SIVAMANI: PERCUSSIONIST, CHILDHOOD FRIEND & CLOSE ASSOCIATE of AR Rahman.
No AR Rahman music is complete
without the best pair of hands in the world of percussion - Anandan Sivamani. Zakir Hussain describes him as a phenomenon
that walks through this planet but once or twice in a century.. He is a must with Louis Banks, be it live shows or studio
recordings.
Sivamani
spoke exclusively to miindia. Asked about his passion and gift for music, Siva attributes his very being to his parents. “This
gift was given to me by my parents. I was fine-tuning my mom’s heartbeat while I was in her womb”, Siva casually
mentioned.
Siva
has always firmly believed to take life as music. He loves sharing his music with everyone and was very instrumental in bringing
A R Rahman to the glossy world of Indian Film Stage Shows. Siva considers A R Rahman as his close buddy, and admires ARR for
his skill as a music connoisseur, composer and a genius.
It
was the magic of international master, Noel Grant, which enchanted Sivamani. Noel Grant's recordings filled him with awe,
and ecstasy. Also inspired by Billy Cobham, who became a role model - in 1990, he actually shared the stage with the legend
at Mumbai's Rang Bhavan.
Starting
his music career at the age of 11, Sivamani recently shifted to Mumbai as there is so much international activity in the music
world.
Sivamani
mentioned that his music can be seen in tonight’s show as a “beat that would exist from top to bottom”.
Sivamani reveres SP Balasubramaniam – touts him as his God father and loves working with Hariharan. His first ghazal
album with Hariharan “Kaash” was released two years ago. Siva used
to play with vessels in his mom’s kitchen and he still uses those for his music.
What’s
Sivamani’s favorite place in the world, no points for getting this right – The Kitchen filled with vessels!
Look
for the live wire, the man who gave a new meaning to Indian music, acclaimed as one of the best percussionists in the world,
catch Sivamani in action tonight! ( more about Sivamani )
Interviewed and Presented by Anupama Gopalakrishnan
