Each member of this band is an accomplished musician in his own right. Each one of them has performed individually and as a team, alongside big names like Dr L Subramanium, Pandit Ravishankar, M Balamuralikrishna, Pandit Jasraj, Ganesh-Kumaresh, K J Yesudas, Sivamani, Karl and Keith Peters, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, U Srinivas, Kadri Gopalanath, S P Balasubramanium, Louis Banks, Amit Heri... the list is endless.
But that is not all. They have performed at numerous international music festivals and collaborated with renowned musicians Karsh Kale, Virginia Mayhew, Hans Hartmann, John Neptune, Alex Rostotsky, Dean Magraw and Lewis Pragasam amongst others.
Layatharanga, formed in April 1998, has tread an impressive path so far. The first band to use western instruments to Carnatic rhythms, Layatharanga made jamming to Carnatic music acceptable among the conservative listeners too.
Elated from a successful maiden stint at the prestigious Krakow International Percussion Festival, held in May this year, where they represented India alongside Afghanistan, France, Germany, Iran, Poland and the USA, members Arun Kumar, Giridhar Udupa, Jayachandra Rao and Pramath Kiran shared their experiences with Metrolife.
Said Giridhar, “I was invited to the festival individually two years ago. The audience were intrigued by our music and the organisers were interested in knowing more. I informed the Academy of Music at Krakow who were the organisers, about our band. They invited us this year and Layatharanga became the first Indian band to perform in the Krakow Percussion International Festival.”
And the response? “Amazing. Our concerts or presentations saw packed halls. The audience was mesmerised by the rhythm in our music. We not only presented Carnatic music, but also incorporated Hindustani elements in it.
The best part about the whole experience was that we performed on World Music Day. And to commemorate the occasion, we performed a fusion piece comprising both Indian and world music, using 14 instruments, right from African drums to the Jaws’ harp.
It was an incredible experience for us,” says Arun, his voice filled with pride. “Music is a language by itself and it involves mathematics as well. The Europeans find it easy to grasp these nuances,” says Jayachandra Rao, a Masters degree holder in Bio-sciences.
The band will also be releasing an album soon for the European countries under the CM Records label.
Apart from that, Layatharanga will also embark on its first-ever World Tour next year. Before that, however, they have to catch up with the rest of their band – Dr Vishnu Swaroop, a surgeon, Madhusudan, Ravichandra Kulur and Solomon. Admits Pramath Kiran, a graphic designer who owns a digital studio, “because we have different jobs, we hardly get to meet each other and that is also the reason why we have been unable to give more shows.”
“But that hardly makes a difference as all of us are passionate about music and practising for a day or two will bring us all back on track,” Arun hastens to assure. Right now, the band is getting ready to prepare for a tour of the Gulf countries later in the year, to be followed by a visit to Denmark, Netherlands and Germany in 2008.