Musicians collaborate to revive ancient instruments, Yazh and Duduk
The album 'Agandai Tegam', composed by Aneesh Kashalikar, together with the Uru Collective, showcases a diverse array of instruments from around the world, including Tamil Nadu’s yazh and Armenia’s duduk.
Yazh instrument; Aneesh Kashalikar with a duduk
CHENNAI: Music composer and multi-instrumentalist Aneesh Kashalikar, together with the Uru Collective, embarked on a mission to bring back ancient musical instruments. Their latest album Agandai Tegam showcases a diverse array of instruments from around the world including Tamil Nadu’s yazh and Armenia’s duduk. This five-minute fusion composition delivers a message about love prevailing over ego.
Boston-based musician Aneesh, who composed the song, expresses, “I wanted to create a music album that brings together diverse musical instruments from around the world. During my research, I discovered Tharun Sekar, known for his dedication to reviving ancient instruments like the yazh. Impressed by his work, I reached out to him with the idea. We began brainstorming together in 2023, and the song was recorded in August of the same year. But we released the song earlier this month.”
Kudamuzha instrument; Yazh instrument
Initially, they planned to create a song solely featuring the Armenian duduk and the ancient Tamil Yazh. “That’s how we started working together. However, as we collaborated, the piece naturally evolved, incorporating contributions from other performers. We expanded the ensemble to include additional instruments such as the daf, darbuka, talking drums, chenda, and more,” says Tharun.
The composition features male and female Tamil vocals by Pravekha Ravichandran and Iniyaal Karthikeyan. Tharun Sekar played the Sagoda Yazh and Seeri Yazh. Aneesh handled the Armenian duduk, reminiscent of the double reed like nadaswaram. Julian Reynoso contributed with the 4 string fretless. KR Keerthi Rathan showcased the kudamuzha, an ancient Sangam period drum, and the Daf percussion. Krishna Kishore added Indian and Middle Eastern percussion, including instruments like the daf, darbuka, talking drums, and chenda. Thomas Van Opstal managed the mix, while Frederik Dejongh mastered the music.
The song’s lyrics are inspired by the Silapathikaram from Sangam literature. Aneesh tells DT Next, “I drew a lot of inspiration from Tamil and Sangam literature while working on the song. My father is a Maharashtrian and my mother hails from a Tamil-speaking family settled in Bengaluru. So, it was a privilege to immerse myself in such rich literary works during the composition process.”
“The song’s lyrics portray the moment when a powerful warrior’s ego is humbled upon encountering a captivating girl, her words igniting passion within him as he witnesses her beauty amid the rain. Combining Indian, Middle Eastern, Latin, hip-hop, and other influences, the song offers a distinct flavour guaranteed to captivate listeners’ attention, and perhaps even prompt introspection,” Tharun remarks.
Aneesh aims to raise awareness about ancient musical instruments by incorporating a variety of them into the composition. “Only those deeply involved in the music industry are familiar with these instruments. There should be more awareness,” he asserts. “Through engaging collaborations like this, people have the opportunity to listen to and appreciate ancient instruments,” he concludes.
