Susheela Raman was born in London to South Indian parents. Her life so far has been a cultural journey which could very well serve to exemplify the pros of our globalised polity. At still a young age she and her family moved to Australia where they kept their Tamil roots alive. She grew up singing traditional South Indian classical music and giving recitals. Blues arrived in her teenage years and it wasn't long before she began to think of ways in which to bring these different musical strands together. An apprenticeship with the great Hindustani vocalist Shruti Sadolikar ensued and the result was the ground-breaking record 'Salt Rain'. The album brought together people from different backgrounds and musical styles who resided mainly in London and Paris.
'Ganapati' is the Killer Opening Song of 'Salt Rain'. It's a lovely melody that celebrates the elephant-headed Hindu God Ganesha. Ganapati is one of the many names this deity is known by. The lyrics are rich and full of that spirituality music from the subcontinent is renowned for: 'I meditate on Ganapati/Worshipped by the great sages/Vasishta and Vamadeva/Son of Shiva/adored by his brother Guruguha...' Enjoy.
Copyright 2009
17 comments:
Salt Rain is one of my favourite albums...would love to see her live ..have you??
She has such a smooth, rich sound, doesn't she?
I loved your theory of the sleep inspiration. Mr. Cuban.
What an interesting combination of styles she has! I was not expecting that sound.
This is a new find for me, thanks! I love the cultural fusion of her sound, good stuff!
Yes, very smooth. Like it.
BTw, I se you hang out at CFC? Is that near you? I sued to walk past it on my way to school for many many years,
Thank you for exposing me to her. Love her sound.
Thanks to everyone for you kind comments.
Catherine, I have never seen her live, but would love to. I have the 'Salt Rain' album and I have seen videos on youtube of two of her other records.
Mmm, no, I don't live near Stamford Bridge, but I am a Chelsea supporter, although these are not very good times to root for a team that has mustered only 12 goasl in the last 10 games.
Greetings from London.
Tremendo ambiente, me encanta ella. !!
Cuando llegaran a Miami, propuestas así?
Saudetes, tony. ;)
LPV!
Muchas gracias, asere.
Saludos desde Londres.
Interesting fusion of musical traditions! Thanks for the introduction.
If you do read "House of Leaves," leave me a post letting me know what you thought of it. My posting touched on one very small aspect of an immensely complicated book....
Thanks, cecile, I just finished "L'Attentat" which left me with so many questions and so few answers that I won't be delving into any 'complicated' book for quite a while.
Greetings from London.
Susheela has such an interesting life story, face and music. I hadn’t heard of her before. It’s good to hear of some globalization success stories that hold onto national character and blend the best of many worlds. I keep learning new things here every visit which is why I’m following. Lead on!
Thanks, Sarah, I loved Susheela's voice the first time I heard her on my scrobbler (courtesy of last.fm) and I sought her out on youtube. She has proper video clips on that site which I recommend.
Greetings from London.
You have chosen an excellent theme for your very first "killer" of the year. Ganesha is India's Eleggua. And as you know, you should always mind him before everyone else. Because of your gesture this blog will have a good year. You'll see.
Thanks, A. I know, I know, I became aware of the Ganesha/Eleggua connection when I bought a necklace of the Hindu God and sought more info on him. Plus, I danced (and still do) Eleggua many times during my time at the Havana University Folkloric Dance Company.
Thanks.
Greetings from London.
very nice sound. i hit "play"..then "replay"...and will be hitting "replay" again.
Thanks, fly, same feeling here :-).
Greetings from London.
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