Mangalore: Noted saxophone player Kadri Gopalnath died on Friday morning. Kadri Gopalnath was 69 years old, breathed his last at a hospital in Mangalore. Kadri Gopalnath, conferred with Padma Shri, is credited with popularizing Carnatic music playing on the saxophone. The family has said that he was ill for the last three months and was admitted to the hospital on Thursday night.
Kadri Gopalnath is survived by his wife and three children, one of whom is Mashheer musician and singer Manikanth Kadri. Born to Thaniyappa and Gangamma at Nagri in Bantwal taluk, Kadri was given the primary education of saxophone by his father. When his father moved to Kadri, he got a chance to learn Carnatic music from music scholar N. Gopalakrishna Iyer. The saxophone was a Western instrument and it was difficult to play Carnatic music, so Gopalanath had to work hard.
After class, he used to sit in the Pandav Guhe near Kadri Jogi Mutt and practice. He once said – “In those days the area of Jogi Mutt was empty and it was the best place for me to practice and improve my skills. This place was full of trees and nature helped me to focus on my goal. I moved to Chennai due to fewer occasions here and I found the best mentor in TV Gopalakrishnan. By performing on platforms around the world, I consider myself lucky, but Mangalore gave me that platform and laid the foundation of my career.
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