And then a tillAnA in sindubhairavi!

sindubhairavi is indeed a very beautiful rAgam. When I was a little boy that cared little for music, I remember being stunned by madurai maNI's brilliantly original swaram in sindubhairavi - sa ga ma pa da pa pa; sa ga ma nI nI da da; sa ga ma pa da pa~ ma ga ri sa ri ga~ ga. Yesterday's manamE post was not about originality. It was just a beautiful composition in a beautiful rAgam rendered in a beautifully relaxed tempo. In that concert, MDR followed the slow manamE with a catchy, superfast, self-composed tillAnA in the same rAgam. MDR's music is often not associated with speed, but that is one of the many misconceptions about MDR. Here, with pAlakkAD maNi's brisk, but measured, rolls to keep him company, MDR chooses a quicker tempo and we have a wonderful tillAnA to savour.

Beautiful sindhubhairavi

I thought it would take longer to get started, but here I am, claiming to opine on MDR and Dylan side-by-side. There are lots of things to say and there is lots of time to say all that needs to be said. Let me start with a simple example of MDR's genius - a beautiful rendition of manamE in sindubhairavi - a song composed by MDR, sung by MDR.