Prasant's blog - Official blog of Carnatic saxophonist/composer Prasant Radhakrishnan

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http://prasantmusic.com (back to homepage)
http://vidyamusic.com

I am a composer/performer specializing in Indian classical music on saxophone, among other creative music.

This was my "random stuff" blog, but now I'm trying to simplify and reduce, so I'm just going to have one blog. Check here for real important news regarding my music as well as some fun stuff. I also brought in all my old posts for a one stop blog...thing.

New releases and occasional free tracks will be posted here!

I live in the Bay Area with my wife and cat.

I also enjoy fiddling with gadgets and other tech in my spare time...or sometimes when I am supposed to be doing something more important...

Playing and listening to music is a gift.

While I'm figuring this whole thing out, you can still find:

My podcast at http://podcast.prasantmusic.com until I figure out how to bring that over too.

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March 18, 2010

Kamalambike - bliss.

02 Kamalambike - Thodi by D. K. Jayaraman

(download)

Sorry I haven't posted in a long time. Here is Muthuswamy Dikshitar's magical "Kamalambike" in Todi ragam. If you are interested in the meaning, there are many websites that have it.

D.K. Jayaraman with disciples brings this to life for us everyday folks. Don't be surprised if you are swept up in akhandaika rasa. Will hopefully post more regularly soon. Hope you are all well.

Lyrics:

pallavi

kamalAmbikE AshritakalpalatikE caNDikE
kamanIyAruNAMshukE karavidhRta shukE mAmava

anupallavi

kamalAsanAdi pUjita kamalapatE bahuvaradE
kamalAlaya tIrthavaibhavE shivE karuNArNavE

caraNaM

sakala lOkanAyikE saHNgItarasikE
sukavitva pradAyikE sundari gatamAyikE
vikaLEbaramuktidAnanipuNE aghaharaNE
viyadAdi bhUtakiraNE vinOdacaraNE aruNE
sakaLEguruguhakaraNE sadAshivAntahkaraNE
akacaTatapAdivarNE akhaNDaikarasa pUrNE

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February 14, 2010

On KALX 90.7 Feb 14 at 12pm

Just a heads up, I will be doing an interview and also sharing a playlist on KALX Berkeley 90.7 tomorrow (February 14) from 12 to 1pm. So tune into 90.7 and listen in! Details at http://kalx.berkeley.edu/

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February 9, 2010

Ramana Maharishi

To remember:

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February 3, 2010

Thanks for being a part of 100% for Haiti Relief at prasantmusic.com

Well, now that February 1st midnight has come and gone, the first charity push on the new prasantmusic.com is now over. In case you don't know what I am referring to, check this post. I gave myself a day to reflect before posting.

I want to thank all of those that took part in purchasing any kind of music at http://music.prasantmusic.com during this period. All of that money will be donated to Red Cross, which will of course go to Haiti relief efforts. I also want to thank those of you who helped publicize it by doing things like "retweeting" or posting or "liking" on facebook and e-mailing links to friends. You may not realize it, but little things like this can make a big difference.

In the end it was a small group of people who came through and participated, and the amount raised wasn't much, but big things are always started by small groups of people. Every little bit counts. Thus, I remain optimistic.

There are many other causes and charities that will need our help in the future, so this is just the first of many other similar events I am planning.

If you have any feedback about this or would like to help out, feel free to let me know.

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February 2, 2010

Weekend concerts recapped...and pictured.

Hello everyone, I hope this post finds you well in this first week of February. Hopefully everyone has got the iPad frenzy out of their system by now.

Just a quick recap of this weekend's two concerts here in the Bay Area. Thanks to Nishanth Chandran (violin) and Nirmal Narayan (mridangam) for coming up for these concerts. I had played with Nishanth and Nirmal on separate occasions and they had played together, but never all 3 of us. It was great playing together finally. They are both incredibly talented artists, if you have not heard them, I would suggest you check them out.

Both concerts were in intimate settings -- one was a chamber concert in Cupertino on Saturday January 30, courtesy of Sekhar Sarukkai and family. A big thanks to them for their generosity in hosting live music. There was a very warm audience and we enjoyed playing. We also enjoyed some delicious home-made food. The same goes for the second concert held on Sunday at the Sangati Center in San Francisco. Gautam Ganesan who heads up the Sangati Center is also now a vocalist, so check him out too. Here are a few pics, mostly of the Sangati Center date.

Thanks for listening and sharing....and reading this.

Click here to download:

Weekend_concerts_recapped...an.zip (22410 KB)

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January 28, 2010

Lalgudi Jayaraman's Gati Neevani in Thodi -- no words to describe

(download)

I have been enjoying this gem from the 1967 Krishnaghana Sabha concert where they have rendered the Lalgudi Pancharatnams in addition to an RTP. The whole concert is amazing.

So expressive... its hard to describe.

P.S. 100% proceeds to Haiti is still happening at http://music.prasantmusic.com until Feb 1st midnight PST!

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January 26, 2010

100% of prasantmusic.com sales go to Haiti until February 1st

Dear Friends,

As relief efforts in Haiti get underway, it is a crucial time to keep the donations going. Most of us have already donated to some of the major organizations.

To add another avenue to this, 100% of all digital sales proceeds from http://music.prasantmusic.com will be donated to Haiti via Red Cross. Not a percentage of, but 100% -- all proceeds. You can name your price so feel free to donate more.

To provide another option, you can add a note at checkout if you want your donation to go to Doctors Without Borders.

This is only valid for about 5 days, so you have until February 1st midnight PST. This is all to keep things simple and straightforward.

So: any album or track, 100% to Haiti, until February 1st midnight. Please share.

http://music.prasantmusic.com

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Filed under // charity

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January 25, 2010

House Concert Pics from December 18, upcoming chamber concerts Jan 30 and 31.

Here are a few pics from a chamber concert at the Chandreshekar residence from last month in Fremont, CA. With Susheel Narasimhan and Karthik Gopalratnam. It was a nice concert series and I hope they continue to host such concerts.

I will be playing another such chamber concert at the Sarukkai residence in the South Bay along with Los Angeles based artists Nishanth Chandran on violin and Nirmal Narayan on mridangam. January 30th, Saturday 6pm. If you would like to attend, please e-mail RSVP to sekhar at gmail. The following day will be a relaxing afternoon concert at the Sangati Center in SF at 1pm with the same artists, January 31. Info at www.sangaticenter.org.

So:

Saturday 6pm Jan 30 at Sarukkai Residence in the South Bay. Contact sekhar at gmail for rsvp and inquiries.

Sunday 1pm Jan 31 at Sangati Center in San Francisco.

For more info, visit www.sangaticenter.org or http://prasantmusic.com/concerts.html

Click here to download:

House_Concert_Pics_from_Decemb.zip (6177 KB)

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January 22, 2010

Voleti and MSS Renditions of Viriboni. Timeless!

For the Carnatic listeners out there. One of the most commonly sung compositions rendered with rare depth. I am a fan of both of these musical giants. Enjoy!