Noted saxophonist Kadri Gopalnath dies at 69, K'taka CM condoles death

Kadri Gopalnath, the famed saxophonist has died at 69 on Friday following a prolonged illness. According to reports, Gopalnath was admitted to a private hospital in Mangaluru on Thursday. The 70-year-old artist is survived by his wife and three children. Gopalnath was suffering from age-related issues. Gopalnath was a Padma Shri awardee along with many other awards.

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Everything you need to know about Kadri Gopalnath

Gopalnath was born in 1950 in Mathikere's Sajipamooda village of DK district. Coming from a family that was completely into music, Gopalnath learned and aced at playing Carnatic music through saxophone under the guidance of Gopalkrishna Iyer of Kalaniketana, Mangalore. His father Taniyappa was a professional when it came to the Nagaswara, an instrument from South India. Gopalnath's first encounter with saxophone was in Mysore. He saw that the saxophone was used in the Mysore Palace band set.

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Upon looking up and hearing to the tunes of the saxophone, Gopalnath decided to learn and master his abilities at playing the saxophone. His debut concert was held in the Chembai Memorial Trust. The 1980 Bombay Jazz festival brought a new milestone in Gopalnath's life. John Handy, a jazz musician from California was present at the festival. Upon hearing Gopalnath play, Handy requested to play alongside him. That's when the blended performance of Jazz and Carnatic Music became an instant hit among the audience. The performance also set a new base for Gopalnath and paved way for his performances at the Jazz Festival in Prague, the Berlin Jazz Festival, the International Cervantino Festival in Mexico, the Music Hall Festival in Paris, the BBC Promenade concert in 1994 at London. Gopalnath has performed in many countries across the globe. One of his notable projects was with jazz flautist James Newton, when they created the Southern Brothers. 

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Karnataka CM condoles Kadri Gopalnath's death

Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa condoled the saxophonist's death.

"The death of Padma Shri award winner and the saxophonist with international fame Sri Kadri Gopalanath is sad. May his soul find peace. May the Lord have mercy on his family." said Yediyurappa

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