Some more songs picked up by me from the crevices and corners of the world wide web. This time too, the songs come from some of the more talented and younger female vocalists of the present time.
Purnima Sen - Thumri in Khamaj :
Mandira Lahiri - Bhajan in Darbari Kanada :
Rita Sahai - Malhar in Desh :
Tripti Mukherjee - Bhajan in Bhairavi :
Point to ponder : Is it coincidental that while most of the newer female classical vocalists of today belong to West Bengal, the male singers come from the state of Maharashtra?
Once again here are a few songs picked up randomly, this time from the relatively younger lot of female vocalists. These are real gems deserving of the true connoisseur of Hindustani classical music.
Kaushiki Chakrabarty - Khamaj Dadra - Bhig Jaun Main :
Sawani Shende - Dhani - Chatur Balma Saiyan Mora :
Shweta Jhaveri - Bhairavi - Prabhuji Tum Chandan Hum Pani :
Continuing with my Random Songs series, presented here in this post are a few songs that I picked up from here and there while surfing the web, and also while hanging out on various music forums. These are excellent songs, a couple of them from the great maestros and the rest from our younger vocalists.
Mallikarjun Mansur - Sughrai - Piya Banjara :
Ajoy Chakrabarty - Deshkar - Ayi Ri Badariya Sawan Ki :
Manjiri Asanare - Adana - Rang Rang Mukh Pe Mat Phenko :
Meeta Pandit - Bilaskhani Todi - Baje Boondariya :
Presented in this post are a few gems from some of the most renowned artists of Indian classical music. These songs were picked up by me from various music forums and sites. A couple of these songs have been specially uploaded on visitors' requests. If your requested song is not here, please wait for the next Random Songs post.
Bhimsen Joshi - Thumri Bhairavi - Babul Mora Naihar :
As an afterthought I have decided to continue with the 'Random Songs' series of posts. Firstly because these posts give me the opportunity to present to you songs that I pick up from here and there, on the web, and also because I am all for introducing fresh voices to the newbies of classical music. Although Parthasarathy Desikan is not new to classical music lovers, his recordings are not as easily available as those of his wife Kaushiki Chakrabarty and father-in-law, and Guru, Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty. He is a marvellous singer himself and is capable of keeping his audience spellbound on his own.
Prabhakar Karekar, born in Goa, was initiated in classical music by Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki. Prabhakar Karekar has imbibed the essence of various Gharanas and has created his own style of rendering North Indian classical vocal music. He is a 'A' grade, All India Radio artist and has participated in many Sangeet Sammelans at various centers in India.
Parthasarathi Desikan - Basant Bahar - Bana Phool Rahi :
Prabhakar Karekar - Bhairavi - Nindiya Aa Gayi :
Piu Sarkhel, born in Kolkata, is considered as one amongst the very few female artists who represents the Indore Gharana of Hindustani classical vocal music. Piu has undergone a rigorous training under her father, Kamal Bandhopadhyay, who was a disciple of late Ustad Amir Khan of Indore.
Purvi Parikh is an established Khayal singer of the Kirana Gharana. As an 'A' grade artiste of All India Radio, she has presented concerts all over India, in the USA, many countries of Europe and Japan. Purvi has been nurtured in the richest possible musical background, both her parents, Arvind and Kishori Parikh, being eminent musicians in their own right.
This is the last part of the 'Random Songs' series that I started a few months ago. Most of the songs were picked up by me while surfing the web and posted here to share them with you all. This series has also given me the opportunity to introduce to you some new and upcoming artists who have but just made their presence felt in the classical music scene. In this concluding part here are four more vocalists, all women artists, whom I thought everyone would enjoy listening.
Kankana Banerjee, a veteran vocalist of the Indore Gharana, is gifted with a sweet and sonorously rich voice stretching over an amazing wide range. The legend, Ustad Amir Khan himself was her mentor during the formative period of her musical career. Her first public performance was in 1960, at the tender age of fourteen.
Manjiri Asanare, born in a traditional music family, has inherited the rich tradition of Jaipur Atrauli Gharana. Manjiri has received wide acclaim for her performances at numerous concerts. An enraptured audience at Kolkata literally gave her a standing ovation at the conclusion of a program organized by ITC Sangeet Sammelan, a rare honour indeed. Manjiri also won a contest organized by All India Radio. She is a regular 'A' grade artist of All India Radio and has given many concert performances.
Kankana Banerjee - Bhairavi - Bhavani Dayani :
Manjiri Asanare - Sohoni - Rang Na Daro Shyam Ji :
Gauri Pathare was trained in music by Jitendra Abhisheki for some time. Since 1994 Gauri has been under the guidance of vocalist Padma Talwalkar. Gauri holds a degree in computer science but music has always been her primary passion. Important concerts include Sawai Gandharva music festival in 2003, Kesarbai Kerkar festival in Goa, and a live broadcast of her concert and interview on a radio channel in Sydney, Australia in 2000.
Koyel Dasgupta, born in Kolkata, is a follower of Kirana Gharana. She has learnt the basics of Thumri and Dadra with sheer conviction and imagination. Presently an artist with All India Radio, Koyel gives regular performances on television and radio. She is also a lecturer at Rabindra Bharati University.
Another installment of some fine songs that I found on various sites while surfing the web. Meera Banerjee, (born 1930), is a renowned name of the Patiala Gharana. She trained under Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan at an early age. Her glorious performances were honoured by the President of India in a special ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. She is married to Prasun Banerjee, a renowned vocalist.
Sipra Bose (1945-2008) was a noted singer in the Hindustani classical music tradition. She was introduced into the Thumri tradition of the Lucknow Gharana by the legendary Begum Akhtar. She also worked with Naina Devi of the Benaras Gharana and Pandit Ravi Shankar. Sipra was married to Gobindo Bose, a noted Tabla player. She died from a heart attack in 2008.
Subhra Guha, a fine exponent of the Agra Gharana, is today accepted as one of the leading female singers of the country. Subhra possesses an extremely melodious voice and has successfully eliminated the masculinity of the Agra Gharana, giving it a definite feminine charm, but at the same time keeping the salient characteristics of the Gayaki intact. Today, Subhra Guha is also acknowledged as one of the finest Thumri singers of the Poorab Ang.
Vaishali K S is an eminent Hindustani classical vocalist and an Associate Professor of English Studies at Bangalore University. A disciple of the legendary vocalist Kishori Amonkar, Vaishali has given numerous recitals all over India and abroad enthralling connoisseurs of Indian music in UK, USA, Canada and Singapore.
Another installment of some brilliant songs, that I found on various sites and forums. Goswami Gokulotsav Maharaj is a big follower of Ustad Amir Khan and his singing style. His enthusiasm is unquestionable, although the effort he puts up in sounding like Ustad Amir Khan, who was known for his effortless and unassuming style, is too evident. Nevertheless, he is a marvellous singer.
Malavika Kanan, as we all know, was the wife of the renowned classical vocalist A Kanan. Her own singing talent is widely known.
Gokulotsav Maharaj - Bageshri - Kaise Kate Rajni Ab Sajani :
Malavika Kanan - Chhayanat - Eri Ab Goonth Lao Malaniya :
Jayanti Sahasrabuddhe is the daughter-in-law of the illustrious vocalist Veena Sahasrabuddhe. As part of her training, she has provided vocal support to her mother-in-law in more than 100 concerts all over India, U S and Canada. She is a recipient of the National Scholarship in Music by the Government of India.
Kalpana Zokarkar is a young vocalist of the Kirana Gharana. She is one of the very few singers who specialize in Tappa singing.
Jayanti Sahasrabuddhe - Bhupali Todi - Tum Bin Kaun Sahai :
Kalpana Zokarkar - Kafi Tappa - O Miyan Jane Wale :
It has always been my conscious effort to include music samples of as many artists as possible. Some of them may be young or not as well known as their famous peers, but are in no way less talented. The purpose is to initiate the common man, the dummy of classical sounds who is afraid even as much as by the thought of having to listen to classical music, into the wonders of our musical heritage. More than 600 songs have already been posted, each one selected carefully and uploaded only after hearing them personally. Unfortunately, most of my blogging time now is spent on maintaining the music links, as the songs are continuously been deleted by the respective servers and have to be migrated to newer ones. The usual woes of free file hosting.
Once again, here are a few random songs, picked up from the nooks and corners of the web, and uploaded here for your listening pleasure :
Sanjukta Biswas - Bhimpalasi - Vari Ve Guman Na Kariye :
Once again I am posting a few songs, that I picked up from here and there, while surfing the web. All are in RagaKhamaj. For the uninitiated, RagaKhamaj is a late evening Raga usually sung in the light Thumri style.
Another installment of songs that I picked up from here and there, while surfing the web. For the first time, I am not giving you the download links due to bandwidth restriction on the respective servers. You may however, fish out these files from the Internet Explorer Cache after playing them to their full length :
Rashid Khan - Raga Jogkauns - Peer Parayi Jane Nahi : (Download)
