Ananda Nadamadum Tillai Sankara: Ragam - Savithri / Tala - Adi (8 Beats)

Ananda Nadamadum Tillai Sankara is a Carnatic classical composition performed by violinist L. Shankar on the 1981 album Who’s to Know. The track appears as side B of the original 12\" vinyl release under ECM Records.

The piece follows the Savithri raga and is set to Adi tala, an eight-beat rhythmic cycle. With a duration of 23 minutes and 45 seconds, the recording showcases Shankar’s adaptation of Carnatic traditions through his custom ten-string double violin. The composition’s title translates to \"The Blissful Sound of Tillai Sankara,\" referencing the deity Shiva in the sacred Tillai forest of Chidambaram.

Who’s to Know marked Shankar’s second solo album for ECM, produced by Manfred Eicher. The label’s characteristic minimalist production emphasized the violin’s tonal depth and Shankar’s improvisational interplay with the raga structure. The album’s format paired this track with another extended composition on side A, though specific details of the companion piece remain undocumented in the provided context.

No additional session musicians or accompanying artists are credited for this recording in the available information. The vinyl release adhered to ECM’s standard audiophile pressing techniques of the era, though reissue formats or digital remasters have not been confirmed from the given data.