Kailasa (band)
Encyclopedia
Kailasa is an Indian fusion band, founded by Kailash Kher. The name of the band is taken from an accented pronunciation of Kailash's own name as well as Mount Kailash
, the abode of Hindu
God Shiva
. Along with guitars, drums and keyboards; the band incorporates classical Indian instruments and sometimes traditional lyrics to infuse folk and Sufi hue to their songs.
Their self-titled debut album became a huge hit in India.
i poet Meera
bai. Such an influence can be observed in songs 'Teri Deewani' and 'Albela Saajan' from their eponymous debut album. Similar theme can be found in another of their song 'Babam Bam' from the album 'Jhoomo Re' where the singer is persuading Lord Shiva.
Due to the complex nature of musical arrangement in their songs, Kailasa involve artists other than band members in the recording process to play instruments like Harmonium
, Dholak
, Sarangi
, Iranian Setar, Ravanahatta, Rabab, Saz
, Oud
, Mandolin
, Santoor
, Sitar
, Mor Chang, Khartal
etc. The artists are credited for their work in each of their album.
2011 on 5th November, 2011.
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash is a peak in the Gangdisê Mountains, which are part of the Himalayas in Tibet...
, the abode of Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
God Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
. Along with guitars, drums and keyboards; the band incorporates classical Indian instruments and sometimes traditional lyrics to infuse folk and Sufi hue to their songs.
Their self-titled debut album became a huge hit in India.
Band members
- Kailash Kher — Lead Vocals
- Paresh Kamath — Lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Backing Vocals - Naresh Kamath — Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Backing Vocals - Kurt Peters — Drums
- Vinayak Pol — Drums
- Sanket Athale — Indian & Western Percussions
- Sankarshan Kini - HarmoniumHarmoniumA harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
, ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, MandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - Sameer Chiplunkar - KeyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Tejasvi Rao
Musical Style
Kailasa's music is a blend of medieval Indian music, Sufi and Western music. Lyrical themes though vary but the most distinct style of Kailash Kher is where he sings as through a female devotee/lover trying to persuade her deity/loved one. Fusion of love, worship and persuasion is inspired by the works of medieval RajasthanRajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
i poet Meera
Meera
Meerabai was an aristocratic Hindu mystical singer and devotee of Lord Krishna from Rajasthan and one of the most significant figures of the Sant tradition of the Vaishnava bhakti movement...
bai. Such an influence can be observed in songs 'Teri Deewani' and 'Albela Saajan' from their eponymous debut album. Similar theme can be found in another of their song 'Babam Bam' from the album 'Jhoomo Re' where the singer is persuading Lord Shiva.
Due to the complex nature of musical arrangement in their songs, Kailasa involve artists other than band members in the recording process to play instruments like Harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
, Dholak
Dholak
The Dholak is a North Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese double-headed hand-drum Madal. The name dholki may also refer to a slightly different instrument that uses high-pitch tabla style syahi masala on its treble skin. This instrument is also known as Naal or Dholki....
, Sarangi
Sarangi
The Sārangī is a bowed, short-necked string instrument of India which is originated from Rajasthani folk instruments. It plays an important role in India's Hindustani classical music tradition...
, Iranian Setar, Ravanahatta, Rabab, Saz
Baglama
thumb|180px|Cura and bağlamaThe bağlama is a stringed musical instrument shared by various cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, Near East, and Central Asia....
, Oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
, Mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, Santoor
Santoor
The santoor is an ancient stringed musical instrument, native to Kashmir and Iran. It is a trapezoid-shaped hammered dulcimer often made of walnut, with seventy two strings. The special-shaped mallets are lightweight and are held between the index and middle fingers...
, Sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, Mor Chang, Khartal
Khartal
A khartal or kartal is a percussion instrument of India.1. Kartals . It consist of a pair of wooden blocks with jingles or crotales . One pair is used in one hand of the musician. These pieces can be clapped together at high speeds to make fast complex beats.2. Kartals ...
etc. The artists are credited for their work in each of their album.
Performances
The band has performed in more than 100 cities worldwide including Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Singapore, Malaysia, Houston, San Francisco and New York. Kailasa also performed at the annual festival of Amity University at Noida on 18 February 2011.Recently Kailasa performed at the Annual Cultural fest of BITS Pilani-Goa, WavesWAVES
The WAVES were a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" ; the word "emergency" implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of the war and...
2011 on 5th November, 2011.
Discography
- KailasaKailasa (album)Kailasa is the eponymous debut album of the Indian Sufi/Fusion band Kailasa, led by Kailash Kher. The album was released in the year 2006 in India by Sony BMG with catalog no. 82876799142 in CD5 format.The album became an instant hit and marked the arrival of the band with their unique style of...
(2006) - Jhoomo ReJhoomo ReJhoomo Re is the second studio album by the Indian Fusion/Sufi band Kailasa, released in 2007.-Track listing:All songs written by Kailash Kher, except track 4 which is written by Amir Khusro...
(2007) - Chaandan MeinChaandan MeinChaandan Mein is the third studio album by Indian fusion band Kailasa released in June 2009 by Sony Music.-Track listing:All songs written by Kailash Kher and music by Kailash Kher, Paresh Kamath & Naresh Kamath-Personnel:* Kailash Kher – Vocals...
(2009)