Southern California Concert covered in India Journal

07-28-2003, 04:41 PM

Sachchidananda Swami Heals and Calms at So Cal Recital

LONG BEACH, CA - The Center Theater at the Long Beach Convention
Center was the venue of a mystical and ethereal musical experience on
July 19 as Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji cast a spiritual spell
over a packed auditorium with his own special brand of devotional
music at a spiritual healing and meditation concert organized by the
Datta Yoga Center of USA. Sitting behind a horseshoe of baskets with
colorful flowers Sri Swamiji set the mood for the evening by letting
the soothing strains of the tampura to soak the consciousness of the
listeners. He said he chose the synthesizer as his instrument as it
provides such a range of sounds which he could tap to produce the
necessary vibrations for maximum effect. His music he explained was
different - neither North nor South Indian, neither classical nor
light but a mixture of rhythmic and non rhythmic sequences to bring
calm and peace to the mind of the listener. Thereafter for over a
couple of hours Sri Swamiji proceeded to fill the auditorium with his
special variety of mesmerizing and haunting music. The structure of
the concert was along those of a South Indian classical performance
with each piece commencing with an alaap type introduction followed
by melody with swara phrases ending with a crescendo not unlike one
in the North Indian classical tradition. The ragas Sri Swamji chose
to use for the evening were drawn from the South Indian version
starting with Rishya Ketupriya. In Kalyani which is reputed to induce
sleep he vocalized a bhajan " Jai Jai Ganapathy " asking the audience
to let the mind drift into slumber. He then elaborated on Gaanamurthi
which helps in the healing of sinus and skin problems. The raga of
the evening was the captivating Abheri in which Sri Swamiji used
English lyrics in the refrain " O Mother Mary Bless your children."
It was in his presentation of Charukesi that he brought forth his
total mastery over the synthesizer producing effects of crashing
waves of the ocean and extraterrestrial sounds of space. It had the
spectacular effect of an orchestral overture in a film extravaganza
with sounds engulfing the entire auditorium and gripping the audience
in a cosmic trance. The piece ended with an appropriately resounding
percussion interlude during which Sri Swamiji walked through the
aisles of the auditorium audience blessing the listeners . The music
of Sri Swamiji seemed to have different effects on the audience which
was a mixture of local American and the North and South Indian
communities. The Americans were seen totally submerged in sound, some
with eyes closed with a peaceful countenance while others swayed with
the music or nodded their heads to the rhythm or tapped their feet.
Due to familiarity with the basic music construction the South Indian
section in particular appeared to be following the music rather than
permitting the sound effects to set in. Sri Swamiji was provided
vocal and cymbal support by Swami Manasa Datta and Mani Narasimham on
vocal and keyboard. The rhythmic percussion effects and tempo were
provided by Shankar Ramesh on the mridangam and Mahesh Bhat on the
tabla. From a very early age Sri Swamiji was musically inclined it
was not long before he was recognized as a Siddha Nadayogi who can
transmit spiritual energy through sound. Over the years he has
spontaneously produced thousands of bhajans and other compositions ,
each filled with beejaksharas or subtle seed letters which allows
each piece to be as potent as a powerful mantra. In a brief
introduction Sri Swamiji explained the healing and meditational
qualities of music.

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