Kumar Gandharva was renowned Hindustani classical vocalist who was known because of his unique style of singing. He was a known as a child prodigy due to his genius musical abilities. By his early 20s, he was seen as a star of Indian classical music. At the peak of his music career, Gandharva was struck by Tuberculosis and was told that he could never sing again. That however didn’t stop him. He started to perform again after 6 year with…
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Uppalapu Srinivas was a Carnatic classical mandolin player. His skill on the instrument was so perfect, that he was considered to be the successor to Pandit Ravi Shankar. His music was even heard by famous international artists like George Harrison (Lead Guitarist of The Beatles). He said his favourite piece of Indian music was “Mandolin Ecstasy” performed by Uppalapu Srinivas. He also won a number of prestigious awards for his contributions to music such as the Padma Shri (1998) and…
Pandit Ram Narayan is considered to be the first internationally successful sarangi player. He is credited with popularizing the sarangi as a solo concert instrument in Hindustani Classical music. His career first started with playing on All India Radio, as an accompanist with vocalists. He soon grew tired and ventured into composing in Indian Cinema. Some of the scores he composed were used in the movies Adalat, Kashmir, Madhumati and many more. After trying out many different fields he realised…
Ustad Zakir Hussain is widely regarded as one of the greatest tabla players of all time. He single handedly raised the profile of tabla as an instrument to a whole new level globally. Considered a child prodigy at his instrument, he started touring the world at the young age of just 11. Some of the big names in Indian Classical music whom he accompanied at that time were Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and many…
Ustad Vilayat Khan was a renowned Indian Classical Sitar player. He was one of the first sitarists who developed the “gayaki ang” (mimicing vocal music) on sitar. His performances were so engaging that his Mumbai concert at Vikramaditya Sangeet Parishad drew the headline “Electrifying Sitar”. He was also a composer, giving music to films such as Jalsaghar by acclaimed film maker Satyajt Ray. In these videos, learn how Ustad Vilayat Khan charmed the world with his skilful sitar playing. He…
Pandit Ravi Shankar was the best known Sitar player in the world, in the second half of the 20th century. He was not only a “Sitar Maestro” but also a composer of Hindustani Classical Music. His influence does not end with just Indian musicians. Some of the famous international artists influenced by him were Yehudi Menuhin (One of the greatest Violinists of the 20th century) and George Harrison (Lead Guitarist of The Beatles). Pandit Ravi Shankar was also awarded the…
I was mulling over the number of people, both professionals or experts, non experts or even family , friends and acquaintances….. that I’ve either worked with or have had help me across the last 18 years. I thought I’d start putting down all the PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE MUSIC JOURNEY and I added to it some people I personally have not yet worked with but I know my colleagues have. So here’s what I came up with…… and I realised…
Anurag Harsh, in one of the interviews was asked a question “When do you find time to practice”? It was an attempt to find out how he makes his time. Because Anurag Harsh is a full-time tech mogul as the founding executive of Ziff Davis, a multi-billion dollar online and gaming company. The position he holds in the company certainly makes us believe that he is a very very busy man. That question was not directed at his work life…
On the occasion of A.R. Rahman’s birthday on 6th January, we would like to show our appreciation toward his music but we need YOUR help. All you have to do is SING! Simple isn’t it? Sing your favourite song by AR Rahman and upload a video of it on Facebook. Don’t forget to tag our page with @ riyaz (no space) and use the hashtag #rahmania . The best covers will be featured on our Facebook Page! Pro tip: Don’t…
Ustad Amir Khan is regarded to be one of the most influential Hindustani Classical vocalists of the 20th century. He was the founder of the Indore Gharana as well. A few prestigious awards he had won for his singing were Sangeet Natak in 1967 and Padma Bhushan in 1971. Get a glimpse into Ustad Amir Khan’s life and the struggles that he overcame to become the musician you hear about today. His dedication was so much that he once said,…