So Bangalore on a whim an accident a chance meeting and hells own bus ride from the coast. One of the cities I’d not expected to get to. I am not surprised by it. It’s dirty, probably slightly more polluted than Chennai, though less piss and shit on the pavement, and a few more trees. […]
After the comedown from Mani’s amazing wedding, and the incredible sights and people met I spend a few hours in Mangalore quite isolated. Kadri is taken up with family business, loose ends and ritual. Many attendees are heading straight back home after the wedding, and the Kadri floor is thinning out very quickly. I have […]
The marriage of Kadri’s son, Mani, to Adhithi in Mangalore was one of the big social events of the year for this corner of the Tamil music scene. Many of Kadri’s family, friends and close connections are making the journey to Mangalore. Many more will be at the reception in Chennai in the first week […]
One long cross town auto journey, and I’m at Chennai central station, with what I hope is an Indian railways e-ticket booked in my name … bound for Mangalore, with only a fellow student knowing that I’ve packed everything, and am splitting from this tight assed school situation. After talking with Kadri earlier in the […]
On the night before I was scheduled to leave Chennai for Mangalore, I had a fortunately timed call from Nagi, one of the ostentatiously gold draped film music producers I’d met within my first few days in India. Every time we’d tried to connect in the last two months we’d had to cancel, largely because […]
My first major health crisis passed several weeks ago, and yes it was the obvious one. I had had a few hints of what it would be like after the occaisional meal at dodgy street stalls, but most of the street stalls were quite ok, and my passing (!) was solid and straightahead. In any […]
You can’t visit India being hit by that religious assault on the senses, a hindu temple. Of what I have seen so far, the mosques are visually subdued (but noisy, they will do a loud call to prayer on bad loudspeakers at 5:30am) … the Jains are white and minimalist …but the Hindu temples … […]
The first week and a half at TVG’s school flow by gently, or so it seems. TVG, and his daughter Acca are generally not around. I practice ragas for 3-4 hours in the morning. There is not a lot else to do. The girls sit around, watching movie channel on the idiot box, and sing […]
The first few lessons with Kadri are alternately inspiring and frustrating. He is a wonderful musician, a great teacher, and a warm and funny human being … but saxophone in Carnatic music is very different to the traditional instruments of Carnatic music (voice in particular), and very different to saxophone in normal western jazz/pop/classical usage. […]
India is not big on modern western graffiti yet, but they have a brilliant tradition of street art that was one of the first things that really touched me here. These are the rangoli, small chalk mandalas made by spreading fine chalk powder on the pavement. Sometimes they are colorful, sometimes just white. I’ve recently […]
