More Classical Bhajans

Swamy Haridhos

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The great singer/saint Swamy Haridhos and his followers in a long concert of religious singing from New Years Day 1968. Music and devotion in equal parts. These are the last tracks from the Swamy Haridhos concert on ce14 released in 2010. Available only as digital tracks.

Not only was Swamy Haridhos an extremely charismatic leader, preacher and singer, head and shoulders taller than ordinary bhajan singers, but as such he attracted the participation of top notch accompanists.

In this recording from Gita Govinda Hall in Bombay you hear him with his regular partners at this time, the harmonium giant Muthunathesa Bhagvatar and mridangam vidwan P.S. Devarajan  plus young violinist K. Shivakumar and K. Ramani on tabla.

1. Darishanam / Chenjurutti / ādi (06:29)
2. Barisatta / ādi (06:45)
3. Pakkarai / ādi (02:45)
4. Jaya Ganesha / ādi (01:45)

The album was released in 2010.

“Without equivocation, one of the finest field recordings to be released by the Swedish label Country & Eastern” – Link to a fabolous review at AAJ
In a review by Kent Hunt in Pulse Magazine, feb 2011: “Musically it is in contact with the earth while reaching for the stars… a candidate for the finest field recording of bhajans…that you will ever hear in your life.”

Muthunathesa Bhagvatar, P.S. Devarajan, and K. Shivakumar have a digital-only instrumental album of their own, Karnatic Harmonium, cex13

Dancing in the Puddokottai festival

Gnanananda

Performing the Classical Bhajans album in Bombay on Jan 1, 1968

Devarajan and his son Kannan in Pudhokottai

Puddokottai festival

P.S. Devarajan, mridangam