American on a desi roll

[1]

His name is as refreshing as his fusion music and quite misleading too. Meet Shankar Tucker, who has stolen many an Indian heart with his musical creations on YouTube Channel, ‘The Shruti Box’ over the past few years, a true-blooded American.

His parents were devotees of Matha Amrithanandamayi and she christened him Shankar. Malayalis who love his songs have reasons to cheer as the talented instrumentalist-cum musician is collaborating with Rex Vijayan for the upcoming Malayalam movie English, directed by Shyamaprasad. The song ‘Aakashamey...’ will be rendered by singer-actor Rohan Kymal, with Shankar playing the clarinet in it.
“I just got an email from Shyamaprasad and Rex, and of course, I am a big fan of their work, so it was a no-brainer for me. I just recorded the first draft of some clarinet tracks and sent them to Rex. Hope the song turns out alright,” says Shankar who plays a variety of Indian musical instruments and has trained under renowned maestros of Indian music, including Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia.
Around 2011, his YouTube Channel featuring cover versions of many Indian film songs, especially that of A.R. Rahman, was launched. Backed by the freshness of the songs, uniqueness of presentation, and of course the ‘wow’ factor triggered by a handsome, young foreigner playing Indian instruments, The Shruti Box was an instant hit.
Recalling the days, Shankar says, “It wasn’t so much a planned move. I was just uploading some experiments on YouTube. I never planned it to be a big series, but just wanted to have fun making music and share it with people.”
What draws him to a song to give it a rebirth? “Generally, I go for a song that the singer really enjoys. Whichever singer I am working with, I give them a choice of their favourite songs and then together we decide on something. I actually prefer to work on classical or classically inspired tunes than film songs, but of course there are some great film songs as well. All of A.R. Rahman’s compositions are very inspiring.”
Shankar has composed music for an upcoming film called Orey Nyabagum in Chennai directed by V. Vignarajan, which will be released in Tamil and Telugu.
“I am happy with how all the songs have turned out. I am now looking forward to seeing the complete film,” says Shankar, whose dream is to have an evergreen hit. He says Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia is one of the biggest influences on him.
“He is the most inspiring instrumentalist of his generation, in my opinion. Whenever I am in a musical slump, I listen to his recordings and get inspired by his improvisations,” says Shankar as he signs off.