Pandit Ravi Shankar (CD, Imported)

Ravi Shankar holds a place in the classical music worlds of East and West, due no doubt to his experiences as a young boy in the rich cultural environment of '30s Paris and Europe, followed by many years of intensive study with his Indian guru, Ustad Allaudin Khan. This has manifested itself in his dual role as a performer in the strict, pure tradition of Indian classical music, and as a composer of ballet and film music. Two ragas are featured here: "Raga Puriya-Kalyan," and "Raga Purvi Kalyan." The first is a piece in the style of the beenkar gharana, which is an age-old style handed down to family members only--or to very special and deserving pupils like Shankar. The second piece is characterized by the use of what is called a komala dha, or flattened sixth interval. The final piece heard here is "Dhun Man Pasand," which uses melodies based on one or more ragas and folk tunes from India.