9 Beats Naadhalaya Ghatam Mala

9 Beats Naadhalaya Ghatam Mala is a Carnatic instrumental album released by ghatam exponent Vikku Vinayakram. The recording features a solo performance by Vinayakram on the ghatam, a clay pot percussion instrument central to South Indian classical music. The album was published in 1990. The primary format is an audio cassette, though digital reissues exist. No record label is definitively associated with the original release in available sources.

Vikku Vinayakram performs nine distinct rhythmic compositions, each structured around a specific tala (rhythmic cycle). The album title references the nine beats (naadham) and the ghatam as the primary instrument (mala, meaning garland or sequence). The compositions demonstrate complex rhythmic patterns, improvisational segments, and traditional Carnatic percussion techniques. Specific track titles or detailed breakdowns of each composition are not documented in publicly available sources.

The duration of the album is 21 minutes and 26 seconds. The MusicBrainz Identifier (MBID) for this release is cd7fe17a-91f0-47fd-a11a-bd9669ca59ed. The album serves as a demonstration of Vinayakram’s virtuosity on the ghatam, a role for which he gained international recognition. His performances often emphasize clarity in stroke articulation and rhythmic precision within the Carnatic framework.

Vinayakram, born in 1942 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, is a Grammy Award-winning percussionist. He belongs to a lineage of musicians and began training under his father, T. R. Harihara Sharma. His contributions to Carnatic music include collaborations with artists such as L. Shankar, Zakir Hussain, and John McLaughlin as part of the fusion group Shakti. The ghatam remains his primary instrument, though he has also performed on the mridangam and kanjira.