The Art of the Indian Sitar

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Former All India Radio artist and now unofficial ambassador of music for various festivals, Rash Behari Datta here provides a rendition of the "Raag Koushiki," a raga similar to "Kounsi-Kanhra," itself a combination of raga "Malkouns" and raga "Kanhra." Datta is certainly proficient in his playing. His sound is also somewhat more traditional in some senses than, perhaps, Ravi Shankar's sound (despite the fact that Datta actually learned under one of Shankar's students). The jor, in particular, is a noteworthy showcase of his abilities. One notable feature that is somewhat missing is the separation of the major parts (the alap, the jor, and the gats) of the raga into different tracks on the CD. This is a minor detail, however, and should not turn people away from listening to the music. The wealth of Indian music that has recently been released on the wider market in many ways might preclude this album from getting large notice, since it's on a rather minor label. Nonetheless, it probably deserves a listen. The catch in such a statement is that many of the other albums coming out also deserve a listen, and perhaps more so. Pick this one up from curiosity or a familiarity with Datta, but listen to new releases from Ravi Shankar or a number of other noteworthy artists first.
© Adam Greenberg /TiVo