S Janaki, an HMV best-seller LP and Devarajan’s ire.

[ This came originally as a detailed response from Sajith Bhaskaran to a post here on S Janaki, and knowing the amount of information he manages to pack to each response, strongly warranted a “place” of its own, and hence this post. S Jankai, P Madhuri and G Devarajan have always been an intersting trio for any Malayalam music buffs who care about Malayalam Film Playback history, for the musical creativity and output between them and a certain degree of intrigue that surrounded the great music director’s choices in vocals over some of the best-loved gems from Malayalam films of yore. Over to Sajith. ]

This is a note on the post of yours on the songs of S Janaki. Your selection of songs traverses through the path of Malayalam film music right from the sixties to the nineties.

In fact, HMV, in the late sixties released an album of selected songs of S Janaki and a few songs in that list are also found among your favourites.

Remembering MS Baburaj, on his birthday today

It is so rare, no, pretty much impossible, to love all the creations of a musician. There is an exception. The great MS Baburaj. I would like to dedicate this to his memory.

7 Oct 2011 | The MS Baburaj Memorial Mehfil at Kozhikode

News Credits & Courtesy : Malayala Manorama

MS Baburaj | 10 Melodies that refuse to leave you

If simplicity meant eternal elegance and grandeur, that would be speaking about Baburaj‘s songs. Baburaj’s melodies were the sonic equivalent of silk rustling across your face on a cool, pleasant evening, sitting out in the patio. It lulled you into a feeling of weightlessness and set off a handful of inexplicable emotions inside your heart you thought never existed. He did this mostly with a melody, a harmonium and mellow tabla for percussive effect. Baburaj must be credited with bringing the honeyed warmth of Hindustani to Malayalam playback singing and film music, and to which the land will remain eternally grateful.