Customer Reviews

Vol. 4-Signature Series

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Make that 4 stars.

Along with being completely blissful and uplifting, there is a sadness to this cd now. Of Ali Akbar Khan, Nikhil Banerjee, and Mahapurush Misra, only Ali is still alive. Both Nikhil and Mahapurush died tragically young.

As evidenced by this recording, the musical connection between Nikhil and Ali was huge. They exchange phrases with such ease and grace, their tones compliment each other perfectly.

I'm not sure I could pick which raga peformance I think is better. Nikhil's mini-alap phrases at the beginning of Manj Khammaj are gorgeous, meanwhile there is such a beautiful rhythmic flow, a give-and-take among all three men in Misra Mand that it's impossible to ignore.

I know that many people have a passing interest in the music of India... some of you just want a handful of Indian cd's. Whether you just want a few classic recordings, or you have 100+ Indian recordings, this cd will end up being one of your prized musical possessions. All three of these men are/were brilliant musicians and this cd is a highlight in their respective discographies.

I first obtained this recording on vinyl almost 30 years ago after seeing Nikhil Banerjee perform live on three occasions. He is the only performer I have witnessed live to be able to evoke tears in the eyes of his audience. As much as I love the recordings that both Nikhil-ji and his teacher Ali Akbar Khan have recorded separately, I become speechless in trying to describe the beauty of this particular recording, the only jugalbandi, or duet, recording that I know of made by master and disciple. The warmth and affection that these musicians had for each other is evident upon listening to both pieces on this album/CD. This recording also presents the most sublime and rewarding example of duet call and response that I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. This recording gets a rating of 10 out of five, yes, 10 out of 5! It is the best of the best. Enjoy! Footnote: While we can no longer hear Ali Akbar Khan and Nikhil Banerjee perform together live, two superb musicians in the lineage of Khan-sahib and Nikhil-ji, sarodist Rajeev Taranath and sitarist Partha Chatterjee, occasionally perform together. Don't miss any opportunity to hear them either in solo or duet performance.

Let me begin by saying that I am a new-comer to the genre, and that most of the music I usually listen to is classic rock and blues. Nevertheless, this CD has completely captivated me. It is soaring, sublime, beautiful music. Even in my ignorance it is clear that the performance is genius. It has opened-up a whole new world of music for me. The CD is a precious jewel.

Simply the best jugalbandi ever recorded. The Vilayat-Bismillah recording of Gujaree Todi and Chaiti (the 1970s EMI, India recording)finishes second in my books. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan's other jugalbandi concerts with other artists available on CDs, in my judgement, does not come anywhere close to this great recording. The reason for this in my opinion is simple enough: Nikhil Banerjee is his only equal in the world of North Indian instrumental music. This is the only jugalbandi in Pandit Nikhil Banerjee's discography. How one wishes that more of the Nikhil Banerjee-Ali Akbar Khan jugalbandi concerts from the 1960s and 1970s could be made available on CD. These two artists constitute the ultimate duet pairing in the realm of Hindusthani instrumental music. If this CD doesn't convince, nothing will!

Towards the end of his life Pandit Nikhil Banerjee had decided that he wished to spend the rest of his life following and learning from his beloved teacher, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan -- hailed by Yehudi Menuin as the greatest living musician on earth. Revealed by the beauty and spontenaeity of this CD's ragas -- where quite clearly Khansahib's sarode leads Banerjee's sitar without impinging on any of the student's own creative genius -- is the true depth of Banerjee's and Khansahib's spiritual and musical connection. The emotion evident in both exquisite tracks is even more poignant given Banerjee's untimely death in 1986 at the age of 55. His loss has left a void in Hindustani classical music that has yet to be filled. Khansahib, thankfully, continues to this day to create the same magic he did on that blessed day in the 1960s when this recording was made.

A masterpiece of creativity, this is my favourite album. The co-ordiantion between the two artists is exceptional. Pt. Banerjee was the "musician's musician", a genius whom Pt. Nikhil Ghosh had described as the master who always remained a student at heart. In this album we see how Nikhilbabu takes the role of the student and gives the lead to his real-life teacher, the maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. But at the same time he exhibits his remarkable creativity and musical intellect. His untimely death in 1986 is the greatest tragedy in Indian Classical music. Khansahib is still alive and continues to enthrall his audience. A truly remarkable album highlighted by excellent exchanges (sawaal-jawab) between the artists. This can be a prize possession for any music lover.

The artists are almost certainly the two greatest classical Indian musicians of the past generation. Remarkably, this recording may represent their best work. I know of no other duet recordings from this pair, but I have a couple of dozen of their solo recordings. None of the the solo recordings contains the wonderful mix of joyfulness, technical skill, and playfulness of these magnificent duets. Both Khan and Banerjee made many wonderful recordings as soloists, but the excitement of these duets has never (in my hearing) been surpassed.

This disc is a jugalbandi (duet) the way they should be done. The players have a mutual respect for each other that is incredibly deep seeded. Unfortunately Pt. Banerjee is no longer on this earth, but he did leave us some heavenly music, of which this disc is among the best he recorded. Khansahib (Ali Akbar Khan's title/nickname) leads the proceedings and his sarod mastery is incredibly apparent. Having the opportunity to hear two player of this calibur collaborate is a rare treat, and this disc is amazing in the depth and sincerity of its players. The disc was recorded when both men were in their mid 30's to early 40's and shows them in amazing form. I wish Nikhilji had lived long enough for them to make another jugalbandi recording. We should not, however, be greedy. We should be thankful that we have this wonderful document of sound.

Nikhil Banerjee on sitar, Ali Akbar Khan on sarod. Tabla accompaniment: the wonderful Mahapurush Misra.

This recording is a rare masterpiece. It is a meeting between two of the greatest musicians in their best mood. A must for your raga collection. Ragas Manj Khammaj and Misra Mand.

If you like duets, I also recommend Ali Akbar Khan and L. Subramaniam (violin) playing raga Sindhi Bhairavi. Tabla: master Zakir Hussain.

I purchased this recording as an lp at least 30 years ago. It was one of the greatest musical listening experiences of my life. I wore the record out and it was out of print. The recording technique for this record is beyond compare. They recorded it at twice the normal recording speed on tape that was double width to catch the greatest bandwidth with the least distortion.

The music is kind of a "call and response" that is not uncommon with folk music (the guitar/banjo duet from the movie Deliverance comes to mind or some forms of church singing). The playing is beautiful in the extreme. It is almost achingly beautiful and yet totally joyful and playful without the deeply oontemplative quality so common with ragas. To me this record was made by these artists to create a joyful experience.

From what I read about Banerjee, he did not like the studio recording experience because of the limitations placed on him by the structure, time restrictions, and lack of audience involvement. You could never tell by the results. Khan's playing is fabulous as always. It does not feel as though he played even one note too many. The economy of his playing is as wonderful as his technique. He may be the greatest sarod player that I have ever had the pleasure to listen to.

This disc is going out of print for the moment. The people at Ali Akbar College of Music say that the Khan family is focusing on digitally archiving the master's legacy which will be a gift for posterity and for the study of Hindustani music, but in the short-run, this fabulous disc may be unavailable again for some time. Snap up the used copies that are around before it is too late.

I had previously forgot to mention that the tabla player is Mahapurish Misra. For years he was my favorite tabla player. Perhaps he still is. I must also say that this recording was one of a series of recordings done by E. Alan Silver of the Connoisseur Society. The recording quality of this and virtually all of the Ali Akbar Khan recordings done by the Connoisseur Society were unparalleled in quality and life like reproduction. The body of Khan's work on the Connoisseur Society may represent some of the finest quality sarod playing and recording in existence. When these recordings were made Khan was at the top of his physical ability in terms of strength and agility along with infallible taste. This is truly a rare combination. While I have many of Khan's discs from the Connoisseur Society tapes owned by Khan's estate, they have not released all of them. I actually purchased them all on lp from Ebay. They are some of the finest Indian Classical music available. Hopefully Khan's family will release the rest. Of all of the recordings put out featuring Khan on the Connoisseur Society, this recording represents some of the best work.

I wish I had the words to describe how listening to this record makes me feel, but I just don't have the words to describe it. I would give this a million stars if I could.