Chandrakaush Khamaj Berkeley 1967

Nikhil Banerjee | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 1, 1989)
• Original Release Date: June 1, 1989
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Raga
• ASIN: B000006NVY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,358 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Fanfare, March/April 1991 · Volume 14, Number 4

...disc occupies special place in a largely unavailable discography of a man who died too young in 1986.

Product Description

Indian Classical Music: live sitar concert, tabla accompaniment by Mahapurush Misra

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't Let the 3 Stars Fool You, January 4, 2005

By 

Pharoah S. Wail (Inner Space) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Chandrakaush Khamaj Berkeley 1967 (Audio CD)

The first thing I have to say is that either the previous reviewer mistakenly posted their review on the wrong product page, or this site mistakenly posted the review here. Raga Manomanjari is not on this disc. I have a feeling that the reviewer saw the "Berkeley 1967" on this disc and confused it with the correct disc. That disc doesn't seem to be available on this site (or at leas not anymore), but it is "Nikhil Banerjee - Manomanjari. Berkeley, 1968". It and several others not available here, are available at the Raga Records website... www.raga.com. I'm not sure why they aren't all available here.

Now for the music... to a certain extent, ignore the 3 stars. Nikhil is my favorite sitarist ever. For reviewing purposes, in terms of trying to help people who may only want to buy a few discs (rather than his entire discography), I think it's bad to give everything 5 stars. That doesn't narrow anything down for people. Plus, there are indeed some discs that are better than others, though none of them (that I have) are "bad". I hope that by rating his discs (all great, at the very least) as 3, 4, or 5 stars I can help people choose between the merely great and the absolutely incredible.

This is a great performance. Could we really expect anything less from one of the best sitarists of all time as he is accompanied by Mahapurush Misra, one of the best tabla players of all time? I don't consider this performance to be at the level of what is on the Afternoon Ragas Rotterdam 1970 disc, but then not much else is... anywhere.

Raga Chandrakaush is 20 minutes: alap, jor, and jhala. Raga Khamaj is 30 minutes: a short alap of only a few minutes, and gat in rupak tal and gat in fast tintal.

Nikhil's tone is amazing, as usual. His meends are so fluid and inventive... it's almost as if he is drawing lines with the notes, or sound-sculpting. There aren't any of the deep, menacing, monster bends here as on Afternoon Ragas, but this is still some fine playing. The mood is lighter here... not as dark and foreboding.

Actually he does some things here that are some of my favorite examples of his playing, though in a very different way from my favorite moments on Afternoon Ragas.

If you don't own Afternoon Ragas and you're just looking to buy one or 2 Nikhil discs I would definitely recommed that one over this one, but if you already love Nikhil and you're wanting more more more, this is a heck of an addition to your collection.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Indescribable!, August 29, 2007

By 

Andrew W "We are limited only by our imaginat... (Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chandrakaush Khamaj Berkeley 1967 (Audio CD)

I mean how can anyone realistically offer anything new to the discussion when it comes to the late Pandit Nikhil Banerjee? One simply cannot, and who would be so precocious as to try? certainly not I! This CD captures a pure moment and renders it for posterity; late afternoon sunlight streaming through woodland, illuminating leaves and cobwebs. It is the reverberation of the universe; all that is, has been and will be. It is as perfect as a cloud and as wondrous as an icicle waiting to drop. It is a carpet of frost and falling autumn leaves. It is the all of these things and more, SO much more.

One must not forget though, that there were two sublime forces at work that evening, and full credit needs extending to the late Pandit Mahapurush Misra on tabla for his exceptional playing.

If there has to be a drawback of this CD, then it would have to be the lack of any hint this is live, e.g. the audience clapping at the end, or ambient noises that ground the work. The recording is SUPERB, don't get me wrong, it is perfectly sharp, clear, crisp, colourful and bright, but a little too much so. I want to hear 1967 oozing through my speakers a little more. That, and the relative shortness of the performance which is an arbitrary comment anyway. Only those two points, but for me, that's enough to knock a star off. Anyway, thank-you Raga records for sharing these joys with us.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply great!, June 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Chandrakaush Khamaj Berkeley 1967 (Audio CD)

An absolute masterpiece! Raga Manomanjari is Pandit Nikhil Banerjee's own creation and reflects his musical intellect. The way he unfolds the subtleties of the raga is unbelievable. Excllent accompaniment by Mahapurush Misra