MUMBAI: Music Today's brand-new album is a tribute to the doyen of Carnatic music M.S. Subbulakshmi by the renowned singer Bombay Jayashri. Through this album Bombay Jayashri pays homage to the great singer by rendering special & popular kriti-s from the vast classical repertoire of M. S. Subbulakshmi. This rare and special collection is a must for connoisseurs of music.

M.S. Subbulakshmi was the unparalleled legend of Carnatic classical music.  She was the unrivalled maestro of her times and was nothing short of a priceless jewel in the crown of Indian art and culture having won the Padma Bhushan in 1954, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1956, Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1968, the Padma Vibhushan in 1975, the Kalidas Samman in 1988 and The Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration in 1990. This inimitable singer was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

She has left her timeless music as a legacy to India classical music and her immortal voice resonates in the hearts of music lovers even today.

About Bombay Jayashri Born into a family of musicians with rich lineage and steeped in pedigree music, Bombay Jayashri Ramnath represents the fourth generation of music practitioners in her family. Jayashri has been groomed under the guidance of the legend Shri Lalgudi G Jayaraman and Smt T R Balamani. Jayashri, today not only bears the torch of the Lalgudi tradition, but has also evolved a distinct style of her own.

With a career extending over two decades, Jayashri is today among the most sought after Carnatic musicians. The myriad aficionados, spanning generations, that throng her concerts would bear ample testimony to this.

Her work has won her the acclaim of prestigious institutions in the form of prestigious awards such as the Sangeetha Choodamani and Nadabhooshanam.

Jayashri's repertoire of meditative music and rare poetry are best experienced through her compositions in her albums. She has also composed music for dance ballets and documentaries. In this manner, Jayashri has deployed the essence of the classical idiom most effectively in her search for avenues beyond the concert format. More recently she has harnessed her skills towards composing music as a powerful catalyst in promoting our rich legacy in literature and other art forms which opens up new vistas for exploring her creative instincts.

In her voyage as a cultural ambassador of India's rich heritage, Jayashri has performed extensively in India and abroad in the most prestigious foray, drawing critical acclaim wherever she performed. Jayashri has the rare privilege of being the first Carnatic classical performer in the Opera House in Durban and the Russian Opera House in Helsinki, Finland.

To say that her music is global would indeed be a truism. Her training in Hindustani Classical system has further helped her in this musical odyssey. Her researches into music are unending, and besides her musical performances, she continues to deliver workshops all over the world on the subject of World Music. Her contribution and involvement with schools where she has conducted workshops and interactive sessions to kindle interest amongst school children into our rich tradition of music is her way of giving back something of what she has gained. Her very limited foray into film music has won her the Flimfare award for the popular 'Vaseegara' that has drawn a new class of listeners into the world of classical music.

Jayashri represents the model emerging new generation musician India is proud of. A skillful blend of uncompromising adherence to the core tradition of classical carnatic music as well as a ceaseless quest for quality music in any form would best personify Jayashri

About M S Subbulakshmi

M.S. Subbulakshmi was undoubtedly the finest exponent of Carnatic music in India.

Her name is synonymous with the world of Carnatic music. Born on 16th September, 1916 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, this singer had a family that had a musical background. Her full name was Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi and she was fondly known as M.S.

M.S. Subbulakshmi started learning Carnatic music from an early age. Her first recording was released when she was 10 years old. She gave her first public performance at the age of sixteen. She received training in classical carnatic music under the famous Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and then learnt Hindustani classical music under Pandit Narayan Rao Vyas. Her performances have a vast variety of musical forms in different languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Gujarati and Marathi.

Subbulakshmi traveled to London, New York, Canada, the Far East, and other places as India's cultural ambassador. She has also performed at Carnegie Hall, New York; the UN General Assembly, the Royal Albert Hall, London and at the Festival of India in Moscow, which were some of the significant landmarks in her career. Her fan list included Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, among other elite people. Mahatma Gandhi commented that he would rather hear Subbulakshmi speak the songs rather than hear someone else sing it.

Some of her most famous works include Suprabhatam (Early Morning Hymns), Bhajagovindam (composed by Adi Shankaracharya praising Lord Krishna), Kurai Onrum Illai (composed by Rajagopalachari), Vishnu Sahasranamam (1000 names of Lord Vishnu) & Hanuman Chalisa (Prayers to Lord Hanuman), among others. In the year 1936, she met Sadasivam who was a freedom fighter and got married to him. But after his death in 1997, she stopped all her public performances.

M.S. Subbulakshmi was widely honoured, praised and awarded. Some of the popular awards include Padma Bhushan in 1954, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1956, Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1968, the Padma Vibhushan in 1975, the Kalidas Samman in 1988, The Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration in 1990. This flawless singer was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

Tracks---

List of Kritis---

1. Sri Varalakshmi – Sri Ragam - Muthuswami Dikshitar – 05:23

2. Makelara – Ravichandrika - Tyagaraja – 03:56

3. Sriman Narayana – Bowli - Annamayya – 05:10

4. Akhilandeshwari – Dwijawanti - Muthuswami Dikshitar – 11:23

5. Muruga Muruga – Saveri - Peryaswami Thooran – 07:39

6. Kurai Ondrum Illai – Ragamalika - Rajaji – 04:41

7. Saravana Bhava – Madyamavati - Papanasam Sivan – 05:23

8. Srinivasa Tiru Venkata – Hamsanandi - Papanasam Sivan – 05:00

9. Naanati Batuku – Revati - Annamayya – 06:04

10. Bhavayami Gopala – Yamunakalyani - Annamayya – 07:12