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Could Illaiyaraja compose for Ravi/Anoushka Shankar, Guitarist John Williams and other Famed Performers?

Topic started by Maybe Indian film music is a glorious past! (@ spider-wm013.proxy.aol.com) on Thu Feb 11 00:07:24 EST 1999.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

I am wondering if it was possible for IR to work with famous world musicians? Isn't it more rewarding given that film production is on the decline (I am told not more than 200 films per year, one third of what was in the 70s and 80s) in Tamilnadu. In addition, Tamil pop is seeking to supplement the dearth of interest in film music. I think IR and KR can work together and produce exotic albums. In fact, we already have really well trained singers, like Anuradha Sriram.

Currently, what are the possibilities for IR to go break out of his current critical mass and be more available to a global audience?

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: Shankar (@ webgate0.mot.com) on: Thu Feb 18 04:40:41 EST 1999
  
  Raj,
  
  I think u got the point Neels was trying to make. In (1) he calls Raja the 'poo'.
  
  
• From: Geetha (@ gatekeeper.oracle.co.uk) on: Thu Feb 18 08:20:30 EST 1999
  
  Raj/Shankar/Neels: Please can one of you translate the Tamil 'poetry'? in English. I'm lost.....
  
  Neels: I certainly agree with your statement: "I can definitely welcome him joining hands with genuine musicians like ravi Shankar or L Subramaniam or Stephen Graphelli. May be he can get Zubin Mehta to conduct his symphonies..."
  
  I also hope that he/RPH will release the symphony in the UK as a trial to it's popularity. I'm sure it will be appreciated by a certain group of people and then he can target it to similar communities in other parts of the world.
  
  
• From: Raj (@ master.hyd.deshaw.com) on: Thu Feb 18 08:33:38 EST 1999
  
  Geetha: It wasn't poetry actually:). A couple of sayings:I'll have a stab at transalation:
  
  1.Even an ordinary object like "naar"(the fibre on which you string together flowers) gives out fragrance on account of its company with "poo", which ,ofcourse , means flower.
  
  The second one is tougher as it involves a four-letter word. But having started I suppose I have to complete my transalation initiative.Here goes:
  
  2. A 'decent' animal like a ccalf might resort to eating **** in the company pigs.
  I think the implication of neels is obvious, though I am not going to point out to you who he calls a pig:)
  
  No offence meant, just in case:)
  
  
  
• From: Geetha (@ gatekeeper.oracle.co.uk) on: Thu Feb 18 11:17:15 EST 1999
  
  Raj: Thanks so much for that, I thought that the saying may have similar connotations. I too agree with you guys, IR should corraborate with people like Trilok Gurtu, e.t.c, as I mentioned before, as they can add to his already excellent 'fusion' profile.
  
  IMO, IR has the combined knowledge of many streams of knowledge and is proven to be a gem with 'fusion', hence, if he works on that sort of album, with the right 'International' names, it will be a big hit. By the way, have any of you heard 'Blast', by YSR? Nithyashree said that she performed a song, which is based on Aboghi Varnam(Evvari Podhana)....I wonder if the music and fusion is good and whether it has IR's influence in it......
  
  I guess that Talvin may not be the best person to enhance his profile with, as he seems to have a very bad name with you guys..... In the UK, however, he's so big that a lot of people go to programmes, just because his name is on the flyer....he has a big fan following here.....I'd have to see him live to see how 'bad'/'good' his actual performance is. I was told by a friend who's very well versed in Western Classical and Carnatic music that Talvin is very good live....She saw him perform with Hariharan and said that he did a good job......
  
  I too feel that by corraborating with the 'right' people, he will go far.
  
  
• From: Neels (@ 202.54.125.181) on: Fri Feb 19 03:03:07 EST 1999
  
  Geetha, Raj, Shankar,
  
  I am glad you didn't mistake my comparisons.
  It feels good to be part of a healthy dialogue.
  
  It would be great (in fact a dream come true) if these greats join hands in producing an album or a live show that would bring the World Music to centre stage. The right kind of PR and publicity, the right music label and the right venue (remember Yanni?) would make this a great success.
  
  Though it's a dream, you'll never know, it may come true one day! Can you guys suggest the 'right' team now? And the appropriate 'venue'?
  
  Neels
  
  
• From: Geetha (@ gatekeeper.oracle.co.uk) on: Fri Feb 19 07:16:48 EST 1999
  
  Neels: My selfish wish:
  
  How's Wembley Stadium with
  
  IR, Composer
  Zubhin Metha, Conductor
  Trilok Gurtu/Sivamani, Percussion
  Louis Banks/ARR, Keyboards
  Zakhir Hussain, Tabla
  V. Narashimhan/Lalgudi, Violin
  Karukudi Mani Sir, Mirudangam
  Ravishankar, Sitar
  Balachandar, Veena
  Ravikiran, Gottu Vadhyam
  Seshangan/N Ramani, Flute
  Kadri Gopalnath, Sax
  Vikku Mama, Ghatam
  
  As for vocals, I feel it should be a Western Choir and a Nice set of chorus voices.....
  
  
• From: Geetha (@ gatekeeper.oracle.co.uk) on: Fri Feb 19 07:18:57 EST 1999
  
  Neels: My selfish wish:
  
  How's Wembley Stadium with
  
  IR, Composer
  Zubhin Metha, Conductor
  Trilok Gurtu/Sivamani, Percussion
  Louis Banks/ARR, Keyboards
  Zakhir Hussain, Tabla
  V. Narashimhan/Lalgudi, Violin
  Karukudi Mani Sir, Mirudangam
  Ravishankar, Sitar
  Balachandar, Veena
  Ravikiran, Gottu Vadhyam
  Seshangan/N Ramani, Flute
  Kadri Gopalnath, Sax
  Vikku Mama, Ghatam
  
  As for vocals, I feel it should be a Western Choir and a Nice set of chorus voices.....I don't think that there is a need for solo singers, as I'd like a purely instrumental evening, with voices to give effects......I'd love it to be a Carnatic/Western 'fusion', but with IR alone doing the composing, in this case......I would like it if there is no pop music involved.
  
  
• From: Shankar (@ webgate0.mot.com) on: Fri Feb 19 08:55:08 EST 1999
  
  Indeed it's a great wish.it may never come true ,though :-(
  
  
• From: Geetha (@ gatekeeper.oracle.co.uk) on: Fri Feb 19 09:30:49 EST 1999
  
  Shankar: I agree, it's a very tall order, but maybe one day, it will happen, all these greats will unite, showing off their respective skills that they are best at.....Lets hope and pray.... You never know, like Live Aid, someone may be able to arrange such a concert.
  
  
• From: Neels (@ 202.54.125.194) on: Fri Feb 19 11:02:09 EST 1999
  
  
  Geetha,
  
  As you said, you never know!
  
  Your list is pretty good. I would add Mandolin Srinivas and take Louis Banks out. It would be great to have vocals by Pavarotti, Diane Schurr, Aretha Franklin and chorus and Vedic chanting by Pundits from Varanasi and Kancheepuram. The orchestra could be a combination of IR's Guru team and the RPH, London.
  
  There's one problem though. Veena Balachander is not with us anymore. Neither is Chitti Babu.
  
  What about the venue? How about Periya Kovil (Brihadeeshwara) in Tanjore? Or the Angorvat in Cambodia?
  
  Neels
  
  
• From: Geetha (@ gatekeeper.oracle.co.uk) on: Fri Feb 19 11:49:38 EST 1999
  
  Neels: As I said, I'm selfish - I wanted Wembley Stadium, as it's near me....Perhaps the Neasdon 'marble' temple would be better, in the UK. Your venues are nicer though - I will presume this, as you have good taste, I wish I could visit those places.
  
  I forgot about Balachandar, maybe we can have E Gayathri instead, she's really good.
  
  
• From: SitaRam (@ portal.ameritech.com) on: Fri Feb 19 14:46:51 EST 1999
  
  Geetha:
  
  You are great, please keep this idea coming. We need to make such a thing happen. Only IR's fans can do the impossible as the Master himself has done the impossible.
  
  
• From: bb (@ schubert.crhc.uiuc.edu) on: Fri Feb 19 15:47:57 EST 1999
  
  geetha, unga listlle udit narayan missing:-))
  
  
• From: sabesan (@ 209.31.38.105) on: Fri Feb 19 17:09:46 EST 1999
  
  TOO MANY COOKS SPOIL THE .....
  
  
• From: barber_ready_to_shave. (@ spider-to074.proxy.aol.com) on: Fri Feb 19 19:44:59 EST 1999
  
  Geetha:
  
  Is this a benefit concert for ? =)
  
  
• From: Nithin (@ spider-tr084.proxy.aol.com) on: Fri Feb 19 20:14:30 EST 1999
  
  Seriously, I am also liking the idea of getting together the great musicians in concert with IR. Man, that is a dream project. I am willing to do anything to help this happen.
  
  
• From: Raj (@ master.hyd.deshaw.com) on: Sat Feb 20 01:51:44 EST 1999
  
  I agree with sabesan, though considering his previous swipes at IR , this is something that I never thought would happen(me agreeing with him). Infact the first phrase that crossed my mind as I read this was "Too many cooks..".
  It seems too impossible, anyway, considering the business management effort that has to go into such a concert. But , in light of "IRs new albums" thread, what would seem to be a matter of pressing interest would be to create a niche for him . It pains me to see that people think he needs the added attraction of other artistes to popularise his music. While geetha's dream-team was more of a personal wish for a great combination rather than a proferred solution to popularise him(and can be accepted as within the realms of acceptability, if wishful thinking), earlier suggestions like teaming up with Tavlin singh etc sound preposterous to me. IMO, I'd rather that Raja suffers in poverty than gain popularity through Tavlin singhs. It is too demeaning."Puli pasithaaalum, Pullai thinga koodathu". Alright this guy may be popular in UK. But, for God's sake, so is Daler Mehndi in India...would we , for instance, like Raja to join hands with this "nachiku nonsense" to popularise him in North Inida?
  
  Mind, I am not putting down anyone's dream-team. It is just that I feel it is not a feasible idea. Secondly, my wish is that Raja's music becomes popular just as it is...IMO, people just need to be exposed to it to love it.Like it is said of Jenny in "Love Story" "To hear his music is to love it".
  
  As for the dream-concert , I wish you all that your dream comes true. Before that, I wish that people awaken enough to let themselves into the enriching experience of Raja's music...I mean, I wouldnt put it as "Let Raja's music reach people"..I would put it as "Let people reach to Raja's music".
  
  (I guess I have been more emotional than logical in the above post...Srinath, if you happen to stumble here, I hope you dont mind!)
  
  
• From: Geetha (@ gatekeeper.oracle.co.uk) on: Sat Feb 20 07:59:56 EST 1999
  
  Guys, it's just a WISH LIST..... I don't know if this sort of thing is possible, it's like the Dffers sponsoring an IR album.... Too many cooks may be a vaild statement, but, if they are controlled in a proper manner by a respected musician or whatever, the output can be brilliant. If you remember Live Aid, it was an amalgamation of all the 'top' artistes in the pop world... Whay shouldn't it be possible with the Carnatic/Classical world?
  
  Anyway, it is just a dream team that I thought up, if it were to happen, we need a lot of money and a huge sponsor.... Well, miracles can happen.
  
  Raj: A lot of this stems from IR's interview in Vikatan?, where he's asked his fans to give him support to be world famous.
  
  
• From: ssrmaha (@ ) on: Sat Mar 23 00:18:30 EST 2002
  
  hello my darling ilayaraja
  
  
• From: ssrmaha (@ 61.11.79.187) on: Sat Mar 23 00:25:07 EST 2002
  
  unkal pattukkaha nan oru director aka ventum
  
  
• From: piyush (@ 61.2.254.22) on: Mon Oct 4 12:13:25 EDT 2004
  
  i need the picture of the famous Angorvat temple of Cambodia.
  
  

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