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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India's Master Musician (Remastered)
Folk - Released by RevOla on 23 Jan 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best of Ravi Shankar
Indian Music - Released by Old but Gold Music on 6 Aug 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
World Class Classics: Ravi Shankar
World - Released by Cherry Red Records on 16 Oct 2012
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Nine Decades, Vol. 7: Live in Copenhagen (Live)
Classical - Released by East Meets West Music on 24 Apr 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ghanashyam: A Broken Branch
Punk / New Wave - Released by East Meets West Music on 14 Jul 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music of India (Remastered)
New Age - Released by Begarmundi records on 18 Jul 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Ravi Shankar Collection: Three Ragas (Remastered)
World - Released by Warner Classics (Parlophone) on 1 Jan 1956
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Sounds Of India
Indian Music - Released by Columbia on 7 May 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bridges: The Best of the Private Music Recordings
Indian Music - Released by Private Music on 14 May 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Shankar Project : Tana Mana
Indian Music - Released by Private Music on 16 Mar 1987
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Inside The Kremlin
Indian Music - Released by bmg music on 16 Jan 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rāgas & Improvisations, 1956-1962
Miscellaneous - Released by Fremeaux Heritage on 7 Jul 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Master
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Traditional: The Spirit of India
Ravi Shankar, Ustad Alla Rakha, Ms. Jiban, Ms. Widya
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1968
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Ravi Shankar Collection: India's Master Musician (Remastered)
World - Released by Warner Classics (Parlophone) on 1 Jan 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Menuhin Meets Shankar (1988 Remaster)
Classical - Released by EMI Classics on 1 Jan 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
West Meets East, Vol. 2
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 20 Mar 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Essential
Classical - Released by Legacy Recordings on 4 Oct 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Raga Khamaj / Raga Lalit
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 3 Apr 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ravi Shankar & Friends: Towards the Rising Sun
Ravi Shankar, Ustad Alla Rakha
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spiritual Awakening with Ravi Shankar
Pop - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 26 Jan 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo