up my own institute of music. Fortunately today I hold many key positions in the field of music education (not an industry yet!) including the Academic Consultant with Trinity College London that allows me to help music teachers around the country to teach better music.

What do you anticipate from your new alliance with Roland?

My alliance with Roland has endless possibilities limited only by the vision of the company for India. I have been performing a lot with Bandish and have helped Roland reach my audience in the process.

I do hope to play a more serious role in the product development process with Roland in India and aim to explore more possibilities with Roland in years to come.

How significantly does your work with Bandish affect your solo work or your teaching? Do you find that students are attracted to both your passions?

I strongly believe that good teachers need to be good performers as well or else not only will they fail to demonstrate the concepts to their students but will possibly fail to inspire them too! Teaching is no different than performing, both demand you to be up-to-date and on your toes at all times. My performance time with Bandish does not affect but supports my work as a music educator and a teacher.

Students definitely get attracted to both my performing and teaching.

More importantly, while performing with Bandish, I experience what I want my students to experience one day, which gives a very important hands-on touch to my teaching and workshops. Let’s not forget, music is a performing art and stage is as important as a classroom for a student.

What may fans expect soon from Bandish or yourself?

Bandish has just finished recoding an EP that was released in September 2014 title ‘I Believe’. It is available on iTunes and Songdew.com. Bandish is an experience and the best way to discover the band is to attend a concert! This is the reason why we hardly post any videos on YouTube. The band has the best line-up to my ears and I always look forward to the next concert. We just performed at the Central Park, Connaught Place under the Indian flag to an audience of 8000. Every concert of Bandish is one of a kind experience both for us and the audience. Personally I am writing some solo piano works that I will publish in my own sweet time. I don’t like to manufacture music against deadlines... I just let it evolve!

How about a message for the readers of Score and all Roland users out there?

Music is the oldest form of art known to man and possibly the first and only universal language known to mankind. Beethoven said, “Musicians are as close to god as man can be as they speak the language of the gods”. My message to the readers is: If you are a dreamer, dream on... because dreams do come true!

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Band of the Month

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These lungi clad men have been making the whole world jump to their music.

Yes, not just India, but the whole world. Dive in to know more about the most travelled band of the country.

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Manisha Bhat Going back, how did The Raghu Dixit Project happen?

I wanted to put together a collaborative set up where people that I wanted to perform on stage with and collaborate with on different projects would be able to come together and make music and have a great time doing it.

when we went out and did our show, the love and appreciation was quite overwhelming!

Is there any particular reason why the band makes folk music?

That made me look and invite all the musicians I wanted to work with and start 'The Raghu Dixit Project'

No. I try not to add genres to the music I make. I believe we make Good, and Happy Music!

How hard/easy was it during the initial stages of the band, considering the fact that Raghu Dixit was well known in the country?

Where do you draw your inspiration from? Lyric and music wise?

Raghu Dixit was not well known around the country. In fact, Raghu Dixit was not known at all! It was a really difficult phase that I had to go through. I owe a lot of my initial success to Vishal and Shekhar and also Vijay and Bobby from OML who "discovered" me in a sense and got the ball rolling on my indie music career.

How does it make you feel for having the privilege of making people listen to Kannada music, even Kannadigas for that matter?

I don't see it as a privilege. I speak Kannada at home, it's what I am comfortable in. And I love singing in that language. I'm glad people love the music I make and that the language I sing in is not a big barrier. I'm overwhelmed by the amazing love I receive for my music wherever in the world I perform and whether or not people understand the Kannada lyrics.

I prefer taking inspiration from our land and our culture. So my melodies are very earthy and rooted and the words I sing are from our ancient poets of our land. I believe those words have great meaning and are very interesting to listen to. Poets like Santh Shishunala Shareif and Da Ra Bendre etc have influenced me greatly and I am working on their poetry for my music currently.

Most of your songs are either in Kannada or in Hindi.

We even saw you experiment on Dewarists last season, in a very progressive rock meets TRDP manner. Must say, it was amazing! Is there any particular reason why you haven’t done English songs much?

Like I said earlier, I am comfortable speaking in English but when I sing, the regional dialects have a much nicer sound and I love singing in them. I have released a Tamil song on Jag Changa and have even sung for a Malayalam movie. So it's not only Hindi and Kannada.

I do however, make it a point to explain what I am singing about, so there is some familiarity.

I remember you saying, in one of your concerts, that the crowds at musical festivals are kind of hard to reach to because half the people are drunk. So, where do you guys enjoy playing the most?

You’re a well travelled band, any particular tour or a concert that’s memorable?

I don't know if that is what I said. We love music festivals, they have a fantastic vibe and the crowd is just there to have a great time. Half our battle is won.

With us, every single tour is a brand new experience and a unique story. Take the most recent tour for example, we played in 8 different cities, in 12 days including a shoot for a TV show, and at one point, traveled from Pune to Kathmandu to Hyderabad on consequtive days. And finally, when we did reach Hyderabad, it was after a flight that was delayed by 6 hours so we barely even made it to the concert, and only after landing did we find that the airline had misplaced our equipment, so we had to go on stage without our most important equipment!

It’s been a year since the amazing Jag Changa was released. When are you planning on releasing the next album?

I don't think we have pushed Jag Changa enough and those plans are still underway. I will look at the next album when we have a break and plan for it. We have some serious ambitions about our music and I don't want to be bound by time when we go about executing that!

We had to do whatever it took to put up a great show! and somehow, we manage to pull that off each time!

You’ve recently been collaborating with Nritarutya in your live acts. How’s the experience?

The live performances are usually high-energy, adrenaline pumping performances and the audiences are kept jumping on their feet to the beat. Where does this energy come from? Are there any particular preperformance rituals that the band has?

Working on Nritarutya has been fantastic! Mayuri, the artistic director of Nritarutya, took our idea and made it a fantastic visual spectacle. It's no surprise they are called the best contemporary dance company in the country! We have a great time working together on our production.

Even if it’s like asking to pick a favorite child, can you tell us which song of yours you love the most or feel proud of for making it?

Rest as much as possible! We believe that the audience is there in front of us at our gigs to have a great time and forget their own worries. We need to make sure they have a great time and right from cajoling them to bullying them, we do everything we can to get them involved in our show. Our personal belief is that a live show should be a very immersive and involved experience and we make sure that happens!

My whole 2nd album. I love every song on that record!

How was it performing abroad initially? Were they welcoming? Share the experience.

If you want music to be a career for you, then make it happen. Put as much time, money, resources, energy in it as you would for any other career. There is no shortcut!

Other than the obvious language disconnect, there is no real difference. When we toured abroad initially it was to 6 countries in the far east of South Asia, so it was in places where we were a completely unknown entity and a curiosity at best. But that is where we realised that people around the world have similar emotions, and

What advice would you like to give to the upcoming artists and bands?

What are your projects for the year 2015? Can we expect more songs and tours?

There is a lot brewing and you will know in time :) The

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Greenwoman Malcolm Braff, the lead of the Band, Greenwoman is a keyboard legend; brilliant and inspired, he plays his keyboards with a rhythmic intensity that makes him sound like a rock artist. One could go as far as saying that he is a keyboard virtuoso. His music is loud and intense and yet, always very musical, even very lyrical and always very interesting. His innovative music complements his creativity in improvising, where he makes every note count; and though he cannot be accused of being gregarious, his short piano improvisations and solo’s are sometimes so blue, and within the jazz idiom, that he sounds like a post-bop, beat poet.

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Ananya Ashok After his artist residency in India early 2014 where he created his new project "GREENWOMAN", Malcolm Braff did a 5-city tour in India with his band, from November 26th till 30th 2014. The band consists of Swiss natives Malcolm Braff (piano/Fender Rhodes), Claire Huguenin (vocals), Björn Meyer (electric bass), Alexandre Gaeng (video), and Austrian native, Lukas Koenig (drums).

Greenwoman’s music can’t be described as Soul, Rock, Jazz, Pop Pop, Electronica, or even Trance! But the music can be described as eclectic, groove-oriented, funky, driving, intense and very musical, and very interesting. Those who have heard Greenwoman describe it as a unique and fantastic experience.

Malcolm Braff has written the band’s music during his artist residency in India early 2014.

Malcolm always strikes his audience with his rigorous sensuality, his volcanic energy and masterful sense of improvisation. For this new project, he undergoes once more a radical transformation and reveals a rare bird, a kind of garish quetzal matching jazz, pop and electro together with his magic ingredient: savory organic grooves. The much-awaited India tour is in collaboration with Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council and Gatecrash. Score had a chance to catch up with the busy musician:

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where you were born and how music entered your life.

I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 44 years ago. My father was a missionary for a christian church in Senegal and so I grew up in Africa. He was also a gospel music singer and I accompanied him on the piano as soon as i could (I started studying piano at the age of 5).

You did your residency here in 2014. What was the experience like, and what projects were you a part of during that time?

The experience was intense, I met an incredible number of talented, dedicated and very inspiring people during my stay in Chennai and Pondicherry. Also the work was very intense as I was writing about my research on non euclidean rhythms, co-composing music for a movie with Claire, and starting to compose the music for Greenwoman.

What types of music has largely influenced your life? Who did you listen to growing up?

Western Classical is the music I studied and listened to as a kid. Also gospel and church music was a great inspiration. And of course the western african traditional music I was surrounded by during my childhood in Dakar.

People describe your improvisation as energetic and masterful. How have you trained yourself over the years to be so adept at playing your instrument?

Well, very simply sitting at the piano and practicing for hours :) Also i have focused my practice on developing my ears, imagination, freedom on the instrument rather than trying to master tricks. I believe that I am the instrument, not the piano.

What is your process for composing music?

I need deadlines to compose, projects with planned rehearsals, a recording session etc.

Also, I compose exercises for my own practice and those exercises sometimes turn out to be interesting enough to be shaped a little bit more and become songs or pieces of music which I then perform on stage.

Where do you draw inspiration from these days?

I am fascinated by poetry. I think poetry is the most evolved form of human language.

What are you most looking forward to during your India tour?

Masala Dosas :-) and of course meeting new and old friends, confronting new audiences with our music, and playing with my wonderful bandmates.

You’ve played piano on a hot air balloon? Tell us the story behind that!

No, that did not happen! But that was the plan. I finally could not get the authorization from the Swiss air traffic control. So instead I performed a 24-hour concert, which was much more interesting because it taught me so much about pushing the boundaries of improvisation.

Where do you see yourself in the future and how do you see your music evolving over time?

I have no answer for that. There are so many things I am interested in. Among many things I want to learn how to grow organic food. I guess my music will keep reflecting my experiences and accompanying my path as it has done for the past 30 years.

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The new way to tell stories

Content generation,

Qyuki Style.

With the increasing presence of everyone you want to be known to on the internet, the days for TV ads and conventional content might be numbered. Qyuki is a platform that allows the proliferation of creative content that you’re not likely to see on television. You know those viral youtube videos that you can’t stop watching? Well, that’s the kind of stuff Qyuki is about. Founder Samir decided to grab a quick chat with Score to tell us more

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Could you explain a little bit about the concept of Qyuki ? How and why it was formed?

The future of broadcasting lies in distrupting the traditional ways of content creation and distribution and putting the power back into the hands of the creators. The best examples of this internationally have been Fullscreen (recently acquired by Chernin and AT&T) and Maker Studios (recently acquired by Disney) which have grown to billions of views per month and thousands of creator channels mainly on Youtube At Qyuki we are building the future of digital broadcasting for youth. Qyuki empowers creators with technology and distribution with the aim of creating sustainable intellectual property on digital video platforms.

We are a creator brand and not a direct-to-consumer brand.

Therefore we help creators build their fan following by producing and distributing great content. The fact that hundreds and in the future thousands of creators are part of our network gives us the ability to launch and effectively market new talent by leveraging the power of a network i.e cross promotions, collaborations, optimized marketing. Great technology enables us to deliver the power of optimization and therefore discovery of online content to thousands of creators rather than a handful.

When great content, powered by technology is then backed by marketing dollars, the combination is massively value accretive to the creator and the entire ecosystem creating a new age broadcast network.

What are the kinds of partnerships you have now? What are your plans for the future in terms of partnerships?

We believe in growth through partnerships.

If you think about it the internet is about partnerships. Even with creators we are partners who empower them through tech and distribution. On the business front we have forged two solid partnerships.

Universal music and Qyuki have an exclusive alliance whereby we bring a lot of the Universal catalog to our creators to give legitimate, licensed content for covers, etc. The more recent one is a joint venture with Fullscreen, one of the world's largest multi-channel networks in the US, access to 50,000 creator channels, multiple content formats and the best of breed technology for creators and brands .

What are the steps involved in your partnership with artists? And if you can tell us how the whole revenue model works with your artists?

Lets start with the revenue model first. There are 2 main streams of revenue: ad-supported and paid.

Within ad-supported, there is an organic ad stream which is the preroll ads that you see on Youtube

and then there is branded content. The branded content is typically of much higher value than organic ad-supported pieces.

Additionally then you have paid content, when you just do a pay per download to consume content. This content could also be syndicated and pumped out platforms like Netflix and where pay a lump sum fee to license that content.

The branded content opportunity is a multi-billion dollar market and is in its infancy. Digital is designed for younger audiences and therefore any brand that wants to communicate with the 13-24 segments are able to get better traction. Advertising was always meant to be storytelling to communicate a brand's message. You've probably seen Google's tearjerker film where the Indian and the Pakistani granddads are connected. It has all of Google's products beautifully integrated into it. The Holy Grail is when you use digital influencers to communicate the brand's message not through an ad but through content. As the brands move towards content marketing initiatives, MCNs help connecting talent to the brands to achieve their advertising objectives.

How creators connect with Qyuki: When a creator approaches us to be a part of the Qyuki network, they sign a contract and we invite them into our network. There is an official invite that goes to their Youtube channel, which can then be on-boarded. Once a channel has been on boarded, we can program the channel, optimize it which makes the content more discoverable and therefore improves monetization.

The second aspect of our offering is multi-platform distribution, which means video distribution across various mediums.

Here we address issues like “How do we use FB along with Youtube to drive views.”, “How do we get this into mobile operator ecosystems”, “How do we get this into other video platforms”, and so on.

The third offering is collaboration, which is very important from a creative perspective. A lot of artists love to collaborate and within our network they have the option to collaborate with each other to create new content.

Then comes production. Technology and the collective intelligence of consumers help us determine which creators have the potential to create great content. The analytics tell us when something has got brilliant engagement and we can choose to invest in backing creators without bringing in any human intervention or selection process. We call this the democratization of content Finally, Qyuki brings the branded content connect with digital influencers. For example if a Brand says, I want ten artists from the music space or technology space, Qyuki can deliver an influencer based content pitch to the brand which has far better potential of engaging the right audiences vs a typical online Ad.

A little bit about your alliance with Universal Music Group, if you can elaborate?

Given our focus around music, the Universal partnership is very important. It’s an exclusive tri-party deal between Universal publishing, Universal the Record Label and Qyuki. The alliance enables Qyuki artists to sing and monetize the vast library of Universal Music tracks Universal music recommends artist to the Qyuki network and leverages our vast network for digital A&R (finding new talent) and finally There’s a vast array of audio content that Qyuki converts to video on Youtube and other digital platforms.

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It’s more than just Woodstock of East

Hornbill Festival. Like the bird, the name itself intrigues you. The question resonates in your mind as to what does this festival celebrate?

Well, this festival celebrates Naga heritage and music among other things annually; in Nagaland, one of the Eastern-most state of India.

The importance of the festival can be ascertained from the fact that the Prime Minister of the nation visited Nagaland after a gap of more than a decade and chose Hornbill Festival as the podium to reach out to the masses of the state peppered with hills and valleys. This certifies that the Festival is not only of the young or the young-at-heart, old, infirm and the long venerated but also that the Festival is a podium high enough to be seen by all.

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Debraj Choudhury Almost always touted as the Woodstock of the East, the Hornbill Festival of Nagaland isn’t about only the musical facet of life. It celebrates music, yes, but it also celebrates the spirit of the Naga people.

The indigenous of the state live out there festivities with such zeal that it infects you.

The state being a Christian majority state, there is no dearth of churches and where there is a church there is a Sunday Mass. And where there is a Sunday Mass there is music. The exposure to music comes very early in one’s life in the state and not before long an instrument of choice is picked (which in most cases is the versatile guitar) and the humming starts. Migration from gospel to other forms by the hummers and strummers is gradual but very fast.

Evenings in Kohima Evenings in Kohima are normal; you stroll into a restaurant to get our fill and you will be pleasantly surprised by a live gig happening at the place. The ambience will be good you will set in real easy. And the covers being belted out are flawless. The most impressive part being the diction. Sporadically the artists belts out their own composition and they are nice. Nagaland being a dry state no alcohol whatsoever is served on this strip of hills but one should try the traditional special rice beer, ‘zutho’ (called so by one of the 16 tribes) served at any tribesman’s house and the famed Naga chilies.

Having had your fill of music and food, which always is a crackling combination you should head towards your room to hit the sack so that the shot at Hornbill Festival is spot on.

Hornbill Festival Hornbill Festival isn’t something that hits you in the face the moment you step into it. Beginning at around 9 am it’s got its own pace and like almost all such festivals, it’s a conglomeration of various small festivals happening all around contributing to the mother event. Started in the year 2000 by the State Government its destination and time remains the same. Kisama village, 1st to 7th December; but this year as the PM visited it was extended by 3 more days.

Hornbill Festival aims to showcase the talents, arts, crafts and skills of each of the 16 indigenous warrior tribes of Nagaland. That a lot of thought was put into the event can be made out from the fact that the name Hornbill is after a bird and the bird has the distinction of finding its place in the folk stories of most of the tribes.

The heritage village Kisama was set up with the sole purpose of hosting the Hornbill Festival. Each tribe is given its representative hut at the festival. And each representative hut has its own food court; serving the tribe’s delicacies, which at most times are meat of different kind. Stalls or ‘morungs’ are also set up to sell traditional bamboo items. They put up nicely crafted hats, caps, vases, artifacts and utensils from bamboo to showcase and sell.

The events of the day in the festival range from traditional to modern.

Games are showcased mostly during the day. The games are simple and the simplicity of the games at times reverberates in your mind and realization strikes that childhood games like tug-of-war can be adrenaline pumping and manlier. Motorcycle rallies are conducted to support various causes and riders from almost the entire nation participate. Apart from games and engines, there are also literature fests, painting displays and folk stories.

The nights of the festival are a different story altogether. Every event just recedes like the sun on the horizon and music starts claiming the entire stretch. Every evening a music event or competition of one kind or another is being held at the village peppered with performances by famous bands. This year it’s the legendary band from England, Smokie who does the honor. For those who think Smokie is old school and isn’t worth lending an ear to, for them I pique their interest with a bit of info that Smokie have ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ to their credit. The festival went ahead to tribute one of the most followed artist of the state and perhaps the region musically, Jon Bon Jovi; through the tribute band Bon Giovi from Europe, which belted out and fed some of the Bon Jovi classics like ‘Lay Your Hands On Me’ and ‘It’s My Life’ among others. Vinnie Moore of UFO, was also the perfect topping for this guitar crazy state who didn’t seem to deviate one string from his special skillset.

Few of the Naga bands also participated to enthrall the crowd from the ongoing Rock Competition in the festival. The crowd didn’t seem to mind from which platform the music came as long as it was good music and performed flawlessly.

The Hornbill International Rock Contest’s 2013 winners are Underground Authority from Kolkata, the band, yes it does ring a bell, is the very same which inspired Salman Khan in an earlier edition of India’s Got Talent. This year bands that were shortlisted for participation from the North Eastern region are Restless Desire, Tura Nightmares, Sikkim Adroit, Meghalaya Condemned Hour, Tura The Royal Flush, Arunachal Pradesh Paper Sky, Nagaland Technicolors, Nagaland Stereo Type, Nagaland The first three winners of the Hornbill Rock Contest receives cash prizes of Rs. 10,00,000 bagged by Adam’s Apple from Darjeeling, Rs. 5,00,000 bagged by Nightmares from Sikkim and Rs. 3,00,000

by Muses of Authority from Siliguri respectively. There was also individual prizes of Rs 30,000 each. Thus making it one of the nation’s biggest music event doling out major moolah to promote the music in the country.

It’s not that only within the Festival the night is happening at the fullest. Christmas hits early in this Christian city with Kohima Night Bazar, a flea market of sorts complete with street food. All coming up in the sidelines to compliment the mega event happening. With lights, people, food and cheap trinkets it’s just the icing on the cake. Back in the village the organizers pay heed to the changing music tastes of the populace and try to pack in as much of the diversity as they can without letting go of what was held on to in the previous outings. For that matter perhaps, this year EDM finds an entire night dedicated to itself like big brother Rock.

Though the festival ends at its own pace but in the city it doesn’t just fade away as Christmas and New Year are just round the corner to light up its streets once again. Also the festival is a kind of welcome break from the humdrum life that becomes our specialty once we give in to the grind. The festival reinvigorates you and entices you to plan for the next year’s trip to Kisama.

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Back To

Maheshwari Silk Cotton Saris Rs 3,000-4,000 – Fab India There are silk sarees and then there are cotton sarees. In the middle though, there is a beautiful blend of both. Silk Cotton. It’s attractive and affordable! My personal favorite so far has been Maheshwari Silk cotton sarees. Hailing from the City of Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, these handloom sarees are decently priced and very attractive. They can be worn for attending concerts as well as giving concerts if you’re a performer. The other attractive quality about Maheshwari Sarees is that they come in vibrant colors and they’re almost always multicolored.

Great for making a banging impression on and off the stage!

Classical Music is serious business that requires immense amount of discipline and practice to be an ace performer in the field. However, it is important that while giving memorable performances are important, it is equally important to make a good physical impression as well to your audience. Posture, demeanor, and STYLE specifically are all important characteristics of a charismatic performer. It’s important to make an impression both on and off stage. Discover your inner style icon by checking out these elegant trends

Bindis Rs 10-20 – Local Market This may seem trivial to some, but I do want to point out that classicism in your look requires attention to every detail in your attire. Bindis are no exception. You enter a market or store and you’ll come across loads of bindis in different colors, shapes, and sizes. At the end of the day, to get that classic look, you really only need the basic dot. Go with a red or black bindi that doesn’t scream Usha-Uthupsize but at the same time isn’t be so small that you need a microscope to see it. Get the basic brands like Shilpa Gold, Eyetex, and Shingar. They’re cheap and suit anyone and everyone. If you like going fairly big with your bindis (which is anyways totally IN) you can even add a nice small dot underneath to really make your bindi pop!

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Classics Stole

Rs 2,000-3,000 – Fab India Stoles seem to make any clothing list, but then again they are so versatile that it’s no wonder they find their way in every type of fashion. Specifically for Classical concerts though, I suggest getting stoles that exhibit an heir of classicism. Again, silk cotton is the way to go. Even a plain kurti can become a beautiful and vintage piece with just the right accessories. You’ll have people literally saying, “She ‘stole the show!” #cheezypun

Jhumkas Rs 4,000-5,000 – Fab India Jewellry for women is important. Looking beautiful is half the job done if you are a performer. Picking the right sized jhumkas is paramount. For the sake of classicism, try to stay away from jhumki sizes that compete with the size of your face.

Vests Rs 4,000-5,000 – Manyavar

Kurtas Rs 1,000-2,000 – Fab India Whether you are a male artist or a listener, wearing a neat and sharp kurta is always a necessity. In a time where people come to not only listen to performers, but also check them out (literally).

Pick kurtas that are tailored for your body type and that have you looking spiffy. It is important especially for musicians as it gives off a vibe of professionalism and classicism (atleast visually) that’ll certainly set you apart.

This is not a conventional concert attire piece but I want to throw it out there because it has potential to be. I’ve seen a few older musicians including this in their outfits and it looks close to regal. Mixing a light color long kurta with a black, brown, or red vest can accentuate a man’s already classic attire. Although it is an ornamental piece, if you’re singing/ attending a concert in a prestigious venue, it’s not a bad idea to match your style to the occasion. I say, the bigger the venue the jazzier one should dress.

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The third edition of IndiEarth XChange hit Chennai this past December 5th -7th, with an exhilarating three days at The Park Chennai that included 25 conferences/ workshops, 25 music showcases from around the world, and 26 independent film screenings. Delegates from the independent music, film and media industries worldwide came together for three fantastical days in celebration of the independent arts in all their diversity, with an overall turnout of over 4000 people at the festival.

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“It’s exciting that the event saw so much support this year, both from members of the industry and from the general public,” Sonya Mazumdar, CEO, EarthSync, told Score Magazine. “What we witnessed was different wings of the global independent arts community expressing a genuine desire to work together for a shared vision and a dynamic future for India’s independent industries.”

In fact, as Mazumdar pointed out, XChange has already started to yield concrete results. “What’s truly remarkable this year is that we have already seen business opportunities being created and tangible results manifesting themselves just in the span of those three days,” she continues. “Artists have been booked by festival organisers, new projects are being created, the media are releasing content about rather niche and otherwise difficult to access musicians and films they were exposed to at XChange – in a very real and immediate way, the initiative is already realising its vision.”

This vision of IndiEarth XChange is to bring the independent film, music and media sectors together in the same space, as a way to create bridges between these three groups with the ultimate purpose of providing sustainable infrastructures that will result in business and tangible opportunities for artists and the independent arts. “XChange has been a great chance for me to tap into the main vein of some of the cultural movements here in India, in a very short span of time,” says journalist/filmmaker Jackson Allers, “and something concrete happened because of it! There’s a Syrian artist/exile named Hello Psychaleppo who uses Arab heritage music incorporated with contemporary electronic music production – I played one of his videos during my presentation at XChange, and a Canadian festival programmer in the audience heard it, was very impressed, and that very same night, he booked him for a festival in 2015.”

The conference also operated as a sort of think tank session with various panel discussions that were candid, sometimes heated and thought provoking, yet always forward looking. Sessions included Making The Space For Culture – with panelists Radhika Bordia (NDTV), Nikhil Udupa (Pepsi MTV Indies), Ajay Prabhakar (Score Magazine),Verhnon Ibrahim (Independent Media) – where media heads addressed issues relating to creating space in their publications for non-mainstream content, receiving heated feedback and debate from the audience. Connecting The Dots: Regional Networks proposed various ways that music markets could work together and create networks that help both artists and their related businesses – with speakers Romuald Requena (Sakifo Festival), Sonya Mazumdar (IndiEarth XChange), Gerald Seligman (Borneo World Music Expo) and Min Kim (Asia Pacific Music Meeting), while Sound Lab 2014 – in association with Border Movement and the Goethe Institute – showcased the sounds of cutting edge new producers who had been under the mentorship of producers Justus Köhncke and Cee from Germany. The session Waves That Changed Our World featured speakers Sastry Karra, Yotam Agam, Paul Jacob, Harold Monfils, Patrick Sebag, B. Hemanathan, Arturo Calvete, Mahesh Vinayakram, and Sonya Mazumdar

sharing their vivid stories and memories of the making of Laya Project – an inspiring music documentary that documents the regional folk music traditions of the different communities that were hit by the tsunami of 2004.

The music showcase performances this year were varied and vibrant, bringing together artists from different corners of the world including Reunion Island, Germany, Kuwait, Israel, Lebanon, Australia, France, India, and more – a melting pot of culture, music, and art. Day 1 saw acts like The Ganesh Talkies from Kolkata with an energetic live show that blended elements of Bollywood kitsch with alternative rock, played to a receptive and excited audience, and Bangalore based rock act Parvaaz – blending blues, rock and psychedelia with Urdu and Kashmiri lyrics. Providing a unique audio visual experience was Zahed Sultan from Kuwait, an alternative/ electronic multimedia artist and producer, while musician/composer Vivek Rajagopalan from India created a stage space where various genres – including Hindustani, Carnatic, jazz and folk – seamlessly blended.

Day 2’s showcases featured acts like the renowned Rajasthani Kutle Khan Project playing to a packed auditorium with his invigoratingly soulful folk sounds; an extraordinary visual experience portrayed in Draupadi – Flamenco & Kathakali - a Spanish - Indian musical dance collaboration featuring flamenco dancer Bettina CastañoSulzer; Maya Kamaty from Reunion Island who left her audience spellbound with a unique cocktail of Maloya blues music blended with French and Indian influences; and Yogev Haruvi from Israel with a captivating, entrancing one man didgeridoo and drum show.

Until We Last from Bangalore created emotive landscapes of sound with their post rock instrumental act, while Manjari Chaturvedi from Lucknow showcased an art form unique to herself – Sufi Kathak – bringing together the subtle beauty of Sufi poetry with Indian classical dance forms. In between performances, traditional folk troupes from Tamil Nadu showcased their vibrant music and dance with unique art forms like puli vesam (tiger dance) and a diverse repertoire of traditional folk instruments.

Day 3 highlights included The Zenpad Experience, featuring Yotam Agam, Patrick Sebag and Yoav Rosenthal gathered in the center of the performance space surrounded by their audience, creating vivid soundscapes on Ableton Live and inviting other artists and collaborators to participate; the Pepsi MTV Indie’s pick of XChange Madboy/Mink with a sweat inducing up tempo set at the Leather Bar; Donn Bhat + Passenger Revelator presenting a fascinating experimental electronica live act; and Chennai’s Grey Shack with a generous dose of hard rock.

Every corner of The Park Chennai resonated and pulsated with the beat of music. “Chennai has such a rich and vibrant musical landscape, but in terms of providing spaces where independent artists can express themselves – the city still has a very long way to go,” says Yotam Agam of EarthSync, and co-organiser of XChange. “Initiatives like IndiEarth XChange are trying to address and change this by providing an open space where artists can come together and share pieces of themselves, where Chennai audiences also have opportunity to be experience new alternative sounds and inspiring artists from around the world.”

The film screenings were also packed out to full capacity, with directors like Q (Nabarun), Gitanjali Rao (True Love Story), and Simon Broughton (Sufi Soul) all present during their films to engage in Q & A’s with the audience immediately after. The many workshops conducted at XChange were varied and informative, and included an Ableton Live workshop with German multiinstrumentalist/producer Madeleine Bloom, a film workshop with Docedge Kolkata’s Nilotpal Majumdar, Samira Bangara’s workshop They Say You Can Monetise Content Digitally – Really?, and Manojna Yeluri’s workshop DIY Law For Musicians and Filmmakers. As was evident from this past edition, IndiEarth XChange is a forum unique to India that offers a space for independent artists to express themselves, a meeting point for global individuals of the independent arts industries, a convergence of creative sectors, and a melting pot for business growth.

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World-class workstation that grows with you

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MRP- 99,990/-INR in.yamaha.com

the Time Slot December Music Season is here and musicians of all ages come together at this time of year to fill the streets of Chennai with Carnatic Music. During Margazhi Maasam, you can practically catch a concert at any time during the day, anywhere. To rasikas it’s a chance to listen to upcoming talent during the day in the ‘afternoon slots’ and veterans in the field, who are typically featured from the 4pm slots onward. For young artists however, it is a chance to showcase their skills. But that isn’t all, young artists who sing those afternoon slots are given a time frame.

And in a sense, it is a test. A test to see how well you can package a captivating concert within your specified time. Some (I mean a few) organizers are flexible about it and won’t look at five or ten minutes here and there. Others may just close the curtain on you!

Score speaks to three young upcoming vocalists about their thoughts on ‘The Time Slot’.

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Bharat Sundar

Ananya Ashok When singing for a 1.5, 2, and 3 hour concert time slot, how do you structure your concert accordingly?

If you have more time, do place more emphasis on extempore or rendering more kritis?

SS: Well, many concerts go on during season. It’s important to sing songs that aren’t too out there yet, something that makes you stand out. In terms of manodharma(extempo), I try to take 40 minutes for a main piece and reduce everything else. I’ve experimented with tirupugazhs as mains and submains, which are great for 1.5 hour slots. Sometimes I sing one kriti(piece) and then sing a ragam thanam pallavi(RTP) in a rare raga.

I sense people want a dose of common ragas and rare ragas.

Especially when an audience comes for you, you must try to stand out or do something different.

SN: Usually with more time, I am able to sing more krithis as well as more raga alapanai, or maybe another song and kalpanai swarams. I wouldn’t say I have a pre-set idea of what I will add when given more time. For example, recently I included several more tukkadas at the end of the concert, when I knew I had more time. But on another day, I may decide to add an RTP, or to elaborate the main ragam more. I think the song or form of manodharma that I use to fill the extra time varies concert to concert, based on audience, ambience, and my mood. The variety of different ways to structure a concert, and to use the time allotted, is another wonderful quality of our musical style, and adds uniqueness to each artist’s performance.

BS: It depends on the place mood and the voice fitness. However long the list may be, there should never be a dull moment in the concert. We should also consider about not repeating compositions in case we’ve sung at that specific venue before and so, a decent memory helps! There should be a sense of proportion in whatever we do. Not too many kritis and not too much manodharma. It should always be spread out in the given time frame. Extempore planning is fine for when you are really confident and that only comes with experience.

Do you experiment with various composers or do you stick to just Trinity? How much importance do you place on singing new/unheard songs versus songs everyone knows and can easily relate to?

SS: In my concerts, I make sure there are atleast two compositions of Trinity. I definitely present one of Saint Thyagaraja’s, if not more. I also place importance on rare kritis. As mentioned earlier, I sing a lot of tiripugazhs that I’ve learned from my dad (Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan). I also sing a lot of Papanasam Sivan. I specialize in that and enjoy singing in Tamizh, as it’s great to understand what you’re singing.

BS: I definitely don’t just stick to Trinity compositions. It’s good when you vary composers and sing rare songs. The only thing that matters is the placement of the song. One shouldn’t lose the connection with people as it can, believe it or not make people feel restless. So, nothing should be done just for the sake of doing something. At Sandeep the end of the day, selection Narayan of compositions in a concert is an art by itself and comes with listening and singing experience.

SN: I definitely don’t stick to just trinity compositions. Being largely influenced by my guru Sri Sanjay Subrahmanyan's

music, I have learned quite a few Thamizh krithis of various composers, and of course learn a lot of krithis based on their ragas or structures, and not just based on composer. In most performances, I try to include a newer song, but it is usually sandwiched between at least semiknown, or well-known compositions. It is important to introduce rare krithis while engaging the audience and maintaining their interest and focus through compositions that they are more familiar with.

Sriranjani Santhanagopalan

Do you sing according to your audience and environment?(Ex. If you're singing anywhere in TN would you be more inclined to sing Tamil pieces vs. Telugu and Sanskrit) SS: It is a good idea to keep you’re audience in mind. Infact, if I sing out of town I call the organization in advance to get a sense of what they’d like to listen to. Taking that initiative shows that you care about the audience that you’re presenting to.

BS: Yes. But, nothing against my instincts just to please others. I definitely sing for audiences, but always within my concert values as I’ve learned from my gurus and other stalwarts. In my opinion, language doesn’t matter if you’re able to convey the mood through the music. Most Vaggeyakaras (musicians who are also composers) have given life to their lyrics through the music. So, there must be an aesthetic connect between the lyrics and music, which are inseparable. For that to happen, one must first know the language and delve deep.

SN: Language is a huge part of how I choose songs for any given concert. When singing in more remote areas of Tamil Nadu, especially smaller towns and villages, I sing even more Thamizh and popular kritis. Singing outside of Tamil Nadu, I sing more songs in the local languages, or by local composers, in the hopes that the audience will relate to them better. Recently I finished a concert in Kerala, and although I included several compositions of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal, and even one krithi in Malayalam, a rasika commented that I did not include his favorite songs… Can’t please everyone I guess!

What are the pros and cons in your opinion about singing a 'timed slot'?

BS: In my opinion, It’s good to sing timed slots in big halls. People come expecting you to sing for a specific duration. Singing for un slots but mostly in chamber concerts.. Infact its better to finish and leave ppl wanting more than sing till they are bored SN: The idea of a “time slot” can be limiting as it sometimes makes an artist look more at the clock than performing a raga alapanai or krithi more elaborately. I know there have been days where I felt that if I had more time then I could have expanded on a composition more, however the system is the way it is for many reasons and I can usually work within that if I plan properly.

Time slots exist to maximize the number of performances in a day, to try and give a stage to the growing number of artists in South Indian classical music. Perhaps the senior artists who are usually singing the final concert of the day should be able to sing as long as they want, or as long as audiences want to listen.

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Music is the ultimate winner with Radio City Freedom Awards 2014!

The second edition of India’s first indie-pendent music awards culminates in a grand finale in Delhi.

Delhi, 4th December, 2014: Radio City Freedom Awards 2014 drew to a grand culmination with the best in the Indie music arena being honored. The grand finale that was held at Kingdom Of Dreams on 3rd December, witnessed a huge amount of energy & enthusiasm.

Radio City Freedom Awards 2014, in its Second Season, received more than 460 entries across genres of Hip-Hop/Rap, Folk Fusion, Pop, Rock, Metal, Electronica, Video and Album Art. Nominations for Radio City Freedom Awards 2014 attracted some of the biggest names from the Indie music circuit. Brodha V, Bombay Bassment, Laxmi Bomb, Swarathma, Junkyard Groove and The F16’s were some of the big names to feature in the nominations across different genres. The entries across all the categories were judged by an esteemed jury consisting of Atul Churamani, Yotam Agam, Nandini Srikar, Luke Kenny, Subir Malik and Suneeta Rao. ‘Faridkot’ mesmerized everyone with their Sufi tracks to kickstart the musical maneuver. Excitement built up further as 2013’s ‘Best Hip Hop Artist’ Brodha V took over the proceedings. He got everyone's foot tapping to his award winning song ‘Indian Flava’ and left the audience craving for more. Gaurav Raina aka GRAIN, one-half of Midival Punditz took the level of music to a new level with his electronic renditions. The evening reached its crescendo as compose, singer and songwriter Raghu Dixit took the audience by storm and drew curtains on a fantastic evening.

The large crowd which had assembled to celebrate the amazing talent cheered the nominees and winners alike as the Jury award

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& the People’s choice awards were being given away. ‘Coshish’ won in the Rock category (Jury Choice), while ‘Symphony Novel’ left behind all others in the Metal category (Popular Choice).

Electronica and Hip-Hop brought in some new names. The new categories that were added drew a lot of attention and brought to the fore several new faces. The talented artist ‘Natania Lalwani’ won the 'Best Young Indie Artist' while ‘Ram Sampath featuring Bhanvari Devi & Hard Kaur’ walked away with the 'Best Indie Collaboration of the year'. The awards not just celebrated talent but also brought together the best in the business in the indie music space under one roof.

Speaking on the award night, Ms. Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City 91.1 FM, says, “Radio City Freedom Awards (RCFA) is more than just an award function. It fulfils the need for recognition in the independent music space which is the space where true innovation is really happening. This year we have made a conscious effort to reach out to as many artists as possible, in order to make sure that everyone gets a platform to showcase their creativity. We are glad that our efforts have paid off, and we hope that through Radio City Freedom Awards, indie music artists get to reach out to a wide audience and make further inroads in the music industry!”

Radio City Freedom Awards has truly set the benchmark for celebrating music and encouraging budding musicians to come forward and make their talent visible to the world. In the end, it has to be said, that through RCFA, music is the ultimate winner!

Final Winners List Sr. No

About Radio City 91.1FM:-

Category

Jury's Choice

1

Best Album Art Artist

Symphony Novel

2

Best Indie Collaboration Artist

Ram Sampath featuring Bhanvari Devi & Hard Kaur

3

Best Electronica Artist

Dualist Inquiry

4

Best Folk/Fusion Artist

Papon featuring Harshdeep Kaur

5

Best Hip/ Hop Artist

Divine

6

Best Metal Artist

Cosmic Infusion

7

Best Pop Artist

Natania Lalwani

8

Best Rock Artist

Coshish

9

Best Video Artist (Tie)

Swarathma Bickram Ghosh

Radio City 91.1FM is India’s first and leading FM radio brand. Promoted by Music Broadcast Private Limited (MBPL), the private FM network has captured the hearts of millions of listeners across 20 FM stations in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Vadodara, Surat, Sholapur, Nagpur, Sangli, Coimbatore, Vizag, Ahmednagar, Akola, Nanded and Jalgaon.

Radio City 91.1FM offers a differentiated listening experience through melodious music to All SEC 12+ audiences across the nation. Aggressively looking at spreading the RadioCity experience across the country, RadioCity 91.1FM is committed to growing the market and creating superlative content for discerning audiences. Radio City 91.1 FM broadcasts round-the-clock using state of the art digital stereo FM for unmatched quality in signal strength, clarity and brilliance.

10

Best Young Indie Artist

Natania Lalwani

11

Indie Genius of the year

Sahil Makhija

Category

Popular Choice

1

Best Electronica Artist

The Dirty Code

For further information, please contact:

2

Best Folk/Fusion Artist

Samved

Aesha / Saif

3

Best Hip/ Hop Artist

Divine

aesham@myradiocity.com

4

Best Metal Artist

Symphony Novel

saifs@myradiocity.com

5

Best Pop Artist

Natania Lalwani

6

Best Rock Artist

Rohit Vasudevan Diaries

Sr. No

+91 9819421220 / +91 9987869610

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Rolling Stones’ Bassist Darryl ‘The Munch’ Jones relies on QSC for Clean, Clear & Powerful Sound Darryl Jones is (and always has been!), without a doubt, one of the coolest cats in the music scene!

Affectionately known as ‘The Munch’ by his peers, Jones is a celebrated musician who has added the punch to so many memorable studio and live sessions through his signature bass lines that are so raw and powerful yet so simple and melodic, having played with acclaimed artists like Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Herbie Hancock, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Madonna, and many more. And for the last 19 years or so, he’s been the bassist for iconic rock band The Rolling Stones.

Ask any musician, and they’ll tell you that playing in the studio is one thing – but live is a whole different ball game! And when you play the big leagues like Jones does, live performances come with the expectation of being nothing short of massive! To keep up with such massive expectations, legendary musicians like Jones rely on world class gear – and he’s got the best of the lot on his side, especially with his personal bass rig comprising pro audio gear from global leaders QSC. Darryl Jones is one of the key names in the rapidly expanding list of musicians who have taken to QSC and have become a part of the K for Musicians family. Jones affirms that his bass rig, consisting of a pair of KW122s and a KW181 subwoofer, gives him a clean, powerful sound which is extremely versatile to suit the many different types of music he regularly plays.

“The KW rig I use is quite amazing. Because I am involved in a lot of different kinds of music--rock and roll, electronic jazz, sounds with synth bass, solo projects with effects-- I always try to find the sound that fits the music I am playing. For rock and roll sounds, I use a tube amp sound. I find that I can use the rig for really big sounds like synth bass and bass with lots of effects, sequences that I am playing along with. This works great because the QSC rig is full range. For some of the other things that I am doing, I need a more of a pure, really clean, clear, powerful sound. The KW Series fits in well with all of that, because when I need to play at a high volume level, it’s clean and clear. And when I want to dirty up that sound, I can add the tube amp to do that. So I can cover a lot of ground with

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the QSC rig. That’s one of the things that led me to QSC” explains ‘The Munch’.

Jones says he had his first introduction to the K Series and KW Series while on tour, interestingly, by two drummers – Omar Hakim and Dave Weckl. “Omar Hakim told me he was playing his electronic drumkit through a QSC rig and recommended it to me.

Then I was out on tour with Oz Noy and Dave Weckl, who was using it for his drum monitoring system. When I heard what was he was doing with it, I asked him to hook me up with guys at QSC” says the ace bassist, going on to affirm that he pretty much ‘fell in love’ with the system as soon as he heard himself play on it.

Talking about some of the stuff that fans can expect from him in the near future, Jones mentions he is currently working on a number of projects including ‘Three Brave Souls’ with John Beasley, and a rock trio called The Stone Raiders which according to him is ‘kind of blues forward’ (blues-based music that is more aggressive). And he hints that these projects could soon turn into a live treat for fans, and would give him the opportunity to push his prized personal QSC KW series rig to a whole new level of awesomeness.

The entire range of the K Family of loudspeakers are readily available within the Indian market through Pro Visual Audio Pvt. Ltd (the official distribution partners of QSC Audio products in India) and its various channels across the country, backed by superlative prompt after-sales service and support.