Have you listened to "Carnatic chills"

[Sumanth Sharma]

Have you tried the new fusion album named "Carnatic Chills" by Violin duo Ganesh-Kumaresh

I just bought it last week after I heard it being played in "Temptation M" when I wnet to buy Man-Machine [i lost the cassette I had] in Bangalore.

It is fun, very free flowing, a good try in Carnatic music, After Chitti-babu's Temple bells, Wedding bells series, This is the only other Carnatic new-age Album i have tried after a long time.

I simply liked it.

If someone has a technical review/opinion, please do type in here, I would like to observe those aspects

[hundredstrings]

I am yet to get this album.  I had attended a live concert by Ganesh & Kumaresh at Nrityagram Vasanta Habba concert in 2002.  I was completely blown away by their virtuosity.  Do you know which company has released this album?  Any idea whether it is being sold in the digital stores?

[Sumanth Sharma]

The album was released in February amid a lot of hype by A R Rahman.

It's released by Sa-Re-Ga-Ma

I have not seen it on any Digital store yet, Am sure it will make its way very soon, it's the hottest selling new-age album at least in Bangalore.

PS: All said; I still give 5starts to Mysore Nagaraj and Manjunath duo, for they withhold the rich classical tradition which is hard to find these days, Mysore Manjunath beats his more famous brother on the same terms. Of course Ganesh-Kumaresh are also very talented.

[hundredstrings]

BTW, Ganesh & Kumaresh are visiting the bay area currently and they have a concert very close to my residence, on Apr 15th.  Will surely attend that and try to meet them in person as well.

BTW, I found this news item about "Carnatic Chills":

 "I am overwhelmed with the response that our new-age album has generated, as it speaks of contemporary tuneful desires," said violinist Ganesh (of Ganesh-Kumaresh) at their new album release in Bangalore `Carnatic Chills' at Landmark in Forum Mall recently.

"It is the factor of universality that lends an up-to-date feel to it," said actor Ramesh Arvind, while releasing the album.

"Apart from shaping itself within the realms of the Carnatic contours, what the tracks seem to convey are how such tasteful blends from western genres could bring in a fresh modish expression to ones innovative skills," added Ramesh.

Take the track `Laughing Buddha' for instance, which Ganesh declared, was fitted into the album to bring luck from the Buddha to our Indian cricketers to bring home the World Cup.

Raga Mohanasri built here for fortune reminds you of our good old Mohana but the variations brought about in the western phrases, the fast paced straight notes on the scale or their novel changes in pitch without a hint of a jarring note is something to be appreciated. There are totally eight tracks based on different ragas in the album, of which the violin brothers played a few at the release function.

Each raga was chosen with care to bring in both serenity and the required fiery bustle into the thematic blend of disparate elements, said Kumaresh.

"It's keeping in tune with our lifestyle that allows for kurta with jeans or a dosa and pizza," chuckled the brothers, who said that it took them almost two years to create this album.

The numbers with traditional melody and upbeat urban sound merge to form an energetic sound.

Ask them how a new-age album features a serious raga as Pantuvarali for their second track "Fire and Water", and Ganesh says the titles justifies it.

"Pantuvarali is soulful enough to bring in both tranquillity and aggression into the scale. "While the deliberation at madhyama can bring in notes of tension, it is watered down once you tread on the Panchama with ease, bringing the characteristic of the raga.

The violin can stress on the hard notes, and the flute takes over to quench the fire."

The vocal meanderings on the higher octave by Ganesh open the track for an apt experience.

The traditional start is seen in the opening track "Dance like a man" flagging off with Nattai, while "Flights of Fantasy" in Janaranjani has a symphonic effect with a "harmonious samvaada in notes."

And of course the duality of melodic expression takes on a pious bend in the exercise with a Ganapathi Sachchidananda's bhajan in Desh, "Back to the basics."

Flute, mridangam and ghatam take on the drums, keyboard and bass guitar for an overall theme created by the violins in the album released by Sa Re Ga Ma, costing Rs.295.

"Carnatic Chills" is a thematic album from Ganesh-Kumaresh after their earlier ones "Spark", "Colours of India", "Sadjam", and "Manoranjani".