DK Jayaraman and his different style

DK Jayaraman (DKJ) was one such singer whose simple, pious and comprehensive music mesmerized the rasiks. Their concert performances were traditional, yet their rich repertoire and devotional performances brought an element of emotion that connected the audience.

In a series of lac-dams and concerts on musical stalwarts organized by Rasika Ranjani Sabha, DK Jayaraman’s vocalist and disciple Dr. S. Sundar took the listeners on a guided tour in the music of DKJ. Sundar spoke of the definite accompaniments envisaged by DKJ for each line in the works, the virtue of rhythm aspects that merged seamlessly with literature, and his beloved qualities as a musician. .

highlights some aspects

Dr. Sundar, with his disciples JB Kirtan on vocals and with JB Shrutisagar on flute, featured even subtle aspects, such as DKJ’s subtle modulation in voice to suit the mood of the compositions and Utilized his irreplaceable Pantathara. On Mridangam K. Arunprakash joined DKJ to demonstrate the rhythm and grip of 1/4 and 3/4 Adams that he blended perfectly with traditional swara phrases. Dr. Sundar sang Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s ‘Guni Janadinuta Guruguhodaye’ in Gurjari Raga, using the line ‘Rajakumaram’ from Abheri work ‘Bhajare Re Manasa’ to vary DKJ’s voice production, followed by ‘Kalpanaswar’ Recorded at DKJ. Varalichi’ (Kalyani) to perform precise rhythm shifts from samam (on the beat). He saw Lalgudi Jayaraman wiping tears from his face during a concert with DKJ in Coimbatore, when the latter performed Thanjavur Shankar Iyer’s ‘Manadirkugadhathu’ in Sindhubhairavi. When the lac-dame ends with DKJ’s timeless ‘Nambi Ketavar Avarayya’ song by Dr. Sundar at Hindolam, the maestro’s music seems to resonate in the hall.

Later that evening, DKJ’s star disciple N. Vijay Shiva presented a concert in the memory of his guru. The singer delivered an elevated experience by showcasing his immense creativity while maintaining Pantathara.

The first song in Gaurimanohari was ‘Guruleka Etuvanti’, a tribute to the Guru. The concert was structured in such a way that the first part consisted of classic crits, then a Hallmark composition as the main part, then the minor compositions immortalized in the finale by DKJ. If the line-up started with Tyagaraja’s ‘Sripathe Nipada’ rendition of Niraval in Nagasvarali and Charanam in ‘Rajadi Raja’ with vocals, Vijay Siva’s Asveri Alapana forced the audience to speculate about the masterpiece. Gave. Although Tyagaraja’s ‘Mapala Velasi’, Annasamy Shastri’s ‘Sri Kanchi Nayake’ and the ‘Kadaikkannal Irangi’ from the Arunachal poet’s Ram Natak Kirtan are all DKJ insignia, Vijay performed ‘Sharanam Sharanam Raghuram’, another kirtan from the Rama Natak. surprised the gathering with This was followed by a full-scale expansion of Harikamboji. Vijay transcends the raga with a firm grasp on its grammar and without a trace of repetition.

Annamacharya’s ‘Itha Dokkade’ with Sundar Niraval in ‘Kaliki Yashodaku’ can be easily identified from the original version of his Guru. Similarly, the gorgeous Kalyani Alpana, full of immense creativity, garnered a lot of applause. It was an easy guess here – Shyama Shastri’s ‘Birana Varalichi’ with DKJ stamp.

The vocals of ‘Shyama Krishna Sodari’ were deceptively simple but clever in the catchy third tempo in which the masterpiece is originally rendered. This showed the master’s grasp on the rhythm assigned to his disciples.

A serene ‘Ramachandra Raghunandan’ in Nilambari, composed by Mysore Sadashiv Rao, serves as a prelude to a splendid Bhairavi and the signature composition ‘Raksha Petare’ from the DKP-DKJ treasure. Launching directly into Kalpanaswar without Niraval, Vijay unleashes his psyche by absorbing sections in Adi Taal with a change in nadis. L Ramakrishnan on the violin carefully tuned the singer’s style and responded equally, particularly in Kalyani and Bhairavi Alpanas, earning well acclaim.

In Bhairavi’s Kalpanaswar Khand, there was an air of freshness in the words of Shyama Shastri’s Swarajati. Vijay’s younger brother Manoj Siva, who learned from DKJ for some time, was on the mridangam, providing evidence of his training during the Asveri kirtan, and when he highlighted the ideas of the singer and violinist in the Bhairavi Kriti. BS Purushottam joined him in enhancing the experience on Kanjira, and played with gusto in Taani Avataram.

Focus on Tukkadas

Like DKJ, Vijay Siva also values ​​Tukkadas, and he sang Periyajvar’s Thirumozhi ‘Vanilavarasu Vaikuntha Kuttan’ in Ragamalika with Shanmukhapriya and Mohanam; And when he anchored in Jhonpuri, it was to be Bharti’s ‘Asai Mukham Marandhu Poche’, in the typical fast-paced DKJ style. Other urupadis that Vijay Siva performed that evening include Dixit’s ‘Ahi Annapurne’ in Punnagavarali in reverse slow tempo, the Paras raga Javali ‘Chelinenetlu Sahintune’ by Pattabhiramaiah and the Thiruppugazz verse ‘Nirai Mathi Mukhamenam’ in Hansanandi.

The author of Chennai reviews Carnatic music.