It starts with “Vetri Nadai” paying homage to his roots – the beginning of the duo’s guru-student relationship. Manam, for Jayaraman, is a chronology of his musical journey.
With four other tracks in Tamizh, “Saloni” is a Hindi poem Ramesh has held close to her heart since a young girl. Released in earlier this month, the album not only transcends genres but languages. The word Manam translates to ‘from the heart’ in Tamizh and is what they term as “heartspeak” from both Ramesh and Jayaraman. Their remarkable debut as a mother-son duo, does not only cater to the Carnatic music audience but is expansive enough to cover spoken word poetry and experiment with jazz. Addressing social evils like colorism, casteism and police brutality, this stylized five-track Carnatic composition questions the norms deeply ingrained in our life. Currently, Rohith is the assistant manager for Berklee India Exchange (BIX) and occasionally conducts private Carnatic music classes.įollowing multiple incidences of racial violence in the United States last June, Ramesh - restless and deeply touched - wrote the lines: “ Pirakkumbodhu niram, jaadhi, madham thervu seivadhaar?” (When we are born, who decides our color, caste, and religion?)Īfter a three-hour-long conversation with Jayaraman, little did they know that this was the beginning of their debut collaborative album Manam. Rahman, Zakir Hussain and Shankar Mahadevan apart from foraying into the music video industry. He has lent his voice to various projects with legendary musicians such as A.R. Although trained in Carnatic music as a disciple of Ramesh, his mother, he has been more keen on exploring international sounds including Arabic music, Gnawa, and folk. The up-and-coming global artist, the Indo-American Rohith Jayaram is a vocalist, composer, and educator. Currently, Ramesh takes online classes at her Ragamalika School of Music in San Jose, California that she established in 1992. Based in San Jose, she has swayed listeners across India, North America, UK and the Netherlands with her euphonious melodies. In the realm of Carnatic music, Asha Ramesh needs little introduction.