Edward hits 'top word'

Edward Jayakody completes 35 tuneful years:

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

He is the blessed one and one who is blessed faces no failures. There are no lows in the musical career of Sri Lankan musician, vocalist, actor and music composer Edward Jayakody. In an era where most of the other singers follow music, Jayakody is one of the rare musicians who let music follow him. Completing 35 years in the field the musician whose lilting voice adorned many popular hits said that the idea of doing a one-man musical show had been in his mind for some time.

"A solo concert is something which reflects the virtuosity of an artiste. It should include a variety of music, from Indian Classical rhythms to western based musical compositions and diverse genres of songs such as children's songs, romantic tracks and religious numbers. Since only one person takes to the fore each of the songs which follow in a stream should be different from each other. Even the musical instruments should differ in rhythm and system," Jayakody noted adding that a one-man show is not suited for every vocalist in the scene.

"Some vocalists who have become popular overnight do engage in one-man musical programs but they hardly have enough experience to carry it off in the expected manner. It takes years of dedication and hard work to attain the level in which you feel that you are ready for the event," he added.

Taking Pandit W.D. Amaradeva's Sravana Ramani, Nanda Malani's Sathyaye Geethaya, Sanath Nandasiri's Swarna Kundala and Victor Ratnayake Saa as examples Jayakody said that these solo song concerts are still popular among music lovers.

"They pine for such events. Ratnayake will perform his 1400th Saa performance today and people are still mobbing the halls and queuing in for tickets to hear him sing. I used to be among the lot who never missed out on these performances. I even took part in the past Sravana Ramani and Saa concerts as a member of the chorus," he reminisced his days in the 1970s and 80s.

He says that he is still in the learning process as he has much to learn form these experts. A stage concert is expensive but the bright aspect of the matter is that with the elimination of terrorism, people are able to turn to art once again.

"People feared that unfortunate occurrences will take place even during musical performances as mobs gather to a specific place. They do not possess a clear mindset to bask in the tunes," he said.

A significant feature which sets Jayakody apart from other vocalists is that he has diverse styles of songs to his name. He had even rendered his voice to stage dramas, films and teledramas Speaking on this topic Jayakody attributed their ability to sing in different styles to the training they received while singing for the radio. Unlike the vocalists of today who popularize their creations through television, CDs, VCDs, DVDs and MP3s Jayakody and his contemporaries learnt music the hard way, backed by a live orchestra.

"Life is much easier today because of technology. You can sing a line today and complete the rest tomorrow. When we take part in a light music program we have to go to the studios armed with a mixture of diverse songs because listeners vie for different songs to follow each other in the programs. Unfortunately most of the songs found today follow a set style or beat. There is nothing different about their songs. This is the reason why most are still longing to listen to the golden oldies," he expressed.

Jayakody however states that there are quite a handful of talented novices in the scene. He says that they lack guidance to fine tune their talent.

"They are bound to various television stations and cannot break away from them to better themselves. We were trained to sing as well as play instruments as well as learnt about different genres of music across the world.

We were also constantly in the company of experienced vocalists and took part in many events in which we were a part of the chorus before going solo," the gifted vocalist who hails from Kegalle said.

"I not only share my ideas with my students but also relate to the experiences handed to me by my teachers. Students can take these into account, add a touch of their own innovative techniques and present a new piece of work."

Without limiting his skills to singing Jayakody had also dabbled with acting. He had played significant roles in plays like Muhandiram Hamuduruvo, Spartecus, Seccuva, , Nari Bena, Angara Ganga Gala Basi, Mawathe Api, Gajaman Puvatha and others.

"There are many gifted actors in the field today. Some of them are thespians and have developed their skills to portray any kind of role. Unlike music I haven't

studied acting. Music is my forte so I wished to proceed in that field," he revealed on why the audience do not see his acting skills on stage or screen.

He says that the highlight of his career is the opportunity he got to sing at the Sydney Opera House, Australia. Though a few Sri Lankan vocalists have performed there in the past, Jayakody received the rare opportunity to perform at the venue on three occasions.

The first occasion had arisen after the tsunami for a find raising show. A Sri Lankan migrant named Kithsiri Karunaratne had helped to organize the event. He had also performed at London's Millennium Dome along with a few other Sri Lankan artistes.

"I wish to collect folksongs and compose them into a CD. There are only a few songs which children can recite during playtime. We had a number of children's games but these have remained buried in the past. Some of my songs like Kopara Kopara Pipinya and Rajjuruwo Udai Udai made them aware of such games and these were brought to the urban society when such songs were included in school concerts," he concluded by reflecting his plans for 2010.

*********

Accolades

* Best Supporting Actor and best stage singer for Premalal Gange's stage play Muhandiram Hamuduruvo at the Youth Drama Festival in 1977

* Best Music Direction for Namal Priyadeva's stage play Nidhane at the Youth Drama Festival in 1979

* Best Music Direction for Kamal R. Wijetunga's stage play Aparadhaya Ha Danduwama in 1980

* Swarna Sanka Award for vocals in Roy de Silva's film Gedara Budun Amma

* Merit Award for music in K.B. Herath's stage play Mayadevi in 1984

* Best Music Direction for K.B. Herath's stage play Devani Mahinda at the State Drama Festival in 1998

*********

Jayakody's first solo concert Marambari

Celebrating 35 tuneful years, popular musician Edward Jayakody will hold his first solo musical show, Marambari, at BMICH on January 5 at 6.45 p.m. He would perform 24 popular songs made up of various genres such as love songs, patriotic songs, children's songs and others, live. Some renowned artistes will accompany Jayakody in the duets. Daughter Saranya Jayakody who had made a significant impact on the screen through creations like Siri Raja Siri and Sihina Kumari will sing along within the popular duet Sulangak Ve originally sung by Natasha Perera and Jayakody.

Rohana Weerasinghe is in charge of the music for Marambari which the team hopes to take to different areas in the country.

*********

Cassettes & CDs

Seethala Pini Matha

Karakena Rodey

Samanalaya Mala saha Lamaya

Ira Handa Yata

Kiri Kandulak

Akuru Makee Nae

Nawa Mihira

Nawa Ridma

Hiru Mandala

Dedunu Palama

..................................

<< Artscope Main Page