Customer Reviews

Call of the Valley

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Call of the valley" is to Indian classical music what "Hamlet" is to the English theater or "Mona lisa" is to the European painting - a milestone that is destined to remain the gold- standard forever. Quite possibly the highest selling album of Indian classical or instrumental album of all time, it is still finding - after three decades - new listeners who find listening to the album to be one of the most fulfilling experiences of their life. The music is simple. It is profound. It is mesmerizing. It is also revolutionary. On santoor(hammered dulcimer), flute and guitar three maestros created six simple pieces, about six-seven minutes each, and presented essence of six ragas. They say the theme is romantic. One of the instruments represents the natural ambiance and the other two represent a man and a woman courting. You may or may not get this but you will understand that this are hymns to mother nature. The beauty is that you don't have to be a connoisseur, you don't even have to know the first thing about Indian classical music to enjoy this. It simply pulls you in. In fact this is the music that has initiated hundreds of thousands of young people in India into the Classical music - even if just as a listener. As you learn more about the classical music your pleasure turns into respect for the music that you know took more evolved individuals than an average person or an average musician to create!

From the other reviews, you will notice a consensus regarding this recording. All are Indian music fans of one sort or another, but each expresses a distinction regarding this recording that elevates Call Of The Valley above other Indian music albums available in the West.

I've been experimenting with Indian music for a decade now, my first exposure being with Jai Uttal, a student of Ali Ahkbar Khan. No one is unexposed to Ravi Shankar who is interested in Indian music. It just goes with the territory when searching through the genre, and to be fair he is an excellent artist. Yet, I always knew there was something pure in Indian music that I was missing when I purchased or listened to these other artists who have been thrust upon the West as the flag bearers of the Raga, sitar, and tabla. Even those inexpensive off-brand traditional Indian music albums seem too conservative and lack the heart and soul that India's spirituality is known for and offered a more conservative recording.

It was not until I came across this album that I found what I had been searching for all this time, perhaps without truly knowing it. This is the first item on Amazon I am granting a 5 star rating. Call Of The Valley ...... how does one describe it? There is something to this album that is unique and magical. Many of the albums that I've listened to, such as The Best Of Shakti are artistic in their own merits, but do not have the ability to transport me to another place, whether it is the fertile valleys of India or an astral voyage of my own making. Call Of The Valley has this power. It is not just a musical summoning (from its title), it is an enchantment for the listener.

If you are a newbie and planning to explore Indian classical music, then start with this album!

This recording, released in 1968, is the best selling Indian classical music album ever released in India. The choice of Ragas - which represent a shepherd's journey from morning to evening - is just excellent. The three instruments - the hundred-stringed Santoor that gives sounds of water flow, the soul-stirring Flute, and the innocent Hawaian Guitar - blend seamlessly and each artist gets equal 'musical space'. Indian classical music is steeped in spirituality and this album gives a quick but very effective introduction to the ocean of Indian music, especially to the uninitiated.

In addition to the five original tracks, this CD also has three more bonus solo tracks, one for each of the three musicians, as follows:
Mishra Kirwani Dhun - Shivkumar Sharma
Bageshree - Hariprasad Chaurasia
Gara Dhun - Brijbhushan Kabra

The most interesting thing about "Call Of The Valley" is that it marked the beginning of extremely successful musical journeys for three of India's greatest instrumentalists. And each of these musicians is a pioneer in his own instrument to the extent that their names have become synonymous with the respective instruments. Shivkumar Sharma and Hariprasad Chaurasia (Shiv-Hari) have produced major Santoor-Flute duets like "Jugalbandi", "The Valley Recalls (I & II)", "Rasadhara (I & II)", as well as more than 100 solo albums each!

HPR

I'm married to an Indian and travelled in india numerous times and this is the best, and most accessible to western ears, piece of classical Indian music I've heard.

Do yourself a favour and listen to it.

What a joy to find this available again... I bought it 25 years ago on LP, and thought I would never hear it again. It's a confection - sweet, light, joyful.

The fourth star in this rating is as much for the historical importance of this album. Recorded in 1968, it was for many people the first introduction to Indian classical music, other than Ravi Shankar. In particular, it made Shivkumar Sharma and Hariprasad Chaurasia, then aged about 30 and on the cusp of great international careers, better known to audiences outside of India.

I find the album itself to be enjoyable enough; however, it is not the first CD I reach for when I wish to enjoy quality Indian music. The problem for me is that Indian classical music at its finest sees the musicians improvising and exploring a Rag to its logical ends. A performance of a single Rag can easily last for at least an hour or more, but none of the tracks on this CD last for more than 12 minutes. Indeed, the original album was less than 40 minutes long, owing to the technological limitations of the day. In other words, the subtleties and complexities of the classical Rag cannot be given their due in a 6 to 12 minute performance.

That being said, I still believe the perfomances are top notch and deserve listening. However, do not consider this to be the last word in Indian music.

A real 'find' this one. I bought this via its inclusion in "1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die" and its discovery, alone, justifies the purchase of the book.

Although unmistakably Indian in origin(and is indeed classified as Indian classical music), the music is, nonetheless, instantly appealing in a way that reaches beyond national boundaries. Most people would be familiar with the Indian music of Sitar and Tabla. So perhaps the most immediately striking thing is the prominence of the Kashmiri Santoor(a hammered dulcimer) and flute which, along with Guitar and Tabla weave their, at times complex and at others simple, but always gorgeous patterns together.

The music is beautifully soothing and relaxing but never threatens to fall into muzak territory, rather it has a gentle intensity which focuses the listeners attention while allowing them to be carried off to some other place...It is also very engaging and never 'difficult'.

I certainly don't consider myself any sort of an expert on Indian classical music and some will tell you that there are greater works and finer examples of the form but most people would agree that this is an excellent introduction to the genre. But regardless of category It is certainly some of the most incredible music I have heard in a long time.

But not the best of the collaborations between P. Hariprasad and P. Shivkumar. The sound quality is also somewhat poor. In certain tracks the tabla only comes through on one side. I would recommend getting The Valley Recalls vol. 1 first. There you will find better sound quality, more meditative, spiritual, beautiful playing. It's an amazing CD.

Simply magnificent. I was somewhat ambivalent towards Indian music until I heard this CD. The music draws you into another world - another time.

I am an ABCD. I used to think my parents were crazy when they tried to get me to listen to Classical Music. At the time I would have much rather listen to Hip Hop. But this one, I've been listening to everywhere, since I was in highschool. Its great car and study music. But the best part is, it prompted me to learn more about classical music, and develop my own tastes. Now I listen to original classical music, as well as fusion and remixed.