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
-
Flowers of India
World Music - Erschienen bei EL records am 20.08.2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Ravi Shankar Collection: In Concert (Live; Digitally Remastered)
World Music - Erschienen bei Warner Classics (Parlophone) am 01.01.1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
That Which Colours the Mind
World Music - Erschienen bei Cherry Red Records am 12.09.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saaz Sitar, Vol. 1
World Music - Erschienen bei Living Media India Ltd. am 22.11.2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fire Night: Ravi Shankar
Hörbücher - Erschienen bei Mach60 Music am 01.06.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Celebrating the Legend - Ravi Shankar
World Music - Erschienen bei Living Media India Ltd. am 30.03.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pandit Ravi Shankar
World Music - Erschienen bei BCD - 3RDP am 01.01.1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music of India - Three Classical Rãgas
Alternativ und Indie - Erschienen bei Hallmark am 01.10.2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Godfather of World Music
World Music - Erschienen bei Slura Milosha Music Records am 30.09.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravi Shankar's Festival From India
Indische Musik - Erschienen bei MANHATTAN RECORDS CATALOG (A95) am 01.12.1968
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Doyen of Hindustani Music
Ravi Shankar, Swapan Chaudhuri
Hörbücher - Erschienen bei Echo Recording Co. Pvt. Ltd. am 11.07.1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nine Decades, Vol. 2: Reminiscence of North Vista
World Music - Erschienen bei East Meets West Music am 08.11.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazzmine - All That Is Best From The East And West (Instrumental (Live))
Indische Musik - Erschienen bei Universal Music India Pvt Ltd. am 01.01.1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravi Shankar - Live In Concert
Indische Musik - Erschienen bei ISMCDigital am 09.10.1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In Hollywood, 1971
Klassik - Erschienen bei Northern Spy Records am 16.04.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Maestro's Choice - Ravi Shankar
World Music - Erschienen bei Music Today am 01.01.1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music of India, Vol. 2
World Music - Erschienen bei Bringins Music am 12.03.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sitar Soul
World Music - Erschienen bei Music Today am 12.06.2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
World Class Classics: Ravi Shankar
World Music - Erschienen bei Cherry Red Records am 16.10.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nine Decades, Vol. 3: Orchestral Experimentations
World Music - Erschienen bei East Meets West Music am 08.11.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Daivada Jothe Sahajeevana
Ravi Shankar, S Malathi, Puthiyankom Murali
World Music - Erschienen bei Saregama am 20.06.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo