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: In Concert (Live; Digitally Remastered)
World - Released by Warner Classics (Parlophone) on 1 Jan 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
That Which Colours the Mind
World - Released by Cherry Red Records on 12 Sep 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Saaz Sitar, Vol. 1
World - Released by Living Media India Ltd. on 22 Nov 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fire Night: Ravi Shankar
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by Mach60 Music on 1 Jun 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Celebrating the Legend - Ravi Shankar
World - Released by Living Media India Ltd. on 30 Mar 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pandit Ravi Shankar
World - Released by BCD - 3RDP on 1 Jan 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music of India - Three Classical Rãgas
Alternative & Indie - Released by Hallmark on 1 Oct 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Godfather of World Music
World - Released by Slura Milosha Music Records on 30 Sep 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravi Shankar's Festival From India
Indian Music - Released by MANHATTAN RECORDS CATALOG (A95) on 1 Dec 1968
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Nine Decades, Vol. 2: Reminiscence of North Vista
World - Released by East Meets West Music on 8 Nov 2011
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Jazzmine - All That Is Best From The East And West (Instrumental (Live))
Indian Music - Released by Universal Music India Pvt Ltd. on 1 Jan 1981
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Ravi Shankar - Live In Concert
Indian Music - Released by ISMCDigital on 9 Oct 1967
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In Hollywood, 1971
Classical - Released by Northern Spy Records on 16 Apr 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Maestro's Choice - Ravi Shankar
World - Released by Music Today on 1 Jan 1991
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Music of India, Vol. 2
World - Released by Bringins Music on 12 Mar 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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World Class Classics: Ravi Shankar
World - Released by Cherry Red Records on 16 Oct 2012
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Nine Decades, Vol. 3: Orchestral Experimentations
World - Released by East Meets West Music on 8 Nov 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Daivada Jothe Sahajeevana
Ravi Shankar, S Malathi, Puthiyankom Murali
World - Released by Saregama on 20 Jun 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Come Dine in India: Restaurant Dining Experience, Atmospheric Background Music, Instrumental Party
Ravi Shankar, Colors of the World Explorer
World - Released by Carter Lane - OMiP on 22 Dec 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo