Browse by Artist: SHANKAR, RAVI

Artist:	SHANKAR, RAVI
Title:	The Extraordinary Lesson
Label:	ACCORDS CROISES (FRANCE)
Format:	DVD
Price:	$36.00
Catalog #:	AC 141DVD

"Virtuoso sitar player Ravi Shankar was the first ambassador of Indian music, which he popularized in the West starting in 1956. Throughout his long career he has raised the question of the transmission of his art. Unlike Western classical music, Indian music is transmitted orally. This documentary shows Shankar on his last visit to Europe, where he chose to give for the first time a music lesson to the public of the Salle Pleyel. The director has also filmed his daily work at the Ravi Shankar Center in Delhi, India, with his followers and his daughter Anoushka. This young modern woman, living alternately in India and America, shares her father's purpose with equal conviction: to respect the essence of classical Indian music while also opening new horizons. The perspectives of a musicologist also illuminate this fascinating lesson." NTSC All Region format; 139 minutes. Includes pictures and liner notes in French and English, housed in a hardbound cover.

Artist:	SHANKAR, RAVI
Title:	Raga: A Film Journey Into The Soul Of India
Label:	EAST MEETS WEST
Format:	DVD
Price:	$25.00
Catalog #:	EMWM 002DVD

"Originally released in 1971, Raga: A Film Journey Into The Soul Of India documents the life of sitar master Ravi Shankar in the late 1960s and early 1970s, following him on his return to India to revisit his guru, Bengali multi-instrumentalist and composer, Baba Ustad Allauddin Khan. It further explores Shankar's life as a musician and teacher in the United States and Europe, initiating those in the West to the exceptional world that is Indian classical music and culture. Through rare and candid footage shot in both India and the United States, Raga sheds light on Shankar's influences and collaborations, from Allauddin Khan to his famed dancer brother Uday Shankar, to his associations with Western musicians Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison. Fully narrated by Shankar himself, the film reveals music as the soul of India and of Shankar's life. The premiere DVD release of Raga was taken from a digitally-remastered 35mm print optimized to modern color range resolution and standard and a fully remastered audio soundtrack." All region format; 97 minutes; stereo.

Artist:	SHANKAR, RAVI
Title:	Nine Decades - Vol. 1 1967-1968
Label:	EAST MEETS WEST
Format:	CD
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	EMWM 1000CD

"East Meets West Music's inaugural release, Nine Decades - Vol.1, is the first in a multi-volume series that will feature rare and never before released recordings, handpicked by the legendary Ravi Shankar from his vast archive. With live performances and studio recordings pivotal to his development as an artist and reflective of unique times and places, the Nine Decades series will provide fresh insights on a career spanning 70-plus years and offer a direct bridge between the artist himself and his listeners. 'Raga Gangeshwari,' the centerpiece of volume one, takes listeners to an outdoor concert at a temple on the banks of the Ganges in 1968. Though recorded with one hand-held microphone, 'Raga Gangeshwari' is representative of the archive's many treasures which the artist describes as, 'not recorded with sophisticated audio equipment and yet they exhibit the power of life in live performance that has a value beyond any technological shortcomings.' The intimate quality of the recording and virtuosic playing allows listeners to experience a page from the artist's diary circa 1968. Performed with Kamala Chakravarty on tanpura and the great Ustad Allah Rakha on tabla. East Meets West Music is the official recording label of the Ravi Shankar Foundation."

Artist:	SHANKAR, RAVI
Title:	Nine Decades - Vol. 1 1967-1968
Label:	EAST MEETS WEST
Format:	LP
Price:	$25.00
Catalog #:	EMWM 1001LP

LP version featuring "'Raga Gangeshwari" split across both sides. Two tracks featured on the CD version -- "East Meets West Circa 1967" and "Durga Suktam & Mahishasura Mardini Stotram" -- are available via digital download. Numbered, limited edition of 500 copies. "East Meets West Music's inaugural release, Nine Decades - Vol.1, is the first in a multi-volume series that will feature rare and never before released recordings, handpicked by the legendary Ravi Shankar from his vast archive. With live performances and studio recordings pivotal to his development as an artist and reflective of unique times and places, the Nine Decades series will provide fresh insights on a career spanning 70-plus years and offer a direct bridge between the artist himself and his listeners. 'Raga Gangeshwari,' the centerpiece of volume one, takes listeners to an outdoor concert at a temple on the banks of the Ganges in 1968. Though recorded with one hand-held microphone, 'Raga Gangeshwari' is representative of the archive's many treasures which the artist describes as, 'not recorded with sophisticated audio equipment and yet they exhibit the power of life in live performance that has a value beyond any technological shortcomings.' The intimate quality of the recording and virtuosic playing allows listeners to experience a page from the artist's diary circa 1968. Performed with Kamala Chakravarty on tanpura and the great Ustad Allah Rakha on tabla. East Meets West Music is the official recording label of the Ravi Shankar Foundation."

Artist:	SHANKAR, RAVI
Title:	Reminiscence Of North Vista: Nine Decades - Vol. II
Label:	EAST MEETS WEST
Format:	CD
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	EMWM 1004CD

"Reminiscence of North Vista, the second volume of the Nine Decades series, is a live recording from a private party at Ravi Shankar's North Vista home in Los Angeles on August 29, 1969. Shankar moved to the Hollywood house in 1968 and regularly had parties attended by luminaries such as George Harrison, John Lennon, Peter Sellers, Marlon Brando and many others. This recording perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the performances at these gatherings. Recorded just one week after his legendary Woodstock appearance, the set features the Maestro performing two evening ragas with Alla Rakha on tabla (as well as the sounds of crickets and partygoers). This is a unique performance by two artists at the height of their power, performing in an informal setting in front of family and friends."

Artist:	SHANKAR, RAVI
Title:	Orchestral Experimentations: Nine Decades - Vol. III
Label:	EAST MEETS WEST
Format:	CD
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	EMWM 1005CD

"Orchestral Experimentations, the third volume in the Nine Decades series, is a set of nine studio tracks featuring Ravi Shankar's earliest compositional experimentations with his National Orchestra recorded between 1950 and 1954. The orchestra consisted of many of the finest Indian musicians of the period, and in these recordings, one senses the excitement Shankar felt at having such resources at his disposal. Not only was he inspired by the players to experiment with orchestration, but he also enjoyed the freedom to explore both North and South Indian systems, as well as use some Western technique. Shankar also maintained his natural inclination for improvisation by recording usually within an hour or two of completing the composition."

Artist:	SHANKAR, RAVI
Title:	The Living Room Sessions Part 1
Label:	EAST MEETS WEST
Format:	CD
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	EMWM 1006CD

"In October 2011, at the seasoned age of 91, Ravi Shankar invited his long-time tabla accompanist, Tanmoy Bose, to his home in Encinitas, California for an informal recording session. Over four days, they worked in Shankar's living room, recording seven different ragas. The resulting music is pure Shankar--a pairing of deep musical experience and brilliant technique performed with the energy and passion he brings to his live concerts. The first of two releases, The Living Room Sessions, Part 1, holds four tracks that span a wide range of Indian classical styles. As with his live performances, the emotion in the sitar maestro's playing as he and Bose exchange improvisational phrasings is powerful. Both intimate and masterly, The Living Room Sessions, Part 1 is an invitation into the home and musical genius of Ravi Shankar."

Artist:	SHANKAR, RAVI
Title:	Transmigration Macabre
Label:	EL RECORDS (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	ACMEM 070CD

"Ravi Shankar is frequently credited with introducing the sounds of the Indian sitar, tabla and oud to western ears. One of the most respected contemporary musicians of any country, Shankar is as revered by Indian traditionalists as he is by the rock musicians and fans who have incorporated the unique character of the sitar into their working vocabulary of sounds. Transmigration Macabre continues in the tradition of this exciting blend of both worlds. Shankar composed Transmigration Macabre for the British art film Viola which tells of the growth and eventual victory of a possessed man's belief that his dead wife has returned to life in the form of a cat that pursues him. The music traces his emotional turmoil as the man, dominated by his wife during her lifetime, struggles against her baneful influence after her death. One of the first adapters of his music was George Harrison, who made a pilgrimage to Shankar in India. The influence of the master is apparent in 'Norwegian Wood' and obviously Sgt Pepper's 'Within You Without You'. Ravi performed to wildly enthusiastic audiences at both the Monterey International Pop festival of 1967 and at the Woodstock Festival and Peter Sellers sought his advice regarding the sitar during filming of the Blake Edwards comedy The Party. Transmigration Macabre is Ravi Shankar's most psychedelic album, the dreamlike quality of the album is extraordinary. The beauty and sensitivity of the playing out of this world."

Artist:	SHANKAR, RAVI
Title:	Flowers of India
Label:	EL RECORDS (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	ACMEM 117CD

"Historic Ravi Shankar beginning with the astonishing 28 minute 'Raga Jog' recorded in 1956 and arguably one of his absolute finest recordings. The other really serious rarities of this set are the those made of the Hindu musicians that provided music for the production of original Uday Shankar (Ravi's brother) dance company of Hindu musicians when it made its historic first visit to the United States in 1937; the young Ravi Shankar was amongst that number. These are therefore the earliest recordings of Ravi that exist, originally released on 78s and available digitally for the first time ever. Ravi Shankar is the biggest name in world music and -- due partly to the closeness of his involvement with The Beatles -- a towering figure in psychedelic circles also. 'Raga Jog' is first and foremost, the most refined Indian classical music; it is also the most incredible piece of sitar psychedelia you will hear!"

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