Improvisation and The Attainment of Excellence, with Carnatic Percussionist Dr. Suresh Vaidyanathan

Sep 6, 2023

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Our guest for this episode is Dr. Suresh Vaidyanathan, who is widely recognized as Ghatam Suresh. He is an extraordinary Carnatic Indian classical percussionist renowned for his mastery of the ancient Ghatam, a clay pot with distinctive resonant and percussive qualities. This instrument plays a pivotal role in Carnatic music as accompaniment and soloist. With a global presence as a leader and collaborator with world-class musicians, Dr. Vaidyanathan brings a unique perspective to the intersection of improvisation and musical expertise. Beyond his exceptional musical talents, Ghatam Suresh is a remarkable teacher known for his creativity and generosity as an exponent of rhythmic knowledge. He is also a scholar and recently completed his doctoral studies on the history of the Ghatam and its performance traditions! Dr. Vaidyanathan imparts invaluable insights into developing musical expertise through improvisation in this first installment of our enlightening conversation. He shares how his intellectual pursuits have enriched his musicianship and unveils his secrets to maintaining and nurturing the quality of mind required to excel in the world of music and the responsibility musicians hold to themselves and their audience. Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of Dr. Ghatam Suresh Vaidyanathan—a musician, scholar, and delightful person.

The musical interlude towards the beginning of the program features music composed and performed by Bradley Vines on alto and baritone saxophones. The first quote is by Louis Kahn taken from the documentary My Architect created by his son, Nathanial Kahn (https://www.amazon.com/My-Architect-Region-2/dp/B0006GVJLC/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2354GLU7P6J5Q&keywords=my+architect+nathaniel+kahn&qid=1693952870&sprefix=my+architect+nathaniel+kah%2Caps%2C439&sr=8-8). The second quote is by Joseph Goldstein from an interview for the Waking Up app (https://rss.samharris.org/feed/24802f09-a945-445c-8d45-81112d77276f).

There are four segments of Ghatam Suresh’s performances taken from four different YouTube videos:

The audio for this episode was edited by Zeyn Mroueh.