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

Branford Marsalis on music students today. So true it's scary.

I might need to write a longer post on this sometime. But yeah, its true in most cases.

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Robot Ramen Chefs in Japan

This is pretty crazy. Who will they replace next?

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Gautam and Deepa's Engagement Party

               
Click here to download:
Gautam_and_Deepas_Engagement_P.zip (4908 KB)

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One of the lamest set of billboards i have seen

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Gnb doing what he does best...

Sleeping of course.

   
Click here to download:
Gnb_doing_what_he_does_best....zip (752 KB)

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VidyA at SFJazz Stanford Photos

The VidyA concert hosted by SFJazz at Stanford was a blast! These photos are courtesy of a listener named Ron who was nice enough to approach me after the concert with copies. 


Thanks, Ron!

Prasant Radhakrishnan: Saxophone
David Ewell: Bass
Sameer Gupta: Drums.

     
Click here to download:
VidyA_at_SFJazz_Stanford_Photo.zip (12779 KB)

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Filed under  //   Concerts   photos   south bay   VidyA  

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SNL: I Am Your Mother.

I don't know if it's just me, but this is hilarious!

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VidyA at SFJazz Stanford Photos

The VidyA concert hosted by SFJazz at Stanford was a blast!
These photos are courtesy of a listener named Ron who was nice enough to approach me after the concert with copies.

Thanks, Ron!

Prasant Radhakrishnan: Saxophone
David Ewell: Bass
Sameer Gupta: Drums.


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Filed under  //   concerts   photos   vidya  

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Sipping Pu-erh Tea. There are many supposed health benefits...

I thought this was interesting. Also thought the picture of the happy old man was funny. I recently picked up some Pu-erh from Peet's. I know it might not be the best though. Thoughts anyone on good Pu-erh teas?

"The restorative and medical properties associated with Pu-erh tea is truly astonishing. Often referred to as the “Wonder Tonic” and the “Medicinal Tea”, Pu-erh tea has been hugely popular in China for over 1700 years. For centuries it was given as a tribute to the Emperor and high ranking officials within the Imperial Courts of China. Its high value and many health benefits lead to high demands and the frequency of the tributes gave it the title “Tribute Tea”.

Accounts on the health benefits and medical use of Pu-erh tea has been documented in various ancient scripts and famous books throughout Chinese history. Pu-erh tea is strongly believed to have wide ranging health benefits from anti aging, prevention of heart disease and cancer, diabetic control, removal of toxins to curing dysentery, inflammation, aiding digestion and weight loss, improving the eyesight, blood circulation and reviving those who are overly intoxicated with alcohol."

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D.K. Pattamal has passed away

Friends,


I'm very sad to recognize that one of the greatest Carnatic music figures of our history, D.K. Pattammal has passed away. There has been so much written about her so I will not attempt to bring that to the fore here. Needless to say, she was one of the most influential musicians in Carnatic music and also an instrumental force for bringing women to hold an equal space on the concert platform. The great pair of D.K. Pattammal and her younger brother D.K. Jayaraman make up two of my favorite musicians in Carnatic music.

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I remember meeting her backstage at Naradha Ghana Sabha briefly some years back. She was in her wheelchair but she was so full of life and had an enormous aura of joy. She made sure to smile and meet everyone in the room even though she was to be on the stage any moment to receive an award. There are just too many good things to mention and it is yet another deeply saddening loss in the Carnatic music field. 

Please read through an interview with D.K. Pattammal here. More info on Wikipedia. There are also many videos on youtube as you will find after a quick search.

With the loss of many of the great trailblazers in the field of recent years, K.V. Narayanaswamy, Semmangudi Srinivas Iyer, M.S. Subbhalakshmi, Palghat Raghu, and now D.K. Pattammal, sometimes I wonder what we have left. I know jazz community went through a period like that when John Coltrane died. It just felt like our guiding lights disappeared. But ultimately, we have to push forward and keep playing creative music that inspires people and ourselves. I believe that is what these great artists did. Yes, they upheld tradition with great humility. But it is where they took that tradition and the passion they had for creative music that lifted people up. 

I think we, as young musicians, need to see that fire and intensity of purpose that the greats had and still have in their music, and use it as our guiding light today. 

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