BOSTON based Radio Station to host IR's music soon!!

[irir123]

Hi all - a Boston (Massachusetts) based Radio Station, namely, Vegan Radio, would soon be hosting a special show featuring Maestro-Isaigyani Ilaiyaraaja's music, exclusively!!

After listening to few samples from HOW TO NAME IT ? and tracks from some of his film albums, the Radio Station's main host Mr. Derek Goodwin took an immediate liking to the music, but is in a dilemma as to which tracks to choose for the show and which one to leave out!

WHile playing the tracks to some rock music patrons here (to get an initial feel/feedback from them), some of the interludes such as those from "en uyire vaa" (Poothotta Kavalkaran), "meetadha oru veenai" (poonthottam) were referred to as Rennaissance jazz with a sublime oriental feel and 'Pani vizhum malarvanam' (Ninaivellam Nithya) as hip and Beatlesque!

Here is the URL for the Radio Station: http://veganica.com/artist/profile.php?artistid=185
http://veganradio.com/

Vegan Radio is a broadcast and a podcast - they broadcast live from Valley Free Radio WXOJ-LP 103.3 FM in Northampton, Massachusetts (USA). Shows are currently live alternate Thursdays at noon

[irir123]

The radiostation VEGANCAT has patrons/ listeners all over the world

Will give the exact details/date of the show soon

[MumbaiRamki]

Good news !

[jaiganes]

irir!! good news!!

Looking eagerly forward.
I have prepared a kannada playlist hope to share it soon.

[raja_fan]

irir123,

but where is the URL for this big news ??

[irir123]

raja_fan - once the dates are confirmed, will send the URL for the same

jaiganes - thanks for the help! actually I was looking for so many of IR Kannada songs (Bhoomi geetha, Gulabi etc) but could not find them online

btw friends, getting IR's music on a local radio station here in the US is just a small step - more things are in the pipeline

will update as each of them materialise

[entertainment]

raja_fan - once the dates are confirmed, will send the URL for the same

jaiganes - thanks for the help! actually I was looking for so many of IR Kannada songs (Bhoomi geetha, Gulabi etc) but could not find them online

btw friends, getting IR's music on a local radio station here in the US is just a small step - more things are in the pipeline

will update as each of them materialise

Vaazththukkall :D

[irir123]

[tscii:815479e011]Breaking news!!

Vegan Radio would be featuring Ilaiyaraaja’s music coming Thursday the 30th of October, 2008., at 7pm Eastern time.

That should be around 6.30AM on the 31st of October, 2008, in INDIA

Ilaiyaraaja’s music will be streaming live at www.valleyfreeradio.org and the podcast will be available in a couple days after that at www.veganradio.com. [/tscii:815479e011]

[natha1729]

Great! it'll be interesting to find out irir123 selections, more important to find out the perspective of non-indian listeners, what is the musical value they get, where do they get it in the song, what is it they find unique or maybe unbeatable and so on...what do they not like in the first listening, do they expect intellectualism or pure excitement and do they get both, etc....

[MumbaiRamki]

[tscii:ea299fcfa8]Breaking news!!

Vegan Radio would be featuring Ilaiyaraaja’s music coming Thursday the 30th of October, 2008., at 7pm Eastern time.

That should be around 6.30AM on the 1st of November, 2008, in INDIA

Ilaiyaraaja’s music will be streaming live at www.valleyfreeradio.org and the podcast will be available in a couple days after that at www.veganradio.com. [/tscii:ea299fcfa8]
Sir- October kku 31 st irukku !!!!!

[irir123]

Great! it'll be interesting to find out irir123 selections, more important to find out the perspective of non-indian listeners, what is the musical value they get, where do they get it in the song, what is it they find unique or maybe unbeatable and so on...what do they not like in the first listening, do they expect intellectualism or pure excitement and do they get both, etc....

It is upto the Radio show to decide which one they would be broadcasting! thats their decision

[MrJudge]

It is confirmed right? on Oct 31st 6.30am IST?

[crvenky]

Hope somebody would record it online and share it here.

[irir123]

[tscii:40dc8ff53f]
Hope somebody would record it online and share it here.

crvenky - pls read my posting again -

Ilaiyaraaja’s music will be streaming live at www.valleyfreeradio.org at 7PM (EST) (US)Thursday, October 30th,2008.

AND the podcast will be available in a couple days after that at www.veganradio.com.

Please calculate the corresponding IST timing for the show - it should be between 5AM and 9AM (IST) on October 31st, 2008 [/tscii:40dc8ff53f]

[irir123]

Vegan Radio first played "Manitha Manitha" as they were impressed with it as it was a creative usage of western classical with Indian music !!

Glad that they mentioned all of below:

They spoke about IR as a vegetarian composer, who has composed music for more than 800 movies, a symphony for the RPO and four internationally acclaimed albums including the recent "Music Messiah"!!

The next one was "Pani vizhum iravu" from "Mouna Ragam"!!

and the last one was the Telugu rehash of "valayosai" from the film "Nirnayam"!!

and ended the show with "oh butterfly" from 'Meera'

hopefully they would play more in their next show if they have one

anyways, this is a small start for IR's music through radio shows in the US! this should give way to more shows in the future!

[complicateur]

Listening to Pani Vizhum IRavu preambled by pro-vegan commentary. Interesting to say the least.

[Nerd]

Jeez after like 10 minutes of gibberish finally are playing a song now (Some Kannada song) :sigh2:

[natha1729]

Vegan Radio first played "Manitha Manitha" as they were impressed with it as it was a creative usage of western classical with Indian music !!

----- Was an explosive start and perfect selection - knowing the pertinence of this song lyrics would've got them more involved i think and excited about Ilayaraja


Glad that they mentioned all of below:

They spoke about IR as a vegetarian composer, who has composed music for more than 800 movies, a symphony for the RPO and four internationally acclaimed albums including the recent "Music Messiah"!!


The next one was "Pani vizhum iravu" from "Mouna Ragam"!!

--------- Was ok selection, i think they don't like this type of charanams, i myself don't like such IR charanams. interestingly, remark from the dj " i guess that is the end of the song."

--------- switched off to watch tv

and the last one was the Telugu rehash of "valayosai" from the film "Nirnayam"!!

-------------popular song, but the charanam is boring and very common when IR doesn't perfect or evolute the melody - is okay for the film situation


and ended the show with "oh butterfly" from 'Meera'

------------ apparently they looked for songs style and melodies that they heard before

hopefully they would play more in their next show if they have one

---------------i didn' think they have the enthusiasm to go over many songs and choose great great perfect songs like manitha manitha (this song really put the tone and matched their style)

anyways, this is a small start for IR's music through radio shows in the US! this should give way to more shows in the future!

-------- ------- don't think so since generally "popular" southern Indian film songs (that we recommend) are seen as situational music, not wholesome from their "less is more" point of view. interludes/preludes does not fascinate them and they look for the melodic value more than creativity or ingenuity. that is imho however, if they can wade thru they would find real music in indian film songs in plenty according to their heightened musical appreciation.


-------- --------but, thanks for something different, appreciated your enthusiasm

[irir123]

am trying other options as well

[irir123]

I got a feedback from Vegan Radio n they assured me that more IR tracks will be played in upcoming shows - will keep u all updated

[natha1729]

irir123,

would you share with us what songs you gave them for selection? i think i may have an idea what they could choose and also suggest what they can avoid. Manitha Manitha was just a perfect choice, i am sure they are still reeling under that song's impact, atleast the female presenter seemed so

[irir123]

natha1729 - it is upto them as to what to choose and what not to based on their choice/liking ! its the most democratic way of doing it rather than imposing ourselves on them - that way we wud get a good idea of what appeals to ppl here

some of the tracks they liked instantly were "aalappol velappol" from Ejaman (!) - "nice lively tabla rhythm"!; "ennai thottu allikkonda mannan perum ennadi" - they especially liked the way the charanam begins!; others they immediately liked were "karuthha machhaan" - 'awesome tribal stuff'; 'pani vizhum malarvanam' - 'hip Indian rock'; "thendral vanthu ennai thodum" - 'pleasing oriental melody with good bass lines'- those were their comments, just to name a few - they have not finished listening to all of them yet

I sent them around 50 tracks from as diverse a genre covered by IR as possible! and there was not one they DID NOT LIKE!

and btw, one of the cohosts of the show Megan Shackelford is visiting India and meeting with IR during her trip is one of her objectives as she is a Boston mainstream music buff and to paraphrase her 'she wants to look up on this composer - how come none of us knew abt him before ?' !

[raja_fan]

one of the cohosts of the show Megan Shackelford is visiting India and meeting with IR during her trip is one of her objectives as she is a Boston mainstream music buff and to paraphrase her 'she wants to look up on this composer - how come none of us knew abt him before ?' !




If AV or Kumudam are informed about her visit, they can make a report on this. Does any one have contacts with AV or Kumudam reporters ?

[irir123]

Hi all

AllJazz.com (It is an advocacy site and aims to raise the awareness of jazz music, its history and its players. It has been awarded "The Best Web-Site Concentrating On Jazz" seven times by the Jazz Journalist Association), who have never heard of IR before, listened to some of his scores and here is the reply from their chief editorial team :

"Hello!

I have gone through the music twice now, and it still sounds very new and different to me. I cannot thank you enough for the accompanying document - both times I've listened to it straight through.

Next time I hope to be able to sit down with your companion document to help me make more sense of everything. I'll write back again after I get the chance to do that, hopefully sometime during our upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

I must admit that the notes and scales, both instrumentally and vocally, are taking me some time to get used to.

Most modern Indian music that I've heard so far has come through "Western filters" from such artists as Bombay Dub Orchestra and Karsh Kale, for example, whose music is filtered through their experiences in London, the US, etc

The music you sent seems more authentic, one step removed from these western influences.

Its going to take me some time to digest it fully

I am working my way through, , and will remain in touch. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to help expand our musical boundaries. Life does not offer such opportunities often enough.

Thank you again"

my initial reaction to this: if IR's music is taken to the right people, in the right fashion, ears (and doors) are gonna open for sure!

[natha1729]

irir123, thanks for the responses and postings!

[rajasaranam]

irir,

thanks for the effort you are taking to make Raaja known to the west :)
BTW what songs did you give them that they ahve written "The music you sent seems more authentic, one step removed from these western influences." To me most of the Raaja songs are heavily infused with the western musical elements :|

[Hulkster]

Well rajasaranam, IR does not use western music as it is for his tunes, he sort of bends them to sound indianish yet using the same standards for his songs which is what the editor is acknowledging. :D

Although it is the umpteenth time im saying, Poo poothathu is one good example. You know they are jazz instruments yet you can feel a indian flavour to the orchestration rather than a jazz song with indian lyrics.

[irir123]

rajasaranam: IMO, most people in the Hub when referring to or using the word "Western" are referring to the generic meaning of the word, which includes anything from the West (or anything that is non-Indian classical/folk etc) - the difference is that, IR uses components/elements most commonly used in Western classical music in the strictest sense such as chromaticism, point/counterpoints, synchopation (not without deliberation, which I guess is how earlier composers must have used the same unknowingly), with a thorough indepth knowledge of exactly what he is using, when and where and for what purpose! the purpose as far as film music is concerned is to use any or all of these elements to heighten/elevate a given mood - for this purpose, unlike other composers of yesteryears (and even present composers), he uses them only when required and to the extent they are required - for example, I dont recall a single instance, when an IR song had a bass line that was 'forced' or sticks out like a sore thumb - or take the use of counterpoint melody in "poonthalir aada" second interlude is not forced, but aptly used to express the romantic mood! to use them requires a certain level of creativity which he has been constantly achieving throughout his career

and from the selection I gave AllJazz alongwith an accompanying writeup (which was a derivative of Guitar Prasanna's article on IR! available online), AllJazz cud so far infer this much - though not exactly the same as what I have implied above, they are getting close to it!

remember, these are seasoned music listeners with more than 40-45 years of listening experience and having listened to two generations of musicians!

and they actually know what they are talking about (just the same way what IR always knows what he is composng and using in his scores - ))

and btw, I have edited the original content of the email - the email contained words like "overwhelmed" etc - I edited them out to tone down the spirit of the same

such reviews are too long overdue - IMO, most of us have gotten so much used to IR's genius that we have taken it all for granted!

after listening to lots of Indie, american country, folk music, I realize how authetically Indian IR has been - his fidelity to our local listening sensibilities and still exposed us to genres we have never heard of, before! thats where he stands tall, heads and shoulders above every1 else!

and no better example than "poo poothadhu" of course! thats smooth jazz, perfect, but on a Pahadi melody!

[NormalMan]

irir123 --> Could you give the list of songs you sent to AllJazz? Would love to have them as a playlist.

[irir123]

[tscii:f89746ea9f]Further response/feedback about IR's music from AllJazz.com chief editorial team :

"What a gift you have given us, one that keeps on giving. There is just so much to discover new almost everyday. The thing i notice the most, is the variety in the rhythms. For my ears, the favorite tracks are almost always more rhythmic than melodic. But there are some sweeeeeeeet beats and rhythms here, for sure.

Some of the music that (I thought were very creative) included the “Aasai athigam” , “aattama therottama”, “enna sattham”, “poonkatru pudhidhanadhu”, “valayosai”, "ram ram" and “thendral vanthu” – very very impressive and interesting beats, arrangements, rhythms

Another song “Metti oli” sounded both very old AND modern at the same time – though I cant figure out why and how!

The other thing I noticed is how evocative is this music, how much it evokes visions in my imagination. Much of what i heard today reminded me of a theme or score to a movie soundtrack - very evocative and colorful.

Best wishes to you "

the next task is to get them to review some of IR's albums (published ones) and put it on their website

[/tscii:f89746ea9f]

[natha1729]

nice to hear of this feedback. if they liked enna satham, then there is nothing of IR that they cannot like. it is one of the weakest tunes, i think.

metti oli is a very evocative song, his feedback is accurate about old and new. we all the feel the same way, apparently

[Sureshs65]

Great feedback and good work irir123. I was pleasantly surprised that they liked songs like 'metti oli' and 'thenral vandhu'. Both having a strong Indian raga based melodic line. Ofcourse the arrangements are typical Raja.

S.Suresh

[vel]

hats off irir123 - wonderful initiative !

[MrJudge]

Yes, commendable job by irir123. :clap:

Is the radio clip available online?

[crajkumar_be]

Iriri,
:notworthy:

[rajasaranam]

Naan kadavul galebarathula intha thread'kku respond panna thonave illa. Sorry for responding late and wishes for all your efforts to succedd :)

[irir123]

Great feedback and good work irir123. I was pleasantly surprised that they liked songs like 'metti oli' and 'thenral vandhu'. Both having a strong Indian raga based melodic line. Ofcourse the arrangements are typical Raja.

S.Suresh

the "thendral vandhu" song I referred to (from the feedback I received) is the one from AVATHARAM!

btw, Chris is still not done with the tracks, as he is going back over n over again with the few tracks he has listened to so far!

[entertainment]

irir123,
Kalakkunga :thumbsup:

[app_engine]

irir123,

Great job!

The appreciation very closely reflects the statements made by some of my Detroit friends too. One of them commented that IR's music -this was HTNI - brings "many scenes" vividly to his mind:-)

[Sanjeevi]

very good move irir123 :thumbsup:

IR pugazh parappuvom :)