L. SHANKAR – The Cinematic Violinist!

1. You have a new album called “Christmas From India”, how did you decide to record it?         

I wanted an international flavour, something which transcends and communicates to a large audience since Christmas is a celebration across the world and brings joy to everyone. I wanted to portray that musically. It was recorded in India and in LA in my Sri Music Studio. I have an awesome engineer Jeff Gross (Studio 144) in Los Angeles where we mixed and mastered. I worked on this album from April to July. 

2. The album also includes 2 original compositions written by you,“Christmas Time” and “Saviour.” How did you approach Christmas (musically speaking) in these songs?         

Christmas is a joyous occasion,  time to celebrate, everyone to come together commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, a cultural celebration by billions of people around the world and I wanted to portray that musically so everyone can enjoy and  sing along with these songs. I wrote these songs with an international flavour so it can be enjoyed universally for all ages and cultures. I have lived in different parts of the world during Christmas time and I know this feeling of pure joy and celebration. ” Christmas Time ” and ” Saviour ” are a reflection of this.

3. The album has a cinematic atmosphere, did you have any influences from the world of cinema, during the recording of this album?         

Most of  my music has cinematic influence, I see and hear my music visually like watching movies. I have been involved in the film industry since I was young. My elder brother L. Vaidhyanathan was a famous sought after film composer and an amazing musician in South Indian films. I have worked on his films while I was a teenager then later in US I have worked on numerous films such as ” The Last Temptation of Christ “, ” Jacob’s Ladder “, ” Robin Wood “, Jennifer 8 “, ” White Sands “, ” Ali “, ” Rabbit Proof Fence “, ” Queen of the Damned “, The Passion of The Christ ” and many more    where my voice was mainly featured. All my solo albums and collaboration projects have cinematic sound and feel to it. 

4. Who are the other musicians participating on this music album?          

Myself on vocals, double violin, keyboard . I have many musicians from India playing Sitar, Santur, Tavil, Mridangam, Tabla, Tanpura, Ghatam, Kanjira, Dolak and many more Indian instruments and western instruments such as guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, percussion and programming. I have to give a special mention to my incredible, dedicated engineer Jeff Gross who did an amazing job mixing and mastering. 

5. What do you remember from your collaboration with Frank Zappa and U2?          

Frank Zappa was a genius. He was always ahead of his times, so versatile in different  styles of music. I was signed to his ZAPPA label and he produced my record ” Touch Me There ” in 1978, 79. We recorded the album in England in a month’s time. It was such an awesome experience working with him. I had some wonderful musicians from England on that album including Frank. I can never forget that time. Working with U2 they are such a great band . I performed with them as a guest singing and playing violin. It was such a memorable experience.

 6. You designed your own invention, the 10 string stereophonic Double Violin. Would you like to talk to us about it?

” Necessity is the mother of invention “. When I was recording my solo album with Frank Zappa I overdubbed different instruments like violin, viola, cello etc . I used to have different instruments for my various genres of music I was involved with. It was difficult to carry all these instruments during my international tours so I wanted to design one instrument which can cover the range of the whole orchestra, guitar sounds , keyboards, flute etc. The result was my own design of a 10 string stereophonic Double Violin ( also known by my fans as LSD – L. Shankar’s Double violin ) , 1st of its kind. I was designing it in 78, 79. I got the gifted luthier Ken Parker of Styvesant Music in New York City who built it for me. The 1st album I used the double violin was on my solo album ” Who’s to Know ” for ECM Records and on Phil Collins debut solo album ” Face Value “. Since then I have used my double violin only on all my solo and other projects I collaborated with various artists. Presently I’m using the 3rd version. First 2 versions were built by Ken Parker. Latest 3rd version was built by Jon Peterson.

7. When did you move from India, and how did you enter the world of mainstream success?         

I moved out of India during my teenage years to the USA. I was very fortunate to be working with some awesome established musicians by the time I was 23 and touring around the world. I formed a band called Shakti with the British guitar virtuoso John McLaughlin . I wrote all the material for the group with John. The other 2 members being Zakir Hussain and Vikku Vinayakram. Around that time I met Frank Zappa and used to jam with him everyday during the huge European outdoor festivals. Frank signed me to his label Zappa Records and produced my solo album ” Touch Me There “. Around that time I met Phil Collins he was with Genesis then we used to meet at his studio at Guildford and worked together often. I appeared in his first solo album ” Face Value ” . I met Peter Gabriel after that . Peter invited me to work with him and I appeared as a special guest singing and playing violin for his solo records, soundtracks and world tours. I used to open for him during the ” Secret World Tour “.  I met so many other musicians and collaborated such as Pete Townsend ( The Who ), Jeff Beck, U2, Midge Ure, George Harrison, The Pretenders, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Jonathan Davis ( Korn ), Robert Trujillo ( Metallica ) , Stephen Perkins ( Jane’s Addiction )  John Lydon ( Public Image, Sex Pistols) and the list goes on.    

8. You have composed music for various soundtracks, including the controversial “The Last Temptation of Christ” by the legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese. What do you remember from this collaboration?         

Very fond and creative memory. We worked in a studio in New York City. It was just Martin, me and his small white sweet dog which would jump up and sit on the center seat in the studio everyday. It was very spontaneous work. He would explain to me about the different emotions, feelings attached to the scenes and I would sing and play the violin to create and match different ideas to what he was looking for. It was an incredible experience working with him, a very moving and intense film. 

9. How do you technically approach your violin playing when you have to play in a big live event?

I approach big or small live events the same. Whenever I play, first I play for myself. I’m the hardest critic of my music and performance. First I play for myself, if I’m happy and convinced with it then it can reach a large audience. I don’t prepare normally for shows. I have shows everyday in my home or hotel wherever I am just for myself,  practicing and performing in my various genres of music. I don’t miss a day , like eating food or breathing. It’s like an olympic long distance runner. I can’t miss a day unless I am travelling or sick. This method has always worked for me without fail and I’m always ready for any show. 

10. What are your next music plans?            

Presently I’m in India and promoting my new album. I have an awesome studio here and working on future projects plus some shows mostly online. I will be back to the US to promote my ” Christmas from India ” album and to complete work on some Hollywood blockbuster movies.  I have a US tour in April.  I have a tour in Australia for a month but all these dates will depend on the COVID 19 situation . Never experienced such chaos in my life. I hope everyone is doing well and keeping safe in Greece . My best wishes to you all. I love Greece. 

More information: L. Shankar – Singer, Violinist, Composer, and Producer (lshankar.com)