Raag Kafi Espresso | Electrified Veena | Rajhesh Vaidhya | Music of India

#darbarfestival | “I saw a wire lying on the floor in my hotel room. It turned out to be an electric wire. I strung it on to my instrument and loved the sound…” (Rajhesh Vaidhya) ► Join our newsletter at for the finest in Indian classical music and dance, and watch full length exclusive concerts in pristine HD on the Darbar Player: If a few brief minutes of Rajhesh aren’t enough…watch his full 50-minute performance of Kafi Espresso in pristine HD on the Darbar Player, along with dozens of other captivating concerts: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Learn more about the music: Rajhesh Vaidhya was born into a musical family in Tamil Nadu - his father K.M. Vaidyanathan played mridangam, and ghatam master Vikku Vinayakram is a relative. But the young Rajesh followed his mother’s wish to play Saraswati veena rather than percussion, training first under Jayalakshmi and Rama Nambinarayanan before receiving advanced technical instruction from Chitti Babu, a legend of the instrument. His penchant for technology soon found its way into his musical approach, as he took the controversial step to electrify his veena to allow for amplification, and restrung it with a type of wire usually found in DIY toolkits rather than music shops. The new sonorities opened up avenues in film composition - he has written for A.R. Rahman, K. Balachander, and his brother-in-law S. Ve. Shekher. Alongside this he leads Maya, a fusion group, and worked with musicians including Elton John. He stays rooted in classical tradition through continuing study with violinist L. Shankar, and through teaching at Ravna, his own veena school. But he brings distinctly modern touches to all he does, recently getting a tattoo of a veena on his arm, and naming this energetic rendition of Raag Kafi as ‘Kafi Espresso’. Recorded at Darbar on 4 Apr 2010, at London’s Barbican Centre -Rajhesh Vaidhya (veena) -HS Sudhindra (mridangam) Darbar believes in the power of Indian classical arts to stir, thrill and inspire. Through shared experiences and digital connectivity we ensure that one of the world’s finest art forms reaches the widest possible audience. Founded in 2006, we deliver premium quality live events, music education, broadcasts and online engagement through promoting artistic innovation and creative technology. We are also committed to providing a platform for new talent from India and the UK. All Rights Reserved ©2019 Darbar Arts Culture Heritage Trust