Carnatic music is rooted in sastra. Surpassing it leads to sangita’s meditative level. Bombay Jayasri exemplified this facet in her concert at the Kapali Temple Panguni festival.
Two or three vital aspects explain the high quality of her performance. Her lucid voice is trained to pair it with sensitive aesthetics. The interpretation of songs is pretty emotional to the devotional contents of the sahityas. Her tonal modulation is in tune with elegant expression. Her voice in total control carried different compartments of sweetness, flexibility and reach. Her manodharma is wedded to raga chaya. In short, for her, the secret of true music is locked up in the recesses of the heart expressed in alapanas and kirtanas.
Different stylesThere are various styles and inspirations in performances. Bombay Jayasri’s ideal was unique. It was the record of her musical evolution from her early phase to her present stature when melody is home to her concert maturity.
With great depth she elaborated the ragas Sankarabharanam (‘Dakshinamurthe’) and Pantuvarali (‘Sambho Mahadeva’). The alapanas were beautifully embellished with nuances and sanchara network. The swathes of impressive phrases added a dash of excellence. The classically styled raga delineation connected instantly with serene contents.
The charm of the two songs never fades and as sung by her became the mainstay of the concert. She experienced internally the devotional base of the kirtanas. There was clearly expository etiquette in handling the pieces. Depicting the Sankarabharanam song with all its pervasive excellence, there was a marvellous blending of the vocal idiom with the classical stature of the kirtana.
She chose Kapi for the Ragam Tanam and Pallavi. She took an endearing snapshot of the raga’s aura, the lilting sancharas flowing with soft sounding felicity. The graceful and gentle presentation provided imperceptible enjoyment, the objective of her musical philosophy. ‘Sabhapathiku’ (Abhogi), ‘Janani Ninuvina’ (Ritigowla) and ‘Parvati Nayakane’ (Shanmukhapriya) were the other items well-nourished providing a vintage feeling.
Embar Kannan was full of graceful movements in his solo versions. It was an indication of his accompanying experience guiding the rage lines.
J. Vaidyanathan’s rhythmic support was a free flow of laya erudition. The korvai patterns in the thani were clothed in an idiom of enviable ravishment in compact frame.
As in almost all concerts, the ganjira artist, Raja Ganesh’s presence was noticeable only in the thani.
