Splendid synchronisation
JYOTI NAIR BELLIAPPA
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At one point during the concert of Bombay Jayashree and Shubha Mudgal, both Hindustani and Carnatic styles seemed to converge.
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Photo: R. Shivaji Rao
VIVIDLY DISTINCT: Bombay Jayashree Ramnath (left) and Shubha Mudgal
Virtuosity and vitality marked the jugalbandi concert of Shubha Mudgal and Bombay Jayashree, recently organised by Tamil Maiyam and the Shriram Group under their ‘Give Life’ project. The two voices synchronised splendidly although their s
tyles were vividly distinct. Each artist stayed a master of her craft while generously allowing the accompanying artistes to showcase their talents as well.
A sloka, invoking the blessings of Lord Ganapati, recited alternately by the artistes, opened the concert. This was followed by a madhya laya composition in 14 beats, ‘Uth Jaa Kahe Nam Tane’ set to raga Pooriadhanashree, known as Kamavardhini in Carnatic style. Flowing alaaps and sargams by both the vocalists characterised this piece.
This was followed by a piece in raga Shudhkalyan — a combination of Bhoop and Kalyan in Kalyan Thaat where the aroha of Bhoop and avroha of Kalyan combine. Bombay Jayashree sang a paean to ‘Bhuvneshwariyaa’ and Shubha Mudgal sang a Sadarang composition, ‘Batiyan Dohravat Jaa Tausu Boliya’ to the beat of addha taal. The permutations and combinations in the lower and middle octaves were beautiful. The ‘ni’ and ‘ma’ in avroha were taken in maend and were almost kept hidden in the alaaps. Both were majestic in their movement. Mudgal held, with remarkable fluidity, the various taans such as the sawal-o-jawab taan, the kanch ki taan, the uljhaa ki taan, udhan ki taan and the tor jhor ki taan.
The Thumri in raga Khamaj was rampant with khatkas and murkis and performed by both the artistes. The individuation in Jayashree and the eclectic approach of Mudgal cast a spell on the listeners. ‘Kahe Marre Nazariya Saanvariya’ in Dadra kept pace with an eight-beat Telugu composition rendered by Jayashree.
Smooth transition
The transition from Khamaj to Mishr Khamaj was gradual and smooth. Jayashree then performed from Jaidev’s Geet Govind in raga Kaafi. It was mellifluous, and at this point both Hindustani and Carnatic styles seemed to converge into one. ‘Ab Ke Saawan Ghar Aa Jaa’ in raga Manjh Khamaj once again called for improvisations that were well received by the audience. The Jhoola in raga Piloo, ‘Dheere Dheere’ had, quite literally, a swing to it and once again captured the imagination of the listeners. Finally, the concert ended on a spiritual note with the recitation of a sloka in raga Bhairavi.
Anneesh Pradhan on the tabla and Poongulum Subramaniam on the mridangam gave a spirited performance, moving with felicity between intricate taals. Embar Kannan on the violin was soulful and innovative while Sudhir Nayak on the harmonium was elegant and closely emulating the human voice. They developed each raga both in unison and in jugalbandi. The music of Shubha Mudgal and Bombay Jayashree proved that the experience of music cleanses the emotions and paves way for contact with that source which is the essence of beauty and permanence.
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