Varijashree Venugopal – Vari (GroundUP Music, 2024)
Vari is the remarkable debut album of a superb vocalist named Varijashree Venugopal, produced by Grammy Award-winning multi-instrumentalist and producer Michael League, renowned for his work with Snarky Puppy. This album beautifully explores South Asian and world music sounds, mixing Indian classical music with various musical traditions, unified by the rhythms of Indian percussion. It aims to connect cultures through the universal language of music.
Varijashree’s exceptional vocals are a marvel; pristine, creative, versatile, percussive, and expressive. Each track on Vari puts the spotlight on India’s musical heritage. Additionally, Varijashree and the highly talented instrumentalists elegantly intertwine diverse global sounds, melodies, and rhythms.
In Sanskrit, “Vari” means ‘water,’ symbolizing life, fluidity, and grace. Water represents purity, clarity, and transparency; qualities that inspire and apply to the seamless combination of diverse musical cultures in this album.
Varijashree says about the recording: “This album is an ode to all the teachers who have shared a piece of their life with me; taught me how to experience, explore, expand, and express through the medium of music. Being a student of Carnatic Music for the past three decades has enabled me to find my voice.
“Vari is a love story of all the musical threads from around the world that have come together to weave the fabric of my creative being.
“It is an immense honor to have Michael League produce this album, an artist that I immensely admire and have the privilege of calling my dear friend, along with yet another gem of a friend and musician par excellence, Pramath Kiran, who has co-produced this album.
“I thank my parents, gurus, and well-wishers for continually sending me their best energies and blessings right from the moment I sang my first note.
Seeking for an eternal flow of sound.”
The impressive list of guest musicians include some of the best players in the Indian classical, world music and jazz fusion fields who deliver stellar performances. Instrumentalists: Hamilton de Holanda on bandolim; Victor Wooten on fretless electric bass; K.U. Jayachandra Rao on mridangam; Pramath Kiran on morsing; Michael League on electric sitar, Moog Matriarch, Minimoog bass, ARP Omni, surdo, bendir, fretless baritone electric guitar, Prophet 6, vocal percussion, percussion programming; Béla Fleck on banjo; B.C. Manjunath on mridangam, konnakol; Sindhu H M on violin; Smitha H M on violin; Mattur Srinidhi on violin; Dakshinamurty on nadaswaram; Pramath Kiran on taala, udubu, ghunguroo, morsing, percussion programming, shells; Gurumurthy Vaidya on chende; Raja K on thavil; Boodyappa H K, Raghavendra H M, Dinesh, Prakasha, Yogamurty, Ranjith, Srinivasa on dollu; Rajhesh Vaidhya on veena; Sarfaraaz Khan on sarangi; and Anat Cohen on clarinet.
Overall, this album celebrates our planet’s diversity and exemplifies how music can bridge cultures through world music and shared artistic expression.
Vari reveals descriptions of the songs on her album:
Dream
I had a dream where I found myself floating, not knowing where I was and where I was headed.
This is a song about that delicate and vulnerable dream where I was in search of something that I’d lost along the way – that spark that keeps the child in me alive, enabling me to love, and receive love, the way I did when I was born. Pure, doubtless, and open.
Ranjani
‘Ranjani’ has been one of my favorite ragas ever since I was a child. The phrases that my father sang to me 30 years ago, instilling the soul of Ranjani in me, still resonate in my ears. ‘Ranjani’ in this album, is my thread of thoughts through the raga, travelling with world companions adding spices in the form of Banjo, robust Carnatic violins, classical and folk rhythms from India.
Harivaa Jhari
The nature of water to flow is something that has always amazed me. No matter the ups and downs; the flowers and thorns; the sunlight and storm; it keeps flowing. As smooth and as graceful as water is, if it unleashes its inner energy, it could wash anything away into nothing.
I am comparing my journey here, with that of water’s. What am I in search of? And what is it that’s holding me back? What’s my inner potential? How do I unconditionally stay in the state of flow?
Summaniru
Purandara Dasa, a saint poet from the 1400s, satirically speaks about the limits and the ferocity of the human mind, hoping to silence its every acute thought.
He gently nudges to silence one’s mind, to pay no heed to unsolicited opinions of the outside world, and to rather look inside and become one with the music of the silence.
Nee
‘Nee’ means ‘You’ in Kannada.
Each one of us has a ‘Nee’ in our lives, who has opened a new world to us, who has helped us discover profound ways to love. Here I compare the lack of ‘Nee’ to a starless sky.
Liquid Light
Calling out to that invisible force that accompanies us throughout the day; the guiding light that shows us the way, nourishes us with the best of thoughts and comforts our soul. That force resides in the form of a mystical tonic-shifting Carnatic raga Kamboji in this song.
This is the only English song on this album, and my first.
Jaathre
‘Jaathre’ is the term for an Indian rural carnival. This song submits to an intense groove, creating a thread of melodic dialogues with Indian classical Solfege. An exciting inspiration of Carnatic raga Hemavathi and the wild folk grooves depict the inescapable bounce of a Jaathre.
Teardrop
Following the journey of a teardrop emerging out of many various situations of life, anticipating every turn of event. The teardrop keeps flowing through the highs and lows, eventually becoming one with the ocean of emotions that we hold inside our hearts.
Search
This song happened during the COVID lockdown when we were all trying to just hang in there and keep our spirits up, finding a positive side in the most distressing of situations. It’s not all that bad after all – if you look at it closely, there’s always a ray of hope.
Kannada
Kannada is the language of my state, Karnataka, in South India. This is the language that I think in, and dream in. This poem written by Padmanabha Bhat celebrates the language Kannada, and the enormously colorful culture that emanates from Karnataka.
Chasing The Horizon
An energetic ride through the twists and turns of Carnatic Raga Vakulabharana dressed up as a party vibe. Adding to the thrill is the camaraderie between the bandolim, bass, mridangam and morsing.
Where It All Began
A student who begins his or her learning in Carnatic music is taught this Geetham at the very beginning in honor of Lord Ganesha, signifying my roots as a musician.
This traditional composition of Purandaradasa’s juxtaposed with a cappella is a marvelous, fresh sonic space to sink into.
A Carnatic melody, wrapped in the silk of western harmonies, comes a full circle for me.
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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.