T Brinda & Vegavahini Vijayaraghavan at University of Washington, Seattle, 1969

At the age of 57 (06/01/1969), Brinda's vocalisation, her aesthetics and her musicality was in its prime during this recording. It is not often that we get a chance to see these musicians tune their instruments and crack jokes while packing them up after the recording. This recording takes us back by 52 years and makes us feel like we were behind the camera listening to this in person. I am glad that Brinda and her music was recorded and preserved by Washington University.

00:00 - Meru Samana - Mayamalavagowla - Adi - Thyagaraja
08:43 - Tani Avartanam by T Ranganathan in Adi (2 Kalai)
15:00 - Varnam - Sri - Adi - Pallavi Gopala
17:08 - Tuning of the veena
19:33 - Amba Neelambari - Neelambari - Adi - Ponniah Pillai
27:22 - Packing up

While packing up, we get a glimpse of how Ponniah Pillai's magnum opus in neelambari would've sounded when Brinda sings it. This teaser has left me in search for this recording, please drop a comment if you have a recording of Brinda singing Amba Neelambari.

A performance by Carnatic musicians T. Brinda (voice, vina), T. Vega (voice, vina), and T. Ranganathan (mridangam). Recorded by Robert Garfias at the University of Washington.

The University of Washington Ethnomusicology Archives’ Garfias Film Collection contains recordings of ethnographic music and dance performances made by ethnomusicologist Robert Garfias during the 1960s and 70s. Garfias’s films, digitized in partnership with the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, include materials from Korea and the Philippines, as well as recordings of international artists made locally in Seattle, Washington.