Ravi Shankar
A master of the sitar as well as a famous experimenter with its classical forms, Ravi Shankar was probably the world's best-known Indian musician. First recorded in 1936, he had a rich career that spanned nine decades. His mentoring of the Beatles during the height of their fame in the 1960s helped bring him to the attention of Western audiences, but Shankar's influence obviously extends far beyond Western pop, and he spent much of his career bridging the gap between musical cultures.
Rabindra Shankar Chowdery was born on April 7, 1920, in Varanasi, India, into a well-off orthodox Brahmin family. His father, ShyÆm Shankar, was employed as a diwan (minister) by the Maharajah of Jhalawar. By the age of 13, Ravi Shankar was going along on every tour of his brother Uday Shankar's Compaigne de Danse et Musique Hindou (Company of Hindu Dance and Music). At the All-Bengali Music Conference in December 1934, he met the multi-instrumentalist Allauddin Khan. Precisely when Allauddin Khan was born is uncertain. People hazard dates in the 1860s around 1862, but in later years he himself gave his age haphazardly. He would transform many musicians' lives, but he had an incalculable effect on Ali Akbar (his son), Annapurna Devi (his daughter), and Shankar himself. Allauddin Khan joined Uday's troupe as its principal soloist around 1935-1936.
In 1938, Shankar gave up a potential career as a dancer and went to study with Allauddin Khan in Maihar. In 1939, he began giving public recitals and came out of training at the end of 1944. Until 1948, he based himself in Bombay and gave programs all over India. He toured and wrote for films and ballet. Around this time he began his recording career with a small session for HMV (India). Work for All India Radio followed, as music director from February 1949 to January 1956 in New Delhi. Concurrently, his international star was on the rise. In 1954, he performed in the Soviet Union. In 1956, he played his debut solo concerts in Western Europe and the U.S. Within a decade he would be the most famous Indian musician on the planet. Within two decades he became probably the most famous Indian alive. His English-language autobiography, My Music, My Life (1969), is still one of the best general introductions to Hindustani music. It would be hard to over-estimate his influence in late 20th century Western music. His disciples included George Harrison and Philip Glass.
Shankar was not one-dimensional. Apart from pursuing a career as a classical performer, he also experimented outside this field. For this reason he has attracted criticism from purists. Some of this, especially during the Beatles era, undoubtedly had an element of jealousy to it, and some was certainly warranted, because Shankar did take many chances. In fact, that was one of the things that kept his music exciting. To use a cricketing image -- baseball would be wholly inappropriate -- Shankar's batting average remained high throughout a long and illustrious career. In later life, he spent a great deal of time in the U.S. at his home in California, and continued to give spellbinding live performances well into the new century. However, his final concert took place in Bangalore, southwest India, in February 2012, where he shared the stage with his daughter, Anoushka. Sadly, following a long period of ill health, Shankar passed away at a San Diego hospital on December 11, 2012, aged 92. A pair of albums appeared later that year, Living Room Sessions: Part 1 and a performance of Shankar's only symphony composition, simply called Symphony, done by the London Philharmonic Orchestra with David Murphy.
© Ken Hunt /TiVo
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The Ravi Shankar Collection: A Morning Raga / An Evening Raga (Remastered)
World - Lançado por Warner Classics (Parlophone) em 1 de jan. de 1968
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Homage to Mahatma Gandhi
Classical - Lançado por EdGe em 1 de jan. de 2004
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Psychedelic India
Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Kahn, Ustad Amir Kahn
Rock - Lançado por Cherry Red Records em 18 de out. de 2010
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Raga Mishra Piloo (Live at Carnegie Hall, 1982)
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 6 de mar. de 2020
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Chappaqua (Original Soundtrack Recording)
Film Soundtracks - Lançado por Columbia - Legacy em 1 de jan. de 1966
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In Celebration Highlights
World - Lançado por Angel Records em 1 de jan. de 1996
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Live at Monterey 1967
World - Lançado por Delos em 1 de jan. de 1967
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The Mastersound of Ravi Shankar
World - Lançado por Quimbaya Entretenimiento SAS em 7 de jun. de 2018
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100 Years Ravi Shankar
World - Lançado por Shan Can Ravi Records em 17 de nov. de 2020
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The Ravi Shankar Collection: In San Francisco
World - Lançado por Warner Classics (Parlophone) em 1 de jan. de 1967
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The Ravi Shankar Collection: Ragas And Talas (Remastered)
Pop - Lançado por Warner Classics (Parlophone) em 1 de jan. de 1964
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Shankar - Sitar Concerto/Morning Love
Ravi Shankar, London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 18 de nov. de 1987
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The Very Best of Ravi Shankar
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 9 de ago. de 2010
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The Ravi Shankar Collection: In London (Digitally Remastered)
World - Lançado por Warner Classics (Parlophone) em 1 de jan. de 1964
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Passages
Pop - Lançado por Private Music em 1 de jan. de 1990
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Shankar: Sitar Concerto No. 2 "Raga-Mala"
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 1 de jan. de 1982
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Nine Decades, Vol. 6: Dutch-India Airwaves
Classical - Lançado por East Meets West Music em 24 de abr. de 2020
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Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000 (Live)
World - Lançado por Warner Classics (Parlophone) em 1 de jan. de 2001
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Ravi Shankar Milestones: A Primer to the Maestro's Music
Classical - Lançado por East Meets West Music em 31 de mai. de 2014
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The Ravi Shankar Collection: In New York (Remastered)
World - Lançado por Warner Classics (Parlophone) em 1 de jan. de 1968
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Ragas Varanasi
New Age - Lançado por ExWorks em 29 de set. de 1998
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