Running Gamak: Warren Senders' Blog

So Much Beauty

Mallikarjun Mansur, singing Ek Nishad Bihagada and Nat Bihag.

Raga Bhatiyar: Taleem from S.G. Devasthali, 1994

This clip has just gone up on the S.G. Devasthali memorial page. It’s 30 minutes of detailed instruction from Guruji to me and Vijaya in early 1994.

Hope you enjoy it.

Amazing. Just Amazing.

More Krishnarao Shankar Pandit.

Here is his magnificent Devgandhari:

And another morning raga, Deshkar. His audacity of imagination is fully evident here, for example in his excursions into the lower register — Deshkar is usually considered to dwell exclusively in the upper range, so it’s quite a feat to sing in the basement without making it turn into Bhoopali.

And finally a bhajan in Raga Pilu, the oft-heard “Raghubir tum ko mori laaj.”

More to come.

Krishnarao Shankar Pandit: Raga Darbari Kanada

One of the greatest recorded performances of Hindustani music, this 30-minute gem comes from 1957, when Krishnarao Shankar Pandit was in his prime. The force and power of his improvisations are astonishing; there is nobody else in Hindustani tradition who can imagine some of the things he comes up with, let alone execute them with such verve and clarity.

Anokhey Lal, who was known for his brilliant and supportive theka, is accompanying on tabla. The violinist is not credited. Any thoughts?

Enjoy.

Antigravity — The Indian Group, 1990-1991

Here are the pieces which make up the first Antigravity CD, released as “Antigravity — The Music of Warren Senders” (Accurate AC-4307), along with scans of the complete CD booklet & tray card. These were recorded at Ishwani Kendra Studios in Pune in 1990 and 1991.

This has been out of print for years. I only have a few mint copies left.
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Singing For The Planet: Warren Senders’ Set

Here is my complete set from the “Singing For The Planet” concert. Priti Chakravarty – harmonium, Akshay Navaladi – tabla, Harriotte Hurie – tamboura.

Raga Puriya – three-part khyal performance.

Vilambit Ektaal: Eri malaniyaa begi gunde laawori phulan ke harawa / Bela chameli gulab daru bane ke garawa (traditional composition)
Madhya Tintaal: Main to kaari aayi piya sanga rangaraliyaa / main vaari jaat pan ghat ke ghaat // Ek to dar mohe saas nananda ko / duje duraniyaa jaitaniyaa sataave / nisa din Prem Piya ki baat hai (composition by Ut. Faiyaaz Khan)
Drut Ektaal: tarana (composition by Pt. S.G. Devasthali)

Jyuda Kinjo Dolna (”How My Heart Sways”) – Pahadi folksong
Jyuda kinjo dolna ho manda kinjo bolna / karle mane diyo mauja jinde // Harapur, Nurapur thandiyana chhavaa / maaya balocheda yaar balocheda, hai thaan thaan ho // Chhand mhara chadaiyaa pipari ne ohale / chhand mhara dole, chhand mhara bole, nai aan aan ho

You Can’t Steal A Gift!

My ongoing exploration of alternative ways of thinking about our economic paradigm has given me a new set of lenses to use when I look at the things I already do.

I’m a musician; it’s how I make my living.

Recently a colleague linked to a story in the Boston Globe:

Across New England, church coffeehouses, library cafes, and eateries that pass the hat to pay local musicians or open their doors to casual jam sessions are experiencing a crackdown by performance rights organizations, or PROs, which collect royalties for songwriters.

His FB comment described them as: People trying to get something for nothing and then whining when they are thwarted.

Sympathetic though I am to the needs of working professionals, his words nevertheless didn’t set well with me. This post is my attempt at resolving that dissonance.

I’m a musician. It’s how I make my living — but it’s also how I make my life.

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A Quick Report on the June 12 Concert

The “Singing For The Planet” concert happened as planned last Saturday. We had an excellent crowd and raised a little over $800 for www.350.org — and the music was lovely.

Mili Bermejo, Dominique Eade and Me

I’m just putting a few photographs up for now. A full report with video will go up later this week. These images are courtesy of Hadley Langosey, and there will be more to come.

Dominique, Will Slater, Will Graefe, some guy, Harriotte Hurie, Mili Bermejo, Dan Greenspan, Priti Chakravarty, Akshay Navaladi. Missing: Doug Johnson

First Set: The Mili Bermejo Trio

Mili Bermejo with Doug Johnson on piano and Dan Greenspan on bass

Second Set: Warren Senders & The Raga Ensemble

Me, with Akshay Navaladi, tabla; Priti Chakravarti, harmonium; Harriotte Hurie, tamboura.

Third Set: Dominique Eade & Friends

Dominique Eade with Will Slater on bass and Will Graefe on guitar.

The Great Vowel Shift

The Best Typographical Error in the World…

…is on page 111 of Najma Perveen Ahmed’s book, “Hindustani Music.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you:

Layakari Practice: The N+1 Game

Here’s another installment in my series of practice materials. This is another approach to the mastery of layakari in the 16-beat teentaal cycle. I call this the N+1 Game.

The object of this exercise is to explore a rich yet tightly constrained set of melodic materials in a variety of rhythmic phrasings. The same melody is sung in thirty-six slightly different rhythmic variations, each one fitting neatly into one cycle of teentaal.

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