A$25.00 - A$37.00
A stunning collaboration between Indian and jazz musicians calling for peace in our troubled world
Dr. Suresh Vaidyanathan: Ghatam, percussion
Adrian Sherriff: Percussion, keyboards, bass trombone
Sarangan Sriranganathan: Sitar, voice
Sandy Evans: Tenor and soprano saxophone
‘Ghatam Suresh Vaidyanathan … that far surpasses many others in his field. This Carnatic music virtuoso has been called the ‘Pele of Percussion’ in honour of his prodigal skills.’ The Better India
This is a rare opportunity to hear one of the world’s greatest percussion players, visiting Sydney from his home in Chennai, India. He is best known as a Master of the ghatam, a clay pot instrument that is one of the oldest percussion instruments in India. Joining Suresh are 3 exceptional Australian musicians, each with a unique, engaging and virtuosic approach to music-making. Thrilling percussion playing, transcendental singing, enticing sitar playing and uplifting saxophone combine to create an unforgettable experience for the listener. The concert will feature compositions by Suresh, Adrian and Sandy.
Adrian Sherriff:‘A formidable polymath who is comfortable in just about any form of music and on just about any instrument, although he has redefined the possibilities of virtuosity on the bass trombone.’ Paul Grabowsky
Sandy Evans: ‘Listening to Bhairavi Tillana…I found myself entering a kind of trance and feeling as if I could listen for hours and be absolutely absorbed by the intricate rhythmic and melodic patterns.’ Roger Mitchell, Ausjazz Blog
Adrian and Sandy collaborated with Suresh for many years in Guru Karaikudi Mani’s projects with the Australian Art Orchestra, performing with him to sell out audiences in India, Europe and Australia. Suresh features on Sandy’s recording Cosmic Waves with Guru Mani and Sruthi Laya.
https://youtu.be/VTckHe-HFAM?si=MkerMwufHw0bQc1S
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEGsmkUN3dY
https://australianartorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/the-chennai-sessions
https://open.spotify.com/album/0e28LkKswfuyFPKwSdeku8
About the musicians
Dr. Suresh Vaidyanathan, a globally acclaimed ghatam virtuoso and multi-percussionist, is celebrated for his unique playing techniques and dynamic style, harmonising the "Pazhani Bhani" and "Umayalpuram Bhani" traditions of Ghatam. His innovative approach has revolutionized Indian clay pot percussion, leading to collaborations across diverse music genres worldwide, from classical to jazz and drum festivals. Guided by esteemed gurus like Kalaimamani T. R. Harihara Sarma, Padma Bhushan awardee Vikku Vinayakaram, and Padma Bhushan awardee Dr. T. V. Gopalakrishnan, he has garnered profound insights into Indian rhythm and melody.
Dr. Suresh's association with the Australian Orchestra as part of Guru Karaikudi Mani’s Sruthi Laya Indian ensemble since the late 1990s, has showcased his talents at major festivals across Australia, India, Singapore, London, and Europe. His performances alongside legends like Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Zakir Hussain, and Paul Simon, for whom he recorded on the album "So Beautiful or So What," highlight his global impact.
Beyond his performances, Dr. Suresh is an accomplished composer, leading Indian ensembles like mRittikA and the Indo-European jazz ensemble Nandi. His numerous awards and honours recognize his outstanding contributions to music and percussion.
Adrian Sherriff is a performer, composer, teacher and multi-instrumentalist. Adrian’s musical foundations are drawn from his studies of European classical, Afro-American jazz, South Indian classical, Japanese shakuhachi, Afro-Cuban bata, Balinese gamelan and experimental music traditions. In each of these traditions, Adrian has studied and performed with master musicians of international calibre. Amongst his many teachers, the late South Indian master drummer Guru Karaikudi Mani has been a particularly potent source of inspiration.
Adrian has been a frequent performer at the Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane Arts Festivals as well as regionally throughout Australia. Internationally, Adrian has performed across the Asian subcontinent, South East Asia, Australasia, North America and Europe. Adrian has been an integral member of the Australian Art Orchestra, The Wide Alley, Andrea Keller’s Bartok Project and the Bennett’s Lane Big Band amongst other ensembles. He is a Lecturer in Music at Melbourne Polytechnic and is enrolled in doctoral studies at Griffith University researching transcultural expressions of musical time.
https://www.adriansherriff.com
Sarangan Sriranganathan is an extraordinary artist whose music evokes ultimate peacefulness and eternal joy. Perfection of tone and execution come as spontaneously to Sarangan as the free and unfettered flow of his ideas. His performances have earned global accolades at some of the world’s most famous venues and music festivals, such as the Queen Elizabeth Halls, Sydney Opera House, Womad Music Festival, Woodford Folk Festival and the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Sandy Evans is an internationally renowned saxophonist and composer with a passion for improvisation and new music. She has played with and written for some of the most important groups in Australian jazz since the early 1980s and has toured extensively in Australia, Europe, Canada and Asia. She leads the Sandy Evans Trio and co-leads the Evans/Robson Quartet. She co-led GEST8 and Clarion Fracture Zone. She is a member of austraLYSIS, Mara!, The catholics and Ten Part Invention. Collaborations include work with Guru Kaaraikudi Mani, Shubha Mudgal, Aneesh Pradhan, Adrian Sherriff, Bobby Singh, Sarangan Sriranganathan, Satsuki Odamura, Hamed Sadeghi, Freyja Garbett, Andrea Keller, Brenda Gifford, Chloe Kim, Andrew Robson and Paul Grabowsky.
Sandy is an advocate for gender diversity in music. She has been awarded an Australia Council Fellowship, a Churchill Fellowship, an OAM, Bell Award, a Young Australian Creative Fellowship, APRA Award and three ARIA Awards. Sandy has a PhD from Macquarie University.
‘..simple, beautiful phrasing and lyricism versus gloriously hard and technically demanding rhythmic flourishes.’ Joseph Cummins