The saxophone was invented in the year 1846 by Antoine-Joseph “Adolphe” Sax. It was usually played in concert, military and in marching bands and was popularised mainly by those music bands who played rock and roll and POP music.  

The saxophone was always considered as an instrument frequently used for western music, until Kadri Gopalnath changed the very definition of this instrument. It is said that Kadri Gopalnath, as a child, heard the saxophone being played by a band in the Mysore Palace. At that very instant he decided to learn the saxophone and vouched to master it. It took him nearly 20 years to master this complex western wind instrument. He was adept at playing the alto saxophone which he modified to suit the soft poignant notes of our Carnatic music. He was so successful at this adaptation that the doyen of Carnatic music Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer acknowledged Kadri Gopalnath as a “true Carnatic music genius”. 

His maiden live performance was for the Chembai Memorial Trust. The 1980 Jazz festival was the turning point in Kadri Gopalnath’s career. Hearing him play the instrument, John Handy, a Californian Jazz musician insisted that Gopalnath joins him on stage for a duet. The confluence of Handy playing in the Jazz style and Gopalnath playing in the Carnatic style, enthralled the audience and after that there was no looking back. Kadri Gopalnath was part of many music festivals all over the world, Jazz Festival in Prague, The Berlin Jazz Festival, Music Hall festival in Paris, the BBC Promenade Concert in London, etc. 

Director Balachander very effectively used Gopalnath’s prowess in his film ‘Duet’. The Padma Shri in 2004 and the Kalaimamani award in 1998 are among the many awards that were conferred on him. He was the Asthana Vidwan of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. 

His death on the 11th of October 2019 has wounded the hearts of many rasikas and connoisseurs of music. It is indeed a huge loss to the world of music.