U Shrinivas
Former child prodigy U Shrinivas (who is also known as Mandolin U) is a musician in the Carnatic musical tradition of southern India. A virtuoso performer, he plays a tiny electric mandolin – adapted to make possible the ‘slides’ between notes necessary for Indian music – and has stunned and delighted both the classical Indian music community and Western guitarists including George Harrison. For this performance he is accompanied by his brother U Rajesh on mandolin and a ghatam and mridhangham artist.
Watch a short film about U Shrinivas, recorded during a visit to the UK's biggest world music festival, Womad.
- "A terrifyingly accomplished musician. the mandolin may be an unusual instrument of choice for an Indian, but in Shrinivas's hands it became a fascinating hybrid of sitar and blues guitar. He coaxed from it unearthly sliding effects before letting loose with the kind of blurred chromatic finger-work beloved of heavy metal guitarists"
- THE GUARDIAN
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Nitin Sawhney talks about U Shrinivas |
PART OF SVAPNAGATA FESTIVAL »
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