Tattva-viveka
The Yoga of Kirtan
Gandiva Dasi - July 12, 2008 1:08 pm
I may be the last to know, but Satyaraj has a new book out called The Yoga of Kirtan The website is www.yogaofkirtan.com and has excerpts of interviews with different kirtana artists including Agni Dev (and the book comes with a CD).
Citta Hari Dasa - July 14, 2008 3:46 am
I may be the last to know, but Satyaraj has a new book out called The Yoga of Kirtan The website is www.yogaofkirtan.com and has excerpts of interviews with different kirtana artists including Agni Dev (and the book comes with a CD).
Agnideva showed me his copy when I was at Govinda's last week and we talked about it at some length. It seemed to me to be a good resource in that it's useful to know what the various conceptions of kirtana are and how they are articulated by their various proponents. I see benefit in two ways: in informing our own practice, and in interacting in an informed way for those of us who have occasion to present Mahaprabhu's nama-dharma to those already familiar with other conceptions of kirtana (usually the yoga culture).
Madan Gopal Das - July 14, 2008 1:43 pm
Did the tracks of Agni make it onto the cd? I sent some to Satyaraja; they were just a couple of raw maha mantra recordings from the sacred forest cd before they added all the fluff (serengi, bass, keyboard, etc.). Just wondering...
Rathi Krishna Dasa - July 14, 2008 2:57 pm
Did the tracks of Agni make it onto the cd? I sent some to Satyaraja; they were just a couple of raw maha mantra recordings from the sacred forest cd before they added all the fluff (serengi, bass, keyboard, etc.). Just wondering...
Nope. That was a disappointment when I got my copy. Full track listing here: http://yogaofkirtan.com/Site/CD.html
Madan Gopal Das - July 14, 2008 5:43 pm
What?!? That's weird. We went back and forth several times to get just what Satyaraja wanted and then he didn't use it? :Raised Eyebrow:
Agni would add something, something of a gaudiya kirtan flavor that is missing from that list. Not that there aren't devotees chanting, but that certain flavor would just be represented so well; know what I mean?
Babhru Das - July 14, 2008 5:54 pm
I find it rather odd, too. He may have felt that practitioners from Gaudiya vaishnavism are already over-represented on the CD, but it was they who brought kritan out of India. And two other problems: I don't know the CD's length, but if they would fit, I don't see how 13 tracks would be too many. And he picked Havi's thing (I guess he's well known) over Agni's? As well as I like that track from Karnamrita, I would have preferred something from Agni. And Dravida? His is part of his trip of fusing jazz scat-singing and beat-box stuff with Rupa's poetry. That nice and all, but I think it dilutes the flavor. I know him quite well, and I think this is one way he keeps his mind engaged, but he enjoys too much showing off his little indulgence.
I'm disappointed. When Agni's free, we need to get him out more. Vaiyasaki and others seem to do okay with their kirtan performances. I think devotees would go nuts if Agni were more available. (In the meantime, we have him largely to ourselves--heh, heh. :Raised Eyebrow: )
Syamasundara - July 14, 2008 10:54 pm
(In the meantime, we have him largely to ourselves--heh, heh. :Raised Eyebrow: )
Thassright!
Syamasundara - July 14, 2008 11:32 pm
Oh my God, that Dravida is THAT Dravida? Here in San Diego? I didn't know he could sing. On Prabhupada's app. day at mangala arati it was just him, me and a lady and.... anyway, never mind.
I just saw that list. Yeah, well, congratulations, at least one of them is a known mayavadi. I also liked Karnamrita (by the way Karna, you look great without beard) they play her a lot on utahkrishnas.com
On the LA radio and the Italian one they are obsessed with Krsna Prema who is so much into his being a musician that it really feels that he's using Nama Prabhu at his service, to fill in the melody, but he could well be reading out from the phone book.
I like Vaiyasaki, but from the technical point of view. That's the thing about him, he's very... technical.
If that's the scenario, yes we are really lucky with our Agni and our GM.
GM once said that when Agni retires he can accompany him wherever he goes, and every time GM makes a point that's illustrated in one of our songs, Agni will get the cue and start singing that song, making some kind of interactive class format that keeps everybody attentive and responsive.
When oh when will that day be mine... Actually, I don't see why we can't implement that already among us, without having to be on a tour. Next time we are all at Audarya and it's a fasting day, we can have a 4-hour class, interjected with kirtans and bhajans. What else is there to do? I'm in.
Babhru Das - July 15, 2008 1:50 am
Oh my God, that Dravida is THAT Dravida? Here in San Diego? I didn't know he could sing. On Prabhupada's app. day at mangala arati it was just him, me and a lady and.... anyway, never mind.
Yeah, I know. His thing is not so much singing as sort of scat-singing different poems along with his versification of the translations. He gets a big kick out of doing it, as well as out of the applause.
If that's the scenario, yes we are really lucky with our Agni and our GM.GM once said that when Agni retires he can accompany him wherever he goes, and every time GM makes a point that's illustrated in one of our songs, Agni will get the cue and start singing that song, making some kind of interactive class format that keeps everybody attentive and responsive.
When oh when will that day be mine... Actually, I don't see why we can't implement that already among us, without having to be on a tour. Next time we are all at Audarya and it's a fasting day, we can have a 4-hour class, interjected with kirtans and bhajans. What else is there to do? I'm in.
Ditto that.
Madan Gopal Das - July 15, 2008 11:09 am
GM once said that when Agni retires he can accompany him wherever he goes, and every time GM makes a point that's illustrated in one of our songs, Agni will get the cue and start singing that song, making some kind of interactive class format that keeps everybody attentive and responsive.
I love that. Gaura Govinda Maharaj used to do that and it was so relishable. He had two or three bengali's sit in the front of the audience with mrdanga and bust into some bhajan which would emphasize and add some bhava to a point.
I have been fantasizing for a while of having a Sri Caitanya Sangha music label. I would like to release bhajans/kirtans of our sanga; all traditional, all "unplugged". From my viewpoint there is a great interest amongst devotees to have nice, traditional, non-electronic bhajans and I'm sure that devotees would eat up new Agnideva releases. I don't think his "new" mandala cd's are that well advertised and they are overproduced (personal opinion).
Any sales of this music could go to SCS and also direct interest to GM's mission as well as other audio - CLASSES! Anyway, just some thoughts from a kirtan enthusiast. The best way for me to do this quickly is to figure out the best, cheapest, most portable option for recording live. Most people don't have much time for very rehearsed, planned sessions, but if I could travel to different gatherings and plan on recording things (ex. when we did Sri Guru Parampara and other bhajans at Gaura Purnima) with some quality equipment, it could be fairly easy to burn and sell a lot of music. Anybody have suggestions for portable recording equipment that records all the different sounds well in one take (live)? What does the Aindra crew use?
Prema-bhakti - July 15, 2008 6:32 pm
I have been fantasizing for a while of having a Sri Caitanya Sangha music label. I would like to release bhajans/kirtans of our sanga; all traditional, all "unplugged". From my viewpoint there is a great interest amongst devotees to have nice, traditional, non-electronic bhajans and I'm sure that devotees would eat up new Agnideva releases. I don't think his "new" mandala cd's are that well advertised and they are overproduced (personal opinion).
Any sales of this music could go to SCS and also direct interest to GM's mission as well as other audio - CLASSES! Anyway, just some thoughts from a kirtan enthusiast. The best way for me to do this quickly is to figure out the best, cheapest, most portable option for recording live. Most people don't have much time for very rehearsed, planned sessions, but if I could travel to different gatherings and plan on recording things (ex. when we did Sri Guru Parampara and other bhajans at Gaura Purnima) with some quality equipment, it could be fairly easy to burn and sell a lot of music. Anybody have suggestions for portable recording equipment that records all the different sounds well in one take (live)? What does the Aindra crew use?
Right on Madana! Great ideas and I agree with you about Agni's Mandala releases.
There are a few devotees in Dhanurdhara Swami's sanga that have been trained by Aindra and are traditional kirtana enthusiasts who would be a great resource. I'll send you their email addresses.
Citta Hari Dasa - July 15, 2008 6:51 pm
I share your inclination for the live, less polished sound when it comes to kirtana, and I've heard from both Guru Maharaja and Agnideva that they both prefer the live sound as well. Count me in!
Prema-bhakti - July 15, 2008 7:07 pm
I'm disappointed. When Agni's free, we need to get him out more. Vaiyasaki and others seem to do okay with their kirtan performances. I think devotees would go nuts if Agni were more available. (In the meantime, we have him largely to ourselves--heh, heh.)
Hari-bhakti mentioned to me Agni confirmed going out to Portland to do the programs with Guru Maharaja. :Raised Eyebrow:
Babhru Das - July 15, 2008 7:59 pm
As well as I like them, I also agree that the Mandala CDs are over-produced. I really like the old, live, "unplugged" stuff from the old days. This is an exciting thread. whoo!