L. Shankar

Lakshminarayana Shankar (born 26 April 1950), is an Indian violinist, singer and composer who goes by the stage name Shenkar. Known as a world music icon for his significant contributions to world music,

With Peter Gabriel, he worked on the Grammy Award winning album Passion (1989), which was the soundtrack album for Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). He also wrote and performed vocals on Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ (2004) which won a Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year at the 36th GMA Dove Awards. Shankar worked on the soundtrack for the 2002 film Queen of the Damned with Jonathan Davis and Richard Gibbs and recorded eight songs of which five were picked for the movie.

Early life, family and education Lakshminarayana Shankar was born in Madras, India, on 26 April 1950 as the sixth child into a family of musicians. His three sisters studied vocal music whereas Shankar and his two brothers - Lakshminarayana Vaidyanathan and Lakshminarayana Subramaniam were trained in both vocal music as well as violin playing. His father Vaidyanatha Lakshminarayana was a renowned Carnatic vocalist and violinist and his mother Lakshminarayana Seetalakshmi was a trained singer and played the veena.

By the age of three, Shankar was deeply immersed in music, regularly listening to the lessons his father gave to his older siblings and other disciples. Though considered too young to play an instrument and unable to participate, he memorized many of the songs they practiced through constant listening and was able to sing along. He recalled, 'When my brothers practiced violin, I would imitate with an imaginary violin made of two sticks.' often performing solo concerts that lasted between two and three hours. By the age of 17, Shankar had become a highly sought-after violinist, performing regularly on national television and recorded several albums. and his father tried to acquire an engineering seat for him. Shankar, however, believed that music was his true calling.

Influences Shankar was encouraged by his father to absorb influences from the Northern Indian music traditions as well as Southern Indian traditions. According to Shankar "there is not one music that is superior to another – just different ways of expressing the beauty of our culture." At Wesleyan University, he studied world music and learnt the music systems of different cultures. Shankar had always been open to experimentation in music. He often merged Carnatic & Hindustani styles in his performances which he designed and had it made by Ken Parker of Stuyvesant Sound in New York. The instrument made its debut in 1981 on Phil Collins' solo album Face Value, as well as on Shankar's own album Who's to Know. He made a prototype with cardboard and spent about a year and a half improving the design. According to Shankar, "It was not easy to get anyone to take my violin seriously until I crafted one myself putting it together piece by piece and then suddenly they responded". He and Parker spent hours testing various materials and forms and he made sure that both necks were equally strong to avoid a tendency to predominantly play on only one. In addition to providing a wide range of 11 octaves (5 ½ octaves on each neck) , playing on one neck produces a sympathetic effect on the other. The horizontal rib can be positioned beneath the chin or supported against the chest (Indian style) while playing. According to him, "It's musically more satisfying". It features performances by renowned musicians such as Don Cherry, TH Vinayakram, and Trilok Gurtu. The film was also nominated for best documentary at the Cannes Film Festival."This concert is in memory of my father, V. Lakshminarayana and this is the first World Music Festival - Lakshminarayana Festival - in Bombay. We had the same festival in America a few months ago - in San Francisco and Los Angeles."|L. Shankar, Bombay and All That Jazz, 1992

Career

1960s–1975 Violin Trio

Shankar, along with his brothers L. Vaidyanathan and L. Subramaniam, pioneered the trend of sibling ensembles performing Carnatic music. Prior to that, Carnatic violin had been primarily a solo instrument or used as an accompaniment in vocal concerts. They recorded several albums as the Violin Trio.

1973–1984: Shakti (formerly known as Turiyananda Sangeet) Turiyananda Sangit - performed on March 16, 1975, at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in New York Turiyananda Sangit (1975) featuring L. Shankar, John McLaughlin & R. Raghavan The original line-up, formed in 1973 consisted of Shankar on violin, John McLaughlin on guitar, R. Raghavan on mridangam, Mahalakshmi Eve McLaughlin (tamboura) and Tanima (shruti box). Before Shakti became known under this name, they were called Turiyananda Sangit, a name given to them by Sri Chinmoy, literally translated as 'the pinnacle delight in music' Zakir Hussain was later added on tabla and the name was changed to Shakti as the band members wanted a name that "listeners in the West could relate to". In 1978, Shankar was listed fourth among Established Violinists by Downbeat's Critics Poll, and came in second in the TDWR ("Talent Deserving Wider Recognition") division. During this period, Shankar took on the role of playing the electric violin and toured alongside Frank Zappa, succeeding Jean-Luc Ponty in the position. The experience led to Zappa producing and contributing lyrics for his debut 1979 American solo album, Touch Me There. In 1979, Shankar briefly joined McLaughlin's One Truth Band, which also included Fernando Saunders on bass, Stu Goldberg on keyboards, and Tony Smith on drums, to record the studio album, Electric Dreams.

Between 1982 - 1984, Shakti regrouped for a reunion tour in India, this time with Shankar performing on the double violin. In 1982, Larry Coryell filled in when McLaughlin had injured one of his playing fingers.

Shakti regrouped again in 1997 under the name Remember Shakti. However, the new line-up excluded Shankar.

1979: Touch Me There by Zappa Records

Shankar met Frank Zappa in 1978 while they were both working at a pop festival in Germany and during a casual jam session, Zappa extended an invitation for him to play with his band in New York. Following the dissolution of Shakti, Shankar toured briefly with Zappa, which resulted in him signing the violinist to his label. In 1979, they released Touch Me There, an album that featured Shankar's electric five-string violin and vocals alongside guitarist Phil Palmer and drummer Simon Phillips. The album was produced in England, featuring a British rhythm section. Most of the compositions were Shankar's, while Zappa handled the arrangements and wrote the lyrics that were included in the album. According to Zappa, "it's got a lot of stuff that's' definitely going to hit the radio right where it lives."

1980–1985: Who's To Know, Vision & Song For Everyone From left: Zakir Hussain, Manfred Eicher, L. Shankar, Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman In the 1980s, Shankar released several albums under the ECM label, his first being Who's To Know, featuring his double violin and accompanied by Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman on mridangam and Zakir Hussain on tabla. According to ECM reviewer, Tyran Grillo, the album "will ever remain an ECM jewel" owing to Shankar's signature style and melodic sensibility. In 1984, Shankar released his second ECM album, Vision, accompanied by saxophonist Jan Garbarek and trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg. In an AllMusic review, Richard S. Ginell describes the album as "an ethereal tour-de-force" that is reassuringly easy to listen to. According to J.D. Considine from The Washington Post, Shankar's "solo recordings avoid entirely the excesses of fusion jazz" and instead, "pursue a plangent serenity... that suggests a transcendence unheard in jazz." and remarks that while traditionalists in the Carnatic music sphere may find Shankar's modern touches unconventional, "the music soars in ways that far outsoar its criticism."

1995–2006: WOMAD & special projects Shankar's band collaborated in Peter Gabriel's 1995 WOMAD shows in Spain and toured globally, performing in several humanitarian events including The Concert for Global Harmony, Fiddlefest (a benefit for the Harlem Center For Strings) and Nelson Mandela's 80th Birthday celebrations. During this period, Shankar subsequently released the pop-oriented album One in a Million (2001) and the world music album Celestial Body (2004). Shankar wrote 'Palaces' as a song dedicated to children worldwide. The song was performed in Peter Gabriel's Secret World Tour and the second annual World Peace Music Awards in San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza, to benefit all the orphans of war and terrorism. In September 2004, he received the World Peace Music Award and in that same year, he composed and performed vocals and played the double violin on Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, along with composers Jack Lenz and John Debney.

Shankar has also performed with Elton John, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Yoko Ono, Stewart Copeland, John Waite, Charly García, Steve Vai, Ginger Baker, Nils Lofgren, Jonathan Davis and The SFA and Sting.

Legacy Music critic Jerry Ozipko described L. Shankar as "having improvised some of the most daring, exuberant, and technically proficient music imaginable" on the violin while Simon Dove, from Bazaar Magazine said Shankar's "phenomenal capacity for improvisation remains unsurpassed." According to Downbeat's Critics Poll, he was listed fourth among Established Violinists, and came in second in the "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" division in 1978.

Discography

Shakti (with Shakti) (1975) A Handful of Beauty (with Shakti) (1976) Natural Elements (with Shakti) (1977) Violin Ecstasy (1978) Touch Me There (1979) Who's to Know (1980) Vision (1984) Song for Everyone (1985) The Epidemics (1986) Do What You Do (1986) Eye Catcher (1987) Galaxy (1989) Pancha Nadai Pallavi (1989) M.R.C.S (1989) Nobody Told Me (1990) Soul Searcher (1990) Raga Aberi (1995) Enlightenment (1999) Eternal Light (2000) One in a Million (with Gingger Shankar) (2001) Celestial Body (2004) Open the Door (2007) In a Box (2012) The Revelation (2013) Champion (2014) Transcend (2015) Face to Face (2019) Chepleeri Dream (2020) Christmas from India (2021) Over The Stars (2024) Full Moon (2024)

Filmography The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) (double violin) Bombay Jazz (1992, documentary) Secret World Live (1994) (double violin, backing vocals) Queen of the damned (film) (2002) (double violin) The Passion of the Christ (2004) (vocals, double violin) Heroes (2006–2009, TV series) (vocals)