Carnatic Music Recommendations?

I am not at all anything approaching an expert but here are a few performers I've enjoyed.

M. S. Subbalakshmi is the most important figure in Karnatak vocal music. She is a great singer with a beautiful versatile voice. Her 1983 UN concert should probably be available.

I was very impressed by Nagamani Srinath's performance last year. She has a more leathery voice that can turn gentle or hard. She is able to move into intense rapid melismas that were weirdly reminiscent of Diamanda Galas in a way. Her disc Sunada is great. I'm not sure how available it is.

I saw Sudha Raghunathan perform a good concert earlier this year. She has a lighter voice.

Lalgudi Jayraman's violin playing and Dr Ramani's flute playing are also must-searches. Both very accomplished, versatile, and emotional.

I'm not really sure. I like modal, microtonal music, with complex rhtyhms, just not every variety of it. I can't relate to the rhythms in this music. I just don't feel a connection the way I do to the rhythms in Arabic music. (Perhaps Arabic rhythms are not as complex.) Maybe the instruments are too shimmery for me? I love the otherworldly-sounding kanun, as it is used by Arabs, but the Sitar or even the Santor (which I guess is pretty close to a kanun), both of which are at least as other worldly, just sound foreign. I haven't actually heard that much Hindustani music, but I have had a little exposure (including some live performances). It seems to come down to things that are non-analyzable: I don't like certain sounds in the music, it doesn't move me, etc. There is a Sikh-owned Indian restaurant I go to occasionally and sometimes I hear music I like there that I think is played on some sort of horns. I am not sure if it would be considered classical. Somehow I get the impression that it is more devotional than concert-hall oriented.

Karnatak music does differ but not by that much for most Western ears.

Would you say it differs from North Indian music as much as Arabic, Turkish and Persian music differ from each other, or not so much? (I realize this is not an easily quantifiable thing.)

I was very impressed by Nagamani Srinath's performance last year. She has a more leathery voice that can turn gentle or hard. She is able to move into intense rapid melismas that were weirdly reminiscent of Diamanda Galas in a way.

That sounds interesting. I like Galas, though mostly as a live performer.

Thanks for the suggestions in general.

Speaking of adapting western instruments, the Hindustani musician Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, who plays an adapted guitar (you probably already know of him), made an appearance at an Arab arts festival (organized by Simon Shaheen) that I attended several years back. I really enjoyed seeing him then, but I saw him again performing his own concert at a different location and I didn't find it as absorbing. I was interested enought to buy three different CDs by him (over a period of time): one more-or-less solo, one with Ry Cooder, and one with Simon Shaheen. Although I liked aspects of all these recordings, none of them have ever really become favorites. And yet--that first impression was very striking. Maybe it was simply the fact that he was a surprise guest and his sound was so different from the other music I was hearing at the festival.

I would like to say again that considering how vast Hindustani music is, I can't really be sure there isn't some music there that I would like, but so far I haven't taken to it.

http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/6825013/a/Shakti:+Sacred+Song+From+Southern+India+(Chat+Sacre+De+L'Indu+Du+Sud).htm

I like the violin on this Sudha Ragunathan more than I would've expected.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/3tg2yw

(This is definitely some fairly esoteric stuff anyway.)

I hadn't heard of Nikhil Joshi but I'm downloading some of his mp3's now. I love U. Srinivas, who's a Karnatak virtuoso on the electric mandolin. Got a great recording of him.

np: DK Jayaraman - Live in Concert 1990

I'd love to see Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan.

If I understand correctly, this is a live performance from a day before Kunnakudi's death:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yizdB6xMq0&feature=player_embedded

(Anyway, great performance.)

Inspired by his inclusion on the 70s poll nominations list.

Surprised to see I haven't posted on this thread before, but I met a noise artist last night who was also trained as a carnatic singer, and it reminded me to go listen to S Janaki again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DG102wyd2Q

I'm such dilettante though -- any good books or even articles about the context, history, theory etc.?

Livestream concert by S. Sowmya in about 40 minutes (10 am ET): http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6ADHrJeAeXeFK5mibCtPAw/

Lalgudi Jayraman's violin playing and Dr Ramani's flute playing are also must-searches. Both very accomplished, versatile, and emotional.

That "south meets north" record with Lalgudi Jayraman and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is *incredible*

Livestream concert rn by KP Nandini. Sounds v good: https://youtu.be/9ijNpSz1E_o

Sorry, this is the right link: https://youtu.be/7UpMOsjwTj4

Three tracks in, this is amazing so far:
https://doomandgloomfromthetomb.tumblr.com/post/652254548215414784/sukumar-prasad-unknown-venue-houston-texas

Shashank Subramanyan flute concert about to start if anyone's interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-LLUiq12Lc

I also like Kadri Gopalnath, who has adapted the saxophone to Karnatak music.
― sund4r subramanian, Monday, December 24, 2001 7:00 PM (twenty-four years ago) bookmarkflaglink

Loving this, after hearing a track on the Trilogy Tapes NTS show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u5D4vUj73I

that's sick, thanks for posting

this rules! thanks

most excellent

I checked out Saxophone on Qobuz as well. recommended!

love this