Who's to Know

Shankar | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 10, 1994)
• Label: Ecm Records
• ASIN: B0000031RB
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #685,735 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ragam Tanam Pallavi

2. Ananda Nadamadum Tillai Sankara

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Experiment turned brilliance, December 24, 1999

By 

Hari (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Who's to Know (Audio CD)

Shankar, after master minding the instrument, 'accoustic double violin', which offers the range of whole string orchestra, puts that to business with two classical ragas of South India, Hemavathi and Savithri. An album dedicated to his pal, John McLaughlin, features also the unBEATable brilliance of Zakir Hussain and Umayalpuram Sivaraman on percussion (Tabla and Mridangam respectively). A path breaking success for conceiving a ten stringed instrument to go beyond the constraints of the traditional violin, this album is an ample evidence of Shankar's impeccable improvisational quality and brillance. This simply augurs what more will come from this instrument and Shankar in the future. Worth buying for the sheer of joy of hearing the music!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable introduction to Indian Classical Music, October 8, 1999

By 

Colin R. Glassey (Bay Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Who's to Know (Audio CD)

L Shankar (not to be confused with Ravi Shankar) is a remarkable musician and "interpreter" of classic southern India music. This was the first real recording of Indian classical music that I heard (it came out on the ECM Jazz label which I love). It struck me then and still does, as music of fire and passion melded with a clarity of purpose. Something about the nature of "control combined with spirit" has been one of the essential characteristics of the appeal which Indian music has for me. I realize there is a large "improvizational" aspect to playing Ragas, but on this recording, hearing it over and over, one gets a very different sense of the music, perhaps not even an intended sense.

I've listened to a fair bit of Indian classical since I picked up this record, but this is still one of favorites (along with Shankar's other great record: Pancha Nadai Pallavi).

If you like other ECM records, you may well like this too. I can see what Manfred Eicher liked about this. Thanks Manfred, and thanks to Shankar for the creation.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Master of his own Creation, May 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Who's to Know (Audio CD)

Lakshminarayana Sankar, this is the young violinist who made his debut (to the western world) with John McLauglin's "Shakti" group in the mid-seventies. And also the one who stole the limelight (at the jazz poles) from Stephane Grappelli, the undisputed master of the jazz violin.

INDO-JAZZ FUSSION LOVERS HAVE TO GO ELSEWHERE. This is pure South Indian (Carnatic) classical affair at its best. The inclusion of tabla (Zakir Hussain) may be a departure here in the right Carnatic sense. But what an enjoyable departure that is!

The ragam-thanam-pallavi is the masterpiece and so is the sound of his double-neck instrument on both tracks. Given a decent audio system, adjectives like tear-inducing, hairs-on-end, etc., is bound to be overheard. Though a studio recording, Manfred Eicher has done full justice in capturing this acoustic music with the right concert hall ambience. I only wish that this concert lasted longer than it does. Alternately, Mr.Shankar should take more of such outings.