Karaikudi Mani
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Karaikudi R Mani காரைக்குடி மணி | |
---|---|
British India | |
Died | 4 May 2023 Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India | (aged 77)
Genres | Carnatic music |
Instrument(s) | Mridangam |
Labels | HMV, Amrutham, Gita, AAO, Charsur |
Karaikudi Mani (born Ganapathy Subramanyam; 11 September 1945 – 4 May 2023)[1][2] was an Indian mridangam player.[2]
Early life
Ganapathi Subramaniam popularly known as Karaikudi Mani was born on 11 September 1945, in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu as the son of musician T. Ramanatha Iyer and Pattammal.[3] He became involved with Carnatic music at the age of three and soon abandoned his vocal training in favour of learning the mridangam.[4]
Career
Mani began performing regularly at a time when another player of the mridangam, his idol
Sruthi Laya
In 1986, he started an ensemble, Sruthi Laya, that combined melody and percussion.[7] Three years later, he founded the Sruthi Laya Seva School that now has centres at Chennai, Bangalore, Australia, London, US, and Canada.
Thani Avarthanam – A Concept
Mani conducted and orchestrated several such concerts, notably a collaboration with Sri VS Narasimhan in 1990 called Melodyssey, a project with 40 artists, and including Western and Indian Instruments.
His next endeavour was the concept of "Thani Avarthanam" concerts. Whilst Thala Vadya (percussion ensemble) concerts in Carnatic music were not unheard of, the concept of just two percussion instruments performing solos without any other "sruthi" performers (e.g. vocal, violin) had never been attempted. In 1993, Karaikudi Mani presented his first Thani Avarthanam concert along with the late
International collaborations
Mani had performed with many international artists such as Paul Grabowsky of Australian Art Orchestra, Eero Haemmeneimi of Finland Naada group,[8] La Scala percussionist Elio Marchesini, Livio Magnini, Paul Simon, and with the Finland Philharmonic Orchestra.[citation needed] A piece called Layapriya was performed with the Finland Philharmonic Orchestra,[9] which was later performed by the Battery Dance Company as a dance ballet.[citation needed] The Australian Art Orchestra had adapted his Bahudari and Ranjani compositions into Jazz style and released it as Into The Fire.[citation needed] The Naada group of Finland modified the Behag composition with jazz orchestration and released it as Unmatched.[citation needed] Eero Haemmeneimi named four of his compositions after Mani in his honor.[3]
He had also collaborated with Japanese musician John Kaizan Neptune to create an album named Steps in Time.[10] In this album, Mani had created a synthesis of shakuhachi and Indian percussion.
In 2008, Mani collaborated with Sarangan Sriranganathan and other Australian musicians in a classical fusion concert called Unity in Diversity.[citation needed]
In 2011, he played on Paul Simon's album So Beautiful or So What.[citation needed]
Mani founded a magazine called Layamani Layam.[11]
References
- ^ "Karaikudi Mani, who revolutionised role of mridangam in concerts,no more". Pushpa Narayan. The Times of India. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Mridangam artiste, Karaikudi Mani, no more". The Hindu. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ a b "വിഖ്യാത മൃദംഗ വിദ്വാൻ കാരൈക്കുടി മണി ചെന്നൈയിൽ അന്തരിച്ചു". ManoramaOnline (in Malayalam). Malayala Manorama.
- ^ "Laya maestro crosses a golden milestone". The Hindu. 27 June 2003. Archived from the original on 2 November 2003. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ Kolappan, B. Kolappan. "Epaper-The Hindu". epaper.thehindu.com. The Hindu. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ "വിഖ്യാത മൃദംഗ വിദ്വാന് കാരൈക്കുടി മണി അന്തരിച്ചു". Manoramanews.
- ^ "Sruthi Laya – Tapes/CDS". Guru Kaaraikkudi Mani. Archived from the original on 18 August 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2007.
- ^ "Sruthi Laya – Naada Group". Sampo Lassila.
- ^ "Sruthi Laya – Finnish Group". Music Finland.
- ^ "Sruthi Laya – Shakuhachi, Steps in time". Pacific Internet. Archived from the original on 26 June 2008.
- ^ "Sruthi Laya – Layamani Layam". Guru Kaaraikkudi Mani. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008.