 |
| || Mandolin U Shrinivas (1969 - 2014) || |
If you ask me whose recent death has left me bereaved....
I would answer "Mandolin Srinivas".
U Shrinivas was unique in many ways. He was a gifted child. He started playing Mandolin when he was just six years old. He gave his first concert at age of nine. He was awarded Padma Shri at a young age of 29. He is regarded as one of the geniuses in Indian classical music arena.
Before mandolin stepped into Carnatic music, only violin was considered to be comparable with the vocal sound. This is because of the fret less freedom it gives the player to make transition from one note to another, also called Gamaka. But when Mandolin came into picture, Shrinivas jaw-dropped skeptics with awe and wonder. Everyone asked "How can a child play like that?".
There is a great saying, "Fear not the weapon but the hand which yields it". Same applies here. initially this European instrument was considered fit just to play harmonics and film music. The stringent requirements of Carnatic music made even violin take close to 200 years to get adopted into it. But Shrinivas made it for mandolin under 50 years.
I came across this person in my ninth grade when my mother bought a CD collection set featuring famous Indian artistes. One of them had well known kritis played on mandolin. My interest in him started and also I came to know that he is the one who brought and modified mandolin, a western instrument by making it five-stringed, electrified it by adding pickup and a custom amplifier.
Links: (http://www.carnatica.net/sangeet/mandolin.htm) (http://www.carnatica.net/sangeet/mandolin2.htm )
I listen to his mind blowing solos for Remember Shakti band. Most of the time I feel a form of electricity like ecstasy flowing through my body. Here I close my eyes and spiral towards heaven thinking "This is music of Gods, This is music of Gods".
Here are few links I suggest:
Bombay Makossa, probably the last album recorded featuring Mandolin Shrinivas:
I get chills watching this:
Just lie down and listen;
Shrinivas leads the band with fast paced mandolin:
No comments:
Post a Comment