Subramaniam, a gifted South Indian counterpart to Jean-Luc Ponty’s electric violin, is an innovator in intelligent fusions between European, American, and South Indian classical music. Subramaniam was influenced by his father, an Indian violinist, as well as his mother who played the Indian vina. He formed a trio of violins with his brothers while still living in India, after quitting medicine to pursue a career in medicine. In 1974, he toured America and Europe together with Ravi Shankar (ex-Beatle George Harrison), recorded his first fusion album in Copenhagen in Garland in 1978, and also wrote material for Larry Coryell and Stu Goldberg. In the late 1970s, he settled in Los Angeles to pursue a doctorate degree in Western music at the California Institute of the Arts. He also taught South Indian music. In the 1980s, he led a band with Coryell and George Duke and recorded a number of fascinating Milestone LPs. One with Stephane Grappelli, which fuses classical music, electric and traditional jazz with South Indian music. Subramaniam also wrote works for classical orchestras. His Violin Concerto combines Hollywood-ish romantic music and South Indian instruments. In 1999, Subramaniam’s debut album for Erato Detour, Global Fusion, was released.
