Biography Book – AR Rahman: The Musical Storm

Penguin India is publishing a first authorised biography on music composer AR Rahman titled “AR Rahman: The Musical Storm“.

AR Rahman: The Musical Storm biography written by Chennai-based Kamini Mathai will be published by Penguin India and will be priced at Rs 499.

In this book Rahman opens his heart about his fatcher death, his struggle as a teenager to keep the family afloat by playing sessions, missing schools, his reasons for embracing Islam and turning to Sufism, his discovery by Mani Ratnam and more.

“Jai ho” missed English millionth Word

Web 2.0 is the English Millionth Word , it is a technical term meaning the next generation of World Wide Web products and services.

Hindi word Jai ho narrowly missed the million mark and became the 999,999th term to enter the language.

Image : AR Rahman 2009 Oscar performance

Jai ho became popular outside India from the  Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, written and composed by music legand AR Rahman.

Jai Ho! and slumdog finished No. 2 and 4.

• Jai Ho! – a Hindi exclamation signifying victory or accomplishment
• Slumdog is an impolite term for children living in the slums.

Check out the list of 15 finalists and their rankings who competed for the English Millionth Word.

AR Rahman’s KM Conservatory – Admissions & Registration Details

Here is the details regarding A.R Rahman’s music school “KM Music Conservatory“.

The mission of the KM Music Conservatory is to provide students with a strong artistic, intellectual, and technical foundation for pursuing professional careers in music. The KM Music Conservatory and Audio Media Education will be India’s first Apple authorized training center, and it will be located at Chennai.

The KM Music Conservatory is located in Kodambakkam, Chennai, adjacent to the AM Studios complex and the Music Technology classes will be held at the Audio Media Education facility at Alwarpet. This is a temporary accommodation until 2009, when the larger facility will be available.

Cources offered by KM Music Conservatory

1)Preparatory
2)Foundation
3)Proposed (Degree and Post-Graduate )

Preparatory Program

Admissions are open to all regardless of education and prior music training (any age group). This part-time course will prepare students for admission into the Foundation Program.

Instruments currently offered:
Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello, Percussion, Hindustani and Western Voice, Guitar, and Harp

Proposed:
Double Bass, Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Saxophone

Duration: 2 to 5 Years Continue Reading >>

TIME names A.R.Rahman among 100 Most Influential People in the World

TIME Magazine has named Oscar winning music maestro A.R.Rahman as one of the 100 most influential people in the world under the category of Artistes and Entertainers. The list is published in the May 11th edition of the magazine. A.R.Rahman will perform at a dinner hosted by President Obama for those named in the list later this week.

TIME magazine about Rahman

In India, a country of a billion inhabitants, where film and pop music are one, A.R. Rahman, 43, dominates the music industry so totally that he has supplied the sound track for a whole generation. He enjoys the godlike devotion of India’s youth, but everyone from the street child who sweeps train platforms to the middle-aged doctor in Mumbai’s posh Malabar Hill hums his tunes.

Born in Chennai (formerly Madras) and raised on Tamil movies and music, Rahman converted to Sufism — a mystical form of Islam — in the late 1980s. It is easy to hear these influences in his work, but his genius lies in tying many forms of music together to make a sound that is at once familiar and new. He first gained widespread notice for Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film Roja (1992), then branched out into Hindi films and has succeeded in making Indian film music a global phenomenon. He has worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber and with Shekhar Kapur on Elizabeth and has influenced other gifted directors like Baz Luhrmann. This year he won two Oscars, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for giving Slumdog Millionaire its frenetic sound.

Rahman is a shy and quiet man, but his music has emotional force. Renowned for his immense range, he’ll do a traditional score for a conventional film, then blend exotic vocals with Japanese music and Western classical arrangements in his next project. A veritable Pied Piper, he has no competition, yet he makes it a priority to discover new talent and promote it. He has shaped modern India’s music for more than a decade. Now the “Mozart of Madras” has the world’s foot tapping along with him.

FULL list  The World’s Most Influential People