Search - Kala Ramnath :: Kala

Breathtaking.....

Vincent Tseng | USA | 01/19/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first came across Kala Ramnath's violin playing on a track from "Samwad" - the Jugalbandi (duet) with sitarist Purbayan Chatterjee.



Even with many years of listening to Indian classical music - to me her playing was simply stunning - her tone had a vocal quality and was unbelievable (and that is even comparing to the greats in Western classical music).



I would fully agree with the previous reviewer Pieter de Rooij about Kala's playing.



Listen starting about 3 minutes into track 2 for playing that just takes the breath away.



The tabla player is Subhankar Banerjee (who is also on Samwad) responds really well to Kala - listen to the way he incites and responds to her on track 3



Not only do I highly recommend "Kala" - I would also strongly suggest considering the aformentioned "Samwad" (see my review of "Samwad").



"

The Singing Violin

Dr. Debra Jan Bibel | Oakland, CA USA | 07/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Violinists of the North Indian tradition are not common; they are typically seen in the Karnatic, or South Indian tradition. Perhaps it is because the North has the sarangi, with a cello-like timbre, as bowed instrument. Listening to Kala Ramnath on her self-titled album, I was immediately struck how vocal was her performance. I should not have been surprised, since Hindustani music originates with singing and ragas are associated with passages from religious literature, but her style seemed so much like that of Pandit Jasraj, one of her teachers. This is a good thing. As Jasraj is the much beloved vocalist whose performances reach spiritual profundity, Ramnath's violin sings and cries of humanity. You can compare her performance of the morning Raga Bhatiyar with that of Jasraj's [Worship by Music, Chhana Dhara] or any of his other recordings to recognize the influence. However, she has her own fine musical voice that we can appreciate. She plays with strength and a deep musical sense of development within the rag scale. This is an excellent album. I am pleased to hear another North Indian violinist besides V. G. Jog, and that a woman musician has made her mark is bonus. Brava!"