ZAKIR HUSSAIN, KUMARESH RAJAGOPALAN, AND JAYANTHI KUMARESH ARTISTS

ZAKIR HUSSAIN
Zakir Hussain is today appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the music world at large as an international phenomenon. A classical table virtuoso of the highest order, his consistently brilliant and exciting performances have not only established him as a national treasure in his own country, India, but gained him worldwide fame. His playing
is marked by uncanny intuition and masterful improvisational dexterity, founded in formidable knowledge and study. The favorite accompanist for many of India’s greatest classical musicians and dancers, he has not let his genius rest there. Widely considered
a chief architect of the contemporary world music movement, Zakir’s contribution to world music has been unique, with many historic collaborations, including Shakti, which he founded with John McLaughlin and L. Shankar, Remember Shakti, the Diga Rhythm Band, Making Music, Planet Drum with Mickey Hart, Tabla Beat Science, Sangam with Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland and recordings and performances with artists as diverse as George Harrison, YoYo Ma, Joe Henderson, Van Morrison, Airto Moreira, Pharoah Sanders, Billy Cobham, Mark Morris, Rennie Harris, and the Kodo drummers. His music and extraordinary contribution to the music world were honored in April, 2009, with four widely-heralded and sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall’s Artist Perspective series.
 
KUMARESH RAJAGOPALAN
 
Kumaresh, part of the Ganesh Kumaresh Duo are brothers who are the only violin duo to have performed for more than four decades together. The brothers have carved a niche for Indian instrumental music with their impeccable and remarkable technique both in playing the instrument and in interpreting the musical forms. Their music is laden with virtuosity and brims with soul stirring creativity, soaked in classicism.
Trained by their father Shri T. S. Rajagopalan, a veteran violinist, Ganesh Kumaresh
completed their hundredth stage appearance before the younger brother was ten years of age. By the time they were into their teens, they were performing with the veterans in the musical field.  Ganesh Kumaresh are today a much honored and widely traveled musical team. They have made inspirational and exhilarating forays into world music teaming up with such luminaries as Dr. Balamurali Krishna, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Vikku Vinayakaram, the Late Valangaiman Shanmugasundaram, A R Rehman, John Mclaughin, Illayaraja, Rajan Mishra, Sajan Mishra, Umalayapuram Sivaraman, Palghat Raghu, T K Murthy, Steve Thornton, Trilok Gurtu and the list is truly long.
 
Their deep-rooted strength in playing Carnatic Music in the traditional way has made
them the favorites with the purists as well as the un-initiated. Their strict adherence to
classicism and their virtuosity with an innovative approach in their presentation has
earned them the appreciation of thousands of music lovers across the globe. The brothers have given new dimensions to the realm of music and have brought out a refreshingly original content and style for this form of art. Having performed in several top notch global festivals, their creative idiom is international in nature and their communication through music crosses all boundaries. Their musical caliber is recognized worldwide. They have been responsible in making violin, which was all along considered a mere accompanying instrument, occupy the center stage of a concert platform.
 
Though popularly known as artists, musicians, performers, composers, directors,
producers, researchers and teachers, the violin maestros Ganesh and Kumaresh consider themselves students of life and existence. They are on continuous search for
comprehending the essential qualities of nature’s creative idioms by connecting to it
seamlessly with their own inner creative resource. The brothers believe that musicians
themselves need to redefine the art form by the mere force of intent, practice & surrender, rather than letting scholars do that.  The brothers, who were hailed as ‘Child Violin Prodigies’, gave their first public  performance in the year 1972, when Ganesh was just 7 years and Kumaresh 5 years.  Since then, the brothers have performed in different places in India and in a number of countries across the globe.
 
As a solo artist, Kumaresh is a full-fledged composer and his most notable composition for the film  Lessons in Forgetting, an Indian film in English, won him the Best Original Music Score Award. His experiences and teachings of the pontiff of Kanchi , Sri Mahaperiyava, and the Tamil Poet Kannadasan have ignited his creativity in composing with a philosophical edge. Many of his Varnams and Krithis have been popularly rendered in concerts. Kumaresh has been honored with several awards, including: Kalaimamani, Sunadha Sironmani, Sangeetha Saragnya, Dwaram Venkataswami Naidu Award, and Asthana Vidwan of Kanchi Mutts.
 
Currently, Kumaresh is looking to establish an institution for professional excellence in instrumental music.
 
JAYANTHI KUMARESH
Jayanthi has been enthralling audiences the world over with her graceful, emotive and expressive music for the last 25 years.  The Statesman, a well acclaimed Indian daily newspaper quotes that Jayanthi is “The best and most versatile Veena artiste we have today.”  Born into a family where music has been the mainstay for the last seven generations, Jayanthi started playing the Veena when she was barely 3 and was one of the youngest artistes in Veena to receive A-TOP grading from All India Radio (the highest grade offered by the only grading body in India). The Government of Tamilnadu has honored her with the title of “Kalaimamani” .  Jayanthi was awarded a Doctorate by the University of Mysore for her work on the subject “Analytical Study of Different Banis and Playing techniques of the Saraswathi Veena“.
In addition to solo performances, Jayanthi has performed several jugal-bandhis (duos) and collaborated with musicians from other genres via her own World music band called Indian Spice.  As a composer, Jayanthi scored music for a host of dance productions and musicals that have premiered in India and abroad, including Krishna Bhakthi, Abbakarani and Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya. She has also composed for the National South Asian Youth orchestra of the UK.
The Indian National Orchestra ( INO)  is Jayanthi’s brainchild – a first-of-its-kind organization that showcases the best musical talent from around the country, the INO strives to promote musical unity in cultural diversity.  A comprehensive representation of India’s vast and varied musical heritage, the INO brings together prominent musicians to perform in one voice and with one purpose.
Jayanthi is the disciple of her maternal aunt Smt. Padmavathy Ananthagopalan and Veena Maestro Dr.S.Balachander. Her maternal uncle, the Violin legend Lalgudi Sri. Jayaraman is a great influence and inspiration for her.  Her boundless creativity finds expression in a multitude of ways. She is the Managing Director of a Bangalore based music company called ‘Home Records’ an endeavor that encourages and spreads ecological awareness through expressions of experiments in interpretations of the dynamic aspects of Indian music and its related performing arts.
 

 

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