T.H. Vikku Vinayakram, Selvagenesh, Swaminathan Selvaganesh_438

A 2016 interview and live performance with one of the great families of rhythm led by Grammy Award winner and Shakti percussionist T.H. Vikku Vanyakram, his son Selvaganesh (who would also win a Grammy with Shakti) and grandson Swamnithan Selvaganesh.   Recorded at the East Indian Music Academy, this is a legendary lineup: T.H. Vikku Vanyakram, ghatam;  Uma Shankar, ghatam; Selva Ganesh, kanjira and konokol; Swaminathan Selvaganesh, kanjira and konnakol; A. Ganesan, morsing; Avirodh Sharma, tabla.

We are rebroadcasting today to say happy 84th birthday to Vikkuji!

TH Vikku Vanyakram Rhythm has always been a quintessential facet of Carnatic music, and in the modern generation of percussionists, perhaps no other individual has mastered the intricacies and the laya endowments of the ghatam to such a great degree as Sri Thetakudi Harihara Vinayakram. T.H. Vinayakram, affectionately known as Vikku, has transformed himself into an international celebrity with his imaginative and beautiful drumming on the ghatam. Well known as a Carnatic artiste, Vikku came to international prominence as part of the famous fusion group Shakti, and went on to participate in many other international fusion music projects.

V. Selvaganesh Selvaganesh Vinyakaram is the world’s premiere performer on the kanjira, the South Indian frame drum. Like  T.H. Vinayakram, he is also a veteran of the fusion group Shakti with John McLaughlin winning a Grammy with the ensemble. 

Swaminathan takes forward his father Selvaganesh's efforts in making the diminutive kanjira be heard across the globe through his cross-genre collaborations. Under his grandfathers guidance and training, he brings out the mysticism of bhakti music and the traditional charm of classical notes through the kanjira beats.

Avirodh Sharma is one of the leading Tabla Players from the West Indies and the United States. He is featured on Zee TV, TV Asia, NPR radio on the leonard lopatte show, NY Daily News, and at the end of 2015 making an appearance on the Starz Network Season Premiere, "flesh and bone"..