Customer Reviews

Portrait of Genius

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

 

 

This is a good Indian CD.It's different in that there's a few more instruments present than on other Shankar CDs. Besides the great tabla of Allah Rakha,there's flute(Paul Horn) and santoor.Also there's a little more melody here, so it kind of has the feel of "Paul Horn in India"or"Call of the Valley". I like it because it's somewhat lighter than some of the deep,intense,spiritual improvisations that Ravi Shankar is the master of. It is a very pleasant listen.

This is an excellent CD, I bought it for my mother (who is trained in Classical Indian tradition), and listened to this over Christmas break -- the quality of the recording is good, some of the tracks seem remastered but sound excellent. I also have the record version of this CD, as after listening to the CD, I decided to go for the analog recording. I would get this CD to:

- get an idea of Ravi Shankar's music and talent
- complete a Ravi Shankar collection

Totally worth the ~$10 or so.

This is an excellent CD for someone who is new to Indian music. Having said that, the Raag Multani as presented by the great genius is the best instrumental interpretation of Multani that I have heard - sensuous, spiritual and even erotic.

Anyone who is a fan of Ravi Shankar or HCM (Hindustani Classical Music) should have this Jugalbandi (mixed instrument) CD in their collection.

I originally bought the vinyl of this album back in the 1960s and it was one of my all-time favorite Raviji albums (after "Monterey Live!" and "West Meets East" with Yehudi Menuhin)

This album is a Must-have because it has a somewhat lighter feel and different sound than other HCM and Ravi albums.

The introduction of Dholak drum enhances the sound of the standard "power trio" (heheh) of Sitar, Tabla, Tamboura you hear on most HCM and Ravi recordings.

There appears to be a lot more percussion on this album then is mentioned in the liner notes. In particular, there is a really nice sort of metallic sound that is very pretty. I believe this is a Santoor -- an instrument similar to the western "hammer dulcimer", although the liner notes don't list it.

But this is by far much more percussion and rhythm oriented music than on other Ravi albums.

And Paul Horn's flute adds wonderfully to the "lightness" and free feeling of the music.

A good example (and one of my favorite Ravi cuts) is "Song from the Hills".

Most of the tracks are much shorter (2.5 - 3 minutes) than you would normally find on a Hindustani Classical album, and that is probably due to the fact that the majority of the cuts are folk tunes adapted wonderfully by Ravi.

The album is wrapped up nicely by a 20 minute rendition of the very popular Raga Multani. A very superb performance indeed!

This album will prove to be a welcome addition to anyone's R.S. or HCM collection!

Allah Rakka's work on this album is great. The last track "Raga Multani" is the best on the disc. The previous tracks are short, sweet, and exciting. It is a good CD.