Kudamaloor Janardanan
Encyclopedia
Kudamaloor Janardanan[കുടമാളൂര് ജനാര്ദ്ദനന്] (July 21 1969 - ) is an Indian flautist
of the Carnatic music
tradition.
, India. He had his basic vocal music lessons from his father, G. Krishna Iyer. Soon he was fascinated by the art of instrumental music and turned into Indian flute.He is mostly a self-taught flautist. In his later years of student life, Janardanan was guided by his paternal uncle, K.Shivaramakrishna Iyer, a prominent flautist in his time. Janardanan was awarded the scholarship for further studies in music by the Department of Culture, Government of India. He went on to obtain a graduation in Violin from the Madras University. Janardhanan is an 'A' Grade artiste of the All India Radio and an empanelled musician at the ICCR. Among modern flautists of India, Janardanan holds Ronu Majumdar
in high esteem.
Some of the concerts that Kudamaloor conducted aboard includes
, Chenchurutti, Sarasangi
, and Sankarabharanam
. … ragas are supreme in instrumental music with the kritis playing a secondary role.” The review continues to say “True to the flautist's unconventional style, there was a near total absence of kritis, varnams and tillanas in the concert, enabling the listeners to enjoy the ragas in their pure form.”
On the over influence of Kritis on Cartnatic Music, Janardhanan says in an interview, “In Carnatic music, kirthans and bhaktigeetams have been given a great deal of prominence. This has resulted in the general impression that classical music means devotional music. Only when it is freed from such notions will classical music be able to spread its wings and be enjoyed by more people.” He continues in the same interview, “If classical music is likened to a tree, devotional music is only a branch. It must be realised that when the blue sky or moonlight is being expressed in a raag, that is also classical music. In `Gita Govindam’ where the theme is that of love between Radha
and Krishna
, it is the `shringara bhava’ that should be brought forth by the musician. But many artistes still keep projecting the bhakti bhava.”
He also uses “unconventional” instrumentation in his concerts. In the Kovalam Lt Festival, he used Drums, Percussions, Keyboard and Voices in a Raga based concert. He also uses Edakka( a south Indian, temple based drum) and Tabala ( most used drums in Hindustani Music) apart from conventional Mridagam and Ghatam.
His overall approach of curiosity and experimentation in Music can be seen from this quote, “I am not one to shy away from creativity, sidelining it by saying that music is as eternal and vast as an ocean. If indeed that is the case, I would rather venture into its unexplored depths, to discover the coffer of pearls and gems. What has been made so far are indeed sweet. What we hear now may be sweeter; however the sweetest is yet to come. Won’t we benefit much if we start thinking in these lines?”
More on Kudamaloor’s approach to music can be heard from these these interviews available in YouTube
and can be bought at Manorama Music site. Janardhanan’s work is available from ITunes and Amazon MP3 download section.
1. Madhava Murali(Published in 2005 by Manorama Music, Heritage Series) has 6 songs in 50 minutes rendered mainly in bamboo flute in Carnatic Music
style. Sub title of the music is “Compositions on Lord Krishna in Flute”. The main kriti is this disc is “Krupaya Palaya” Charukesi
which lasts for 12 minutes. Other Kritis are Alai Payuthe, Rara venugopala, Krishna Ni Bhegane and Enna Thavam Kapi (raga). Main flute is played by Kudamaloor Janardhanan. The accompanying artists on Mridangam, Veena, Ghatam and second flutes are not known.
2. Poomoodam Devi (Published in 2005by Manorama Music) contains 11 devotional songs. This is a vocal work by K S Chitra,Radhika Thilak, Sujatha Mohan
and Madhu Balakrishnan. Kudamloor Janardhanan plays Rara Venu Kriti in this work.
3. Mohana Murali( Published in 2006 by Manorama Music part of Heritage Series) has 4 songs in 58 minutes rendered mainly in bamboo flute in Carnatic Style. Subtitle of this album is “An Album based on sublime raga Mohanam
”. Main song is Mohana Layatharangam (Ecstasy And More) that lasts for 24 minutes. According to a review, “Mohana Laya Tarangam speaks to your soul with its remarkable blend of rhythm and melody. One perceives not only Mohanam, but four other ragas, owing to the unique technique applied here, called ‘sruti bhedam”. Other songs in this album are Reflections- The Image of Swaras, Mohana Varnam – Owen Version ( based on Nini Kori Varnam), and The Oarsmans Ode A Musical Ferry ( a folk tune)
4. Swathi Murali(Published in 2006 by Manorama Music as a part of Heritage Series) has 6 songs in 63 minutes rendered mainly in bamboo flute in Carnatic Style. The album is a flute rendition of some of the compositions of Swathi Thirunal. There are two main songs in this album, “Pahi Jagath Janani” that lasts for 16 minutes and Jaya Padmanabha which lasts for 12 minutes. Other kritis included are Gopalaka Pahiman Anisham, Parama Purusha, Tharuni Njana Enthu Cheyvu and Madhava.
5. Vathapi – Ganesha Murali(Published 2007 by Manorama Music as a part of Heritage Series) has 3 songs in 58 minutes mainly rendered in Bamboo flute in Carnatic Style with chorus and voice support. The main kriti played in flute with an ensemble of Tabala, Mridangam, Veena
, Chenda
and Voice. Main song is Sree Vathapi Ganapthe which lasts for 28 minutes. Other kritis are Sidhi Vinayakam (subtitle: The Realization) and Mahaganapathim (subtitle: The eternal bliss).
6. Pranam(Published in 2007 by Manorama Music) has 5 songs in 59 minutes rendered mainly in bamboo flute played both in Carnatic Style and Hindustani
Style. Subtitle of the this album is “A South Indian Fluatist pays homage to Hindustani Music Legend Ustad Bismillah Khan”. In the introduction of this album, named “Homage to Bismillah Khan: Speech of Kudamaloor”, Kudmaloor Janardhanan describes this album as “an humble attempt to honor great Hindustani musician Ustad Bismillah Khan”. Kudmaloor remembers feeling like a “child seeing rainbow first time” whenever he listens to Ustad’s Shehnai
music. Pranam is the longest song in this album that lasts for 25 minutes. Other pieces are Kajri, Sree Ramachandra and Kajri (old style). Hari Krishnamoorthy plays Tabala.
7. Gokula Murali(Published in 2008 by Manorama Music as a part of Heritage Series) has 6 songs in 47 minutes mainly rendered in bamboo flute played in Carnatic Style. This album is a collection of songs devoted to Krishna
. The kritis in this album are Sreeman Narayana, Swagatham Krishna, Govardhana Giridhara, Radhasametha Krishna, Manasa Sancharare and Theeratha Vilaiyattu Pillai. According to a review in The Hindu, “Kudamaloor Janardanan proves that in his hands the bamboo reed is transformed into a magical wand.” Mridangam is played by Vypin Sathish, Tabla by Hari Krishnamoorthy, Edakka by Trichur Krishnakumar and Ghatam
by Kottayam Unnikrishnan.
8. Atmayan : Journey of the Soul(Published by Krishnaprasad Musical in 2008) has 6 songs 39 minutes. This album is a collection of instrumental music created both in Indian and Western Styles. Kudamallor plays Atmayan and Ode to Krishna. This album also has work by U Rajesh in Mandolin
, Herald, Krishna Kumar and Sumesh Parameshwar.
9. Kudamaloor Janardhanan Live(Published in 2009 by Manorama Music) has 8 songs in 169 minutes rendered in bamboo flute in Carnatic Style. According to the introduction from this album, this is a recording of a live flute concert arranged by Manorama Music as a part of Music Fiesta 2008 program on 17th Feb 2008 at Women’s Association Hall, Eranakulam, Kerala, India. Kudamaloor is accompanied by Hari Krishnamoorthy on Tabala, Kottayam Krishnan on Ghatam and Satish Vypin on Mridangam. The Main Kriti is Chaliye Kunchanamoo that lasts for 30 minutes. The Swara Pallavi, that lasts for 40 minutes is an ensemble of ragas ( Raga Maalika) of Kapi, Bihag
, SinduBhairavi, Shahana
and Madyamavathi with madhu raga of Kalyani
. Other Kritis in this album are Baja Manasa, Sree Ramanavibho, Raminsuva, Raghuvamsasudha and Krishna Nee Begane. The concert end with Swara Manjari played in Western Style.
10. Vrindavanam (Published by Manorama Music in 2009) is a set of devotional Krishna songs by Swetha Menon with 7 songs in 60 minutes. Concept and Music is provided by Kudmaloor Janardhanan. The songs in this album are Narayana, Bajare Yadunantham, Govardhana Gireesham, Maddugari Yesoda, Baja Baja Manasa, Chaliye and Mukundahtakam & Namasankeertanam.
11. Keerthana Murali(Published by Manorama Music in 2010) has 6 songs in 60 minutes played in bamboo flute in Carnatic Style. The subtitle of the album is “Popular Carnatic Krithis”. Vypin Satheesh accompanies the flute with Mridangam. The main song is Pakkala that lasts for 15 minutes. Other Kritis in this album are Raga Sudharasa, Thatwamaruka, Nee Dayaradha, Seetha Kalyana and Bhagyada Lakshmi
12. Maya Murali(Published by Manorama Music in May 2011) has 9 Songs in 66 minutes mainly rendered in bamboo flute in Carnatic Style. In terms of its length ( 15 minutes), Long Live Music is the main song in this album. The other songs are Maya Murali, A Hymn to the Goddess of Art (based on Vara Veena Mridupani), A Ballard of Victory, The Cradle Song (based on Omana Thingal Kidavo), The Inception, The Kannamma Song (based on Chinna Chiru Kuyile), To My Soul Mate and The Bamboo Express. The accompanying musicians are H Kishore, Harikrishna Moorthy and Vinod Chandra Menon. According to The Hindu Review “Maya Murali has nine pieces, innovative, traditional krithis, all of them punctuated by Kudmaloor’s inimitable style, fused together with an exciting backup of vocals and other instruments.”
13. Kaivalya - The Symphony of Meditation (Published by Invis and marketed by TravelKerala.Tv ) is an audio CD containing three songs in bamboo flute based on ragas Nalinakanthi and Saraswathi. According to the Editorial review in Amazon this album “charms the air through the swaras (musical notes) taking it to the innermost core of the soul and bringing tranquility to it.”
14. Keli - The Symphony of Love(Published by Invis Multimedia and marketed by TravelKerala.Tv ) is an audio CD containing songs played in bamboo flute and is about the intricacies of love. According to the Editorial Review in Amazon “Keli is a musical tribute to love - the most joyful, enchanting and universal aspect of human life.”
15. Viraha-The Symphony of Separation(Published by Invis Multimedia and marketed by TravelKerala.Tv ) is an audio CD containing songs played in bamboo flute and is about the pangs of separation. According to Amazon Editorial Review “Viraha, the sweet sorrow of separation immortalized in the love of Radha and Krishna is rendered poignantly on flute by Kudamaloor Janardanan.”
16. Gokulam (Published in 2011 by Ravishankar Gopalan) is a set of devotional songs on Lord Guruvayoorappa by Hema Ravishankar and G Venugopal. Kudamaloor Janardhanan provided the background score for this album
17. Ramanan is a musical based on Changampuzha’s ‘Ramanan’. The main character Ramanan’s flute is played by Kudamaloor Janardhanan.
Following are some of Janardhanan's students
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
of the Carnatic music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
tradition.
Early life and background
Kudamaloor Janardanan was born into a musical family in KeralaKerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India. He had his basic vocal music lessons from his father, G. Krishna Iyer. Soon he was fascinated by the art of instrumental music and turned into Indian flute.He is mostly a self-taught flautist. In his later years of student life, Janardanan was guided by his paternal uncle, K.Shivaramakrishna Iyer, a prominent flautist in his time. Janardanan was awarded the scholarship for further studies in music by the Department of Culture, Government of India. He went on to obtain a graduation in Violin from the Madras University. Janardhanan is an 'A' Grade artiste of the All India Radio and an empanelled musician at the ICCR. Among modern flautists of India, Janardanan holds Ronu Majumdar
Ronu Majumdar
Ronu Majumdar is a noted Indian flautist in the Hindustani Classical Music tradition.-Early life and training:Born in Varanasi on June 22, 1963, Ranendranath Majumdar, popularly known as Ronu was trained under his father, Dr. Bhanu Majumdar, and later learned vocal music with the late Pt. Laxman...
in high esteem.
Musical career
Kudmaloor Janardhanan, apart from having many published works (See Discography), is also active in concerts circuits in India and abroad. Some his Indian tours that got reviews in media are:- Flute concert at seven-day annual festival of Sri Viswambhara Temple in Kottakal
- Flute concert at Vyloppilli Sanskriti Bhavan in Trivandrum, hosted by Alliance Francaise de Trivandrum
- Kovalam Lit Fest Day 2
- Theerthapada Mandapam, Thiruvananthapuram. The occasion was the Swati Sangeetotsav organised as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of All India Radio.
- Shree Technologies: Transcendence, flute recital by Kudamaloor Janardanan and party, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Race Course Road
Some of the concerts that Kudamaloor conducted aboard includes
- 25 February 2010 – Tropentheater (Amsterdam)
- 26 February 2010 – Zuiderpershuis (Antwerp)
- 28 February 2010 – Muziekpodium Zeeland (Veere)
- 1 March 2010 – De Oosterpoort (Groningen)
Music Philosophy
Key philosophy of Kudamaloor Janardhanan is that Music is especially a rendition of ragas (or melody), instead of a vehicle of lyrics based songs (Kritis). Janardanan considers ragas as “the spirit of Indian classical music.” According to a The Hindu Review “With flautist Kudamaloor Janardanan it seems to be something of a mission to give the ragas their right place in music concerts. That was clear as he played such superb ragas as Nattakurinji, MohanamMohanam
Mohanam is a rāgam in Carnatic music . It is an audava rāgam . It is a janya rāgam , as it does not have all the seven swaras .The equivalent of Mohanam in Hindustani music is Bhoop Mohanam is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is an audava rāgam (or...
, Chenchurutti, Sarasangi
Sarasangi
Sarasangi is a rāgam in Carnatic music . It is the 27th melakarta rāgam in the 72 melakarta rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Sowrasena in Muthuswami Dikshitar school of Carnatic music.-Structure and Lakshana:It is the 3rd rāgam in the 5th chakra Bana. The mnemonic name is Bana-Go...
, and Sankarabharanam
Sankarabharanam
Sankarabharanam is a 1979 Telugu film, directed by Dr. K. Vishwanath and produced by Poornodaya Movie Creations. Its music composed by KV Mahadevan was well received and led to the revival of Indian classical music in South India. The film deals with two main issues - decline in popularity of...
. … ragas are supreme in instrumental music with the kritis playing a secondary role.” The review continues to say “True to the flautist's unconventional style, there was a near total absence of kritis, varnams and tillanas in the concert, enabling the listeners to enjoy the ragas in their pure form.”
On the over influence of Kritis on Cartnatic Music, Janardhanan says in an interview, “In Carnatic music, kirthans and bhaktigeetams have been given a great deal of prominence. This has resulted in the general impression that classical music means devotional music. Only when it is freed from such notions will classical music be able to spread its wings and be enjoyed by more people.” He continues in the same interview, “If classical music is likened to a tree, devotional music is only a branch. It must be realised that when the blue sky or moonlight is being expressed in a raag, that is also classical music. In `Gita Govindam’ where the theme is that of love between Radha
Radha
Radha , also called Radhika, Radharani and Radhikarani, is the childhood friend and lover of Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita Govinda of the Vaisnava traditions of Hinduism...
and Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
, it is the `shringara bhava’ that should be brought forth by the musician. But many artistes still keep projecting the bhakti bhava.”
He also uses “unconventional” instrumentation in his concerts. In the Kovalam Lt Festival, he used Drums, Percussions, Keyboard and Voices in a Raga based concert. He also uses Edakka( a south Indian, temple based drum) and Tabala ( most used drums in Hindustani Music) apart from conventional Mridagam and Ghatam.
His overall approach of curiosity and experimentation in Music can be seen from this quote, “I am not one to shy away from creativity, sidelining it by saying that music is as eternal and vast as an ocean. If indeed that is the case, I would rather venture into its unexplored depths, to discover the coffer of pearls and gems. What has been made so far are indeed sweet. What we hear now may be sweeter; however the sweetest is yet to come. Won’t we benefit much if we start thinking in these lines?”
More on Kudamaloor’s approach to music can be heard from these these interviews available in YouTube
Discography
Most of the works cited here is produced by Manorama MusicManorama Music
Manorama Music, is a music company of India. It owns probabily the largest music label of Kerala. The label has produced and distributed film soundtracks, poems, cartoon series, music albums etc. The company is owned by M.M. Publications Ltd, which also owns the Malayala Manorama....
and can be bought at Manorama Music site. Janardhanan’s work is available from ITunes and Amazon MP3 download section.
1. Madhava Murali(Published in 2005 by Manorama Music, Heritage Series) has 6 songs in 50 minutes rendered mainly in bamboo flute in Carnatic Music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
style. Sub title of the music is “Compositions on Lord Krishna in Flute”. The main kriti is this disc is “Krupaya Palaya” Charukesi
Charukesi
Charukesi is a rāga in Carnatic music . It is the 26th Melakarta rāgam in the 72 melakarta rāgam system of Carnatic music.Charukesi is known to incite feelings of pathos and devotion in the listener....
which lasts for 12 minutes. Other Kritis are Alai Payuthe, Rara venugopala, Krishna Ni Bhegane and Enna Thavam Kapi (raga). Main flute is played by Kudamaloor Janardhanan. The accompanying artists on Mridangam, Veena, Ghatam and second flutes are not known.
2. Poomoodam Devi (Published in 2005by Manorama Music) contains 11 devotional songs. This is a vocal work by K S Chitra,Radhika Thilak, Sujatha Mohan
Sujatha Mohan
Sujatha Mohan , usually credited as Sujatha, is an award-winning Indian playback singer who is popular for singing in Malayalam and Tamil movies. She has also sung for Telugu, Kannada and Hindi movies. She is widely popular for her evergreen melodies and her sweet voice is considered to be her...
and Madhu Balakrishnan. Kudamloor Janardhanan plays Rara Venu Kriti in this work.
3. Mohana Murali( Published in 2006 by Manorama Music part of Heritage Series) has 4 songs in 58 minutes rendered mainly in bamboo flute in Carnatic Style. Subtitle of this album is “An Album based on sublime raga Mohanam
Mohanam
Mohanam is a rāgam in Carnatic music . It is an audava rāgam . It is a janya rāgam , as it does not have all the seven swaras .The equivalent of Mohanam in Hindustani music is Bhoop Mohanam is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is an audava rāgam (or...
”. Main song is Mohana Layatharangam (Ecstasy And More) that lasts for 24 minutes. According to a review, “Mohana Laya Tarangam speaks to your soul with its remarkable blend of rhythm and melody. One perceives not only Mohanam, but four other ragas, owing to the unique technique applied here, called ‘sruti bhedam”. Other songs in this album are Reflections- The Image of Swaras, Mohana Varnam – Owen Version ( based on Nini Kori Varnam), and The Oarsmans Ode A Musical Ferry ( a folk tune)
4. Swathi Murali(Published in 2006 by Manorama Music as a part of Heritage Series) has 6 songs in 63 minutes rendered mainly in bamboo flute in Carnatic Style. The album is a flute rendition of some of the compositions of Swathi Thirunal. There are two main songs in this album, “Pahi Jagath Janani” that lasts for 16 minutes and Jaya Padmanabha which lasts for 12 minutes. Other kritis included are Gopalaka Pahiman Anisham, Parama Purusha, Tharuni Njana Enthu Cheyvu and Madhava.
5. Vathapi – Ganesha Murali(Published 2007 by Manorama Music as a part of Heritage Series) has 3 songs in 58 minutes mainly rendered in Bamboo flute in Carnatic Style with chorus and voice support. The main kriti played in flute with an ensemble of Tabala, Mridangam, Veena
Veena
Veena may refer to one of several Indian plucked instruments:With frets*Rudra veena, plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music*Saraswati veena, plucked string instrument used in Carnatic musicFretless...
, Chenda
Chenda
The Chenda is a cylindrical percussion instrument used widely in the state of Kerala, and Tulu Nadu of Karnataka State in India. In Tulu Nadu it is known as Chande....
and Voice. Main song is Sree Vathapi Ganapthe which lasts for 28 minutes. Other kritis are Sidhi Vinayakam (subtitle: The Realization) and Mahaganapathim (subtitle: The eternal bliss).
6. Pranam(Published in 2007 by Manorama Music) has 5 songs in 59 minutes rendered mainly in bamboo flute played both in Carnatic Style and Hindustani
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
Style. Subtitle of the this album is “A South Indian Fluatist pays homage to Hindustani Music Legend Ustad Bismillah Khan”. In the introduction of this album, named “Homage to Bismillah Khan: Speech of Kudamaloor”, Kudmaloor Janardhanan describes this album as “an humble attempt to honor great Hindustani musician Ustad Bismillah Khan”. Kudmaloor remembers feeling like a “child seeing rainbow first time” whenever he listens to Ustad’s Shehnai
Shehnai
The shehnai, shahnai, shenai or mangal vadya, is an aerophonic instrument, a double reed conical oboe, common in North India, West India and Pakistan, made out of wood, with a metal flare bell at the end...
music. Pranam is the longest song in this album that lasts for 25 minutes. Other pieces are Kajri, Sree Ramachandra and Kajri (old style). Hari Krishnamoorthy plays Tabala.
7. Gokula Murali(Published in 2008 by Manorama Music as a part of Heritage Series) has 6 songs in 47 minutes mainly rendered in bamboo flute played in Carnatic Style. This album is a collection of songs devoted to Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
. The kritis in this album are Sreeman Narayana, Swagatham Krishna, Govardhana Giridhara, Radhasametha Krishna, Manasa Sancharare and Theeratha Vilaiyattu Pillai. According to a review in The Hindu, “Kudamaloor Janardanan proves that in his hands the bamboo reed is transformed into a magical wand.” Mridangam is played by Vypin Sathish, Tabla by Hari Krishnamoorthy, Edakka by Trichur Krishnakumar and Ghatam
Ghatam
The ghaṭam is a percussion instrument used in the Carnatic music of South India. Its analogue in Rajasthan is known as the madga and pani mataqa "water jug"....
by Kottayam Unnikrishnan.
8. Atmayan : Journey of the Soul(Published by Krishnaprasad Musical in 2008) has 6 songs 39 minutes. This album is a collection of instrumental music created both in Indian and Western Styles. Kudamallor plays Atmayan and Ode to Krishna. This album also has work by U Rajesh in 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...
, Herald, Krishna Kumar and Sumesh Parameshwar.
9. Kudamaloor Janardhanan Live(Published in 2009 by Manorama Music) has 8 songs in 169 minutes rendered in bamboo flute in Carnatic Style. According to the introduction from this album, this is a recording of a live flute concert arranged by Manorama Music as a part of Music Fiesta 2008 program on 17th Feb 2008 at Women’s Association Hall, Eranakulam, Kerala, India. Kudamaloor is accompanied by Hari Krishnamoorthy on Tabala, Kottayam Krishnan on Ghatam and Satish Vypin on Mridangam. The Main Kriti is Chaliye Kunchanamoo that lasts for 30 minutes. The Swara Pallavi, that lasts for 40 minutes is an ensemble of ragas ( Raga Maalika) of Kapi, Bihag
Bihag
Bihag is a Hindustani classical raga.- Theory :Writing about the musical theory of Indian classical music is fraught with complications. First of all, there have been no set, formal methods of written notation...
, SinduBhairavi, Shahana
Shahana
Shahana is an Indian classical raga, from the Todi thaat.In Carnatic Music, Shahana is janya of the 28th mela Harikambodhi. It is a vakra sampurna raga and an upanga raga characterised by soft, weighty sancharas. Emphasizing the rishabham, panchamam, dhaivatham, and shadjam lend particular beauty...
and Madyamavathi with madhu raga of Kalyani
Kalyani
Kalyani may refer to:* Kalyani , a rāga in the Carnatic music of South India as well as Hindustani music* Kalyani , a type of ancient Hindu bathing well or pond* Kalyani, West Bengal, a town in the Nadia District of West Bengal...
. Other Kritis in this album are Baja Manasa, Sree Ramanavibho, Raminsuva, Raghuvamsasudha and Krishna Nee Begane. The concert end with Swara Manjari played in Western Style.
10. Vrindavanam (Published by Manorama Music in 2009) is a set of devotional Krishna songs by Swetha Menon with 7 songs in 60 minutes. Concept and Music is provided by Kudmaloor Janardhanan. The songs in this album are Narayana, Bajare Yadunantham, Govardhana Gireesham, Maddugari Yesoda, Baja Baja Manasa, Chaliye and Mukundahtakam & Namasankeertanam.
11. Keerthana Murali(Published by Manorama Music in 2010) has 6 songs in 60 minutes played in bamboo flute in Carnatic Style. The subtitle of the album is “Popular Carnatic Krithis”. Vypin Satheesh accompanies the flute with Mridangam. The main song is Pakkala that lasts for 15 minutes. Other Kritis in this album are Raga Sudharasa, Thatwamaruka, Nee Dayaradha, Seetha Kalyana and Bhagyada Lakshmi
12. Maya Murali(Published by Manorama Music in May 2011) has 9 Songs in 66 minutes mainly rendered in bamboo flute in Carnatic Style. In terms of its length ( 15 minutes), Long Live Music is the main song in this album. The other songs are Maya Murali, A Hymn to the Goddess of Art (based on Vara Veena Mridupani), A Ballard of Victory, The Cradle Song (based on Omana Thingal Kidavo), The Inception, The Kannamma Song (based on Chinna Chiru Kuyile), To My Soul Mate and The Bamboo Express. The accompanying musicians are H Kishore, Harikrishna Moorthy and Vinod Chandra Menon. According to The Hindu Review “Maya Murali has nine pieces, innovative, traditional krithis, all of them punctuated by Kudmaloor’s inimitable style, fused together with an exciting backup of vocals and other instruments.”
13. Kaivalya - The Symphony of Meditation (Published by Invis and marketed by TravelKerala.Tv ) is an audio CD containing three songs in bamboo flute based on ragas Nalinakanthi and Saraswathi. According to the Editorial review in Amazon this album “charms the air through the swaras (musical notes) taking it to the innermost core of the soul and bringing tranquility to it.”
14. Keli - The Symphony of Love(Published by Invis Multimedia and marketed by TravelKerala.Tv ) is an audio CD containing songs played in bamboo flute and is about the intricacies of love. According to the Editorial Review in Amazon “Keli is a musical tribute to love - the most joyful, enchanting and universal aspect of human life.”
15. Viraha-The Symphony of Separation(Published by Invis Multimedia and marketed by TravelKerala.Tv ) is an audio CD containing songs played in bamboo flute and is about the pangs of separation. According to Amazon Editorial Review “Viraha, the sweet sorrow of separation immortalized in the love of Radha and Krishna is rendered poignantly on flute by Kudamaloor Janardanan.”
16. Gokulam (Published in 2011 by Ravishankar Gopalan) is a set of devotional songs on Lord Guruvayoorappa by Hema Ravishankar and G Venugopal. Kudamaloor Janardhanan provided the background score for this album
17. Ramanan is a musical based on Changampuzha’s ‘Ramanan’. The main character Ramanan’s flute is played by Kudamaloor Janardhanan.
Collaborators and Students
Kudamloor worked with these artists in many of his albums and concerts- Vypin Satheesh: Violin
- S Kishore: mrithangam
- Ben Sam Jones : Guitar
- Vinil Lawrence : Western percussion
- Harikrishna Moorthy : Tabala
- Yakzan Pereira: Keyboard
- Sooraj Santhosh: Vocal
- K Krishnan: Ghatam
Following are some of Janardhanan's students
- Gitanjali G. Iyer's Veena
- Vishnu Vijay: Flute
- Madhavi Chandran ( Dancer)
- Vinod Chandra Menon