RAVI SHANKAR---THE LIVING ROOM SESSION

Three ragas are presented, each fairly brief with focus on melodic improvisations. Mishra Kafi, which is usually associated with the the late spring night, denotes the careful introduction of notes from other scales. The tempo is 14-beat deepchandi, 3-4-3-4. While the alap was interesting, the following gat is stunningly beautiful, gentle, and as contented as a fragrant evening. The second raga, Sindhi Bhairavi, is a classic mode of the late morning often performed in a light style. The gat is entered immediately in 6-beat dadra, 3-3. The mood is tender with a touch of melancholy. Suddenly, we hear Shankar's voice vocalising (he must have been very moved). Bose soon shifts into 16 beat teental and the moods similarly shifts to passion. We can hear Shankar's utterances of approval as he explores the raga scale and the spaces within the tal. Toward the end, Bose solos while Shankar, well, experiments with strumming and muting, creating unusual sounds for the sitar. The Bhairavi feel continues in the final track with the unadorned raga. Teental is played throughout and Shankar experiments further with a slight muffling of the plucked strings. The crispness, the staccato impresses even the maestro as he plays. It is North Indian sitar playing for the 21st century--exploratory, novel, virtuosic, wonderful, utter enjoyment. The producers saved the best for last. This album must be studied profoundly by all musicians and also fans of Shankar and Hindustani music. It is a milestone recording for its power, not merely its chronology.
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