CHENNAI: Choosing the saxophone was a matter of destiny...in fact, I strongly believe that I have a past life connection with the instrument,” says Padma Shri Kadri Gopalnath. The 68-year-old exudes a positive aura and his pleasant demeanour laced with subtle threads of humour make the saxophone ‘samrat’ all the more endearing.
“Since my father, Thaniappa, was a Nadaswaram Vidwan, it was natural for me to learn the instrument. But, as much as I respected the instrument, I felt a void. I was 14 back then,” he recalls.
“One day, when I heard the saxophone on the radio, everything changed. I felt a connection, there was a sense of familiarity,” he says. Later, witnessing an English band play the saxophone at the Mysore Palace fuelled his interest in the instrument. “Of all the instruments that were being played there, the saxophone caught my attention and I decided to learn it,” he shares.
His scholar father, who was also Kadri’s guru, had no objection and played a significant role in helping Kadri tame the European instrument to the Carnatic style. “It took years, probably 20 or more, for me to master it. Once I did, the appreciation I received from the audience and the success I tasted was sheer joy. I am still learning,” he said.
We ask the maestro if he ever had other aspirations. Laying his hands on the table, furrowing his brows, he says, “I have always wanted to do something in music. Since I was from a village in Mangalore, there was not much exposure to anything else. This was around 1963, the only entertainment we had was the Yakshagana, a traditional form of theatre where most stories were drawn from epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata. I vividly remember staying up all night to watch the performance, the chandai being played and the oil lamps burning until dawn. Art was always a part of my life, but I never thought beyond music,” he explains.
His formative experience of watching artistes perform epics, and the fascination for stories spilled over into his adult life. “You can always find me with a thick book,” he smiles. “From the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, to the philosophies of Shankaracharya, I’ve read it all. Books were my companion during train journeys, they would keep me occupied until I reached my concert destination, and I always preferred the ‘window seat’!” he laughs.
Over the years, Kadri has achieved several milestones. But there are two which are close to his heart — his first jamming session, in the 1980s alongside John Handy, a US-based jazz musician and playing the saxophone for the late K Balachander’s musical film ‘Duet’ (1994). “Though the Carnatic platform is my mainstay, I have always liked a good challenge. The Bombay Jazz festival where I jammed with John Handy became an instant hit and we even received a standing ovation for fusing music of two different worlds in one instrument,” he recalls.
His entry into film music was serendipitous and the vidwan says he was initially “intimidated”. “I didn’t know how film music worked. Once I was asked to play for ‘Duet’, I met A R Rahman in his studio. He asked me to play catchy ragas in different speeds. After almost 30 ragas, I played the ‘Kalyana Vasanta raga’ and Rahman caught on to it. He did wonders with my piece and the reach for the sax became multifold. Even people in rural areas began to identify the instrument and it brought mass accolades to me,” he smiles.
The Sangeetha Kalasikhamani recipient was always a dedicated student. “I have tried to perfect the way I play. Even when I was young, the sax was my constant muse. My amma used to ask: sappadu kuda matiya?’ (won’t you even come to eat?), when I spent days and nights with my instrument,” he shares.
He works hard to keep up the ‘guru-shishya’ parampara and has students across the globe. “Over the years, youngsters have shown a keen interest in learning the sax. My students have students now,” he quips.
He is currently working on improvising gramiya folk songs and infusing it in the saxophone. “Folk songs take us back to our roots. I have tried my hands in classical, cinema and jazz fusion now, it is time for folk,” he added.
ACCOLADES
● He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2004
● He has the distinction of being the first Carnatic musician to be invited in the BBC Promenade concert in 1994, in the Royal Albert Hall at London
● He received an honorary doctorate from Bangalore University in 2004.
● The 2008 album Blue Rhizome by the New Quartet features a tribute to the saxophonist called “Gopalnath” (composed by Karl E H Seigfried).
● He received the Sangeetha Kalasikhamani award for the year 2013 given by The Indian Fine Arts Society, Chennai.
● He received the kamban pugazh award for the year 2018 given by All Ceylon Kamban Society, Srilanka.
OTHER AWARDS
Among his other distinctions are: Saxophone Charkravarthy, Saxophone Samrat, Ganakala Shree, Nadapasana Brahma, Sunada Prakashika, Nada Kalarathna, Nada Kalanidhi, Sangeetha Vadya Rathna, Karnataka Kalashree in 1996, Vocational Excellency Award from the Rotary of Madras, Tamil Nadu State Award ‘Kalaimamani’ and Karnataka Rajyotsava Award in 1998