Leicester, UK – Rhythm Fantasies (Sense World Music) is a live recording by mrudangam (also known as mridangam) virtuoso Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, made at Saptak Festival. It is a collaboration led by Sivaraman, featuring some of India’s most skilled percussionists. The ensemble reflects the rich variety of drums and percussion that have been played in South India for more than 3000 years.
The performance style featured on this recording is known as ‘Tala Vidya Kecheri’ and involves several percussionists locked into an intense rhythmic dialogue. The interplay is improvised, and its success depends on the high technical skills of the participants and their willingness to engage in a healthy spirit of musical competition. In contrast to Northern India, the South was never successfully invaded by
the Mughals and its musical forms thus represent a culture untouched by outside influences. However, both North and South share the basic concept of tala (rhythm) and raga (melody). Throughout the performance the main rhythmic themes are outlined by Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, one of the most respected and revered mrudangam players in modern times.
Sri Sivaraman chose the popular eight beat rhythmic cycle known as Adi tala as a framework for this performance. The concert was recorded on the 12th January 2004 at the twenty-fifth Saptak Festival held in the city of Ahmedabad in India. The keeping of time or taalam was managed by N. Hariharan throughout the concert by beating the right hand gently against the right thigh while seated with legs crossed. This practice is an essential visual aid to the other percussionists, similar to the role played by the conductor in western classical music.
The artist featured on the album are Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman on mrudangam; M.A Sundareswaran on violin; E.M Subramaniam on ghatam; Mattanur Sankaran Kutty on Chenda; Porur Unnikrishnan on edakka & timila; Srirangam S Kannan on morsing; and N. Hariharan on talam.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.