One of the most wonderful features of Hindustani music is that each recital is a spontaneous improvisation. No two recitals of the same raaga, even by the same artist, are identical. While this makes each recording a unique treasure, this very feature also makes it difficult for someone trying to learn/appreciate a raaga through recordings. For example, if I have never heard raag Brindabani Sarang and wanted to get a feel for this raaga, how would I decide which CD to buy or whom to listen to first? To elaborate further, I have two recordings of Raag Chandrakauns by Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, one of which is very good but the other is simply out of this world ! If I had heard only the former, I would probably think, Chandrakauns is nice but that's about it- I would never know its true beauty until I chanced upon listening to the other rendition. It would be great to have a list of "most memorable" recordings for each raaga that came recommended which could function as a starting place for raaga appreciation. I have only heard a small number of raagas and am hoping to use the collective knowledge of "Raag-Rang" to expand upon this. This thread could be used to make such a list and also be used for reviews of specific recitals under discussion. Game ?

Bibhas

P.S. There is one problem though, in this age of digital music where we find music as lonely tracks, often without any information on the parent album, how do we specify which recording we are referring to ? In the Chandrakauns example I mentioned, I do not know album info for either recording.

Bibhas, I think it's a good idea to document such recital and renditions.

In my opinion, among many there are three renditions that stand out:

1. Raga Yaman -- Pandit Shivkumar Sharma -- w. Z Hussain Live at Stuttgard in 1988 (69' 09'')

Any evening I am home, I can just hit the play button with this record in and let the air in my house be filled with melody, energy, and unimitigated joy as the raga unfolds gradually from alap to gat.

2. Raga Darbari Kanada -- Ustad Vilayat Khan ; Accompaniment Shankar Ghosh (tabla): HMV; 1983 (49' 26'')

If I had to pick one recording that drew me to the Indian Classical Music then it is this. DK is considered as the raga of emperors but it truly is also, metaphorically speaking, emperor of ragas. VK's use of meend on this recital is over the top; produced probably at the peak of his prowess.

3. Thumri Khamaj -- Pandit Nikhil Banerjee --Recorded Live at the Ali Akbar College of Music, San Rafael, California, 12 October 1985 (59' 44'')

Pandit jee's playful rendition paints in my mind an idyllic picture of a scenic village, where young women, giggling innocently are seen walking up to the nearby well to fetch water in their colorful earthen pots, while the tiny bells of their anklets are busy rustling and producing sweet sounds.

dear bhibas!
I dont' listen to classical music a lot.
but from what I have listened the best
Darbari is from Ustad Baray Ghulam Ali, that I have already posted in this
forum. I guess u would have already heard it.

Best Ahir bhairav for me is "sajan aisi ban aay" from Perween sultana
here is the link.
http://www.musicindiaonline.com/l/4/m/artist.202/
Perween sultana reaches notes so high in this version that
I forget to breath.

again a personal choice not an expert opinion.

peace.

Anurag and Waqas,
Thanks a lot for flagging off this thread and it's already paying dividends for me. I have to agree with Anurag on Vilayat Khan sahab's Darbari. But I seem to have missed out on listening to the wonderful Yaman, Khamaj and Ahir Bhairav recitals you guys mentioned - I shall go looking for them right away.
Here are some of my favorite recitals:

Raag Bheempalasi: Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia with Fazal Qureshi on Tabla, 76'06" , Nimbus NI 5298.
For me, this is the recording to listen to on a summer afternoon after a nice lunch and it takes me back into a dreamy state where I am again a kid playing gulli-danda and marbles under the "peepal ka ped" next to my house back in India !

Raag Kirwani: Rashid Khan's Ektaal thumri "Tore Bina Mohe Chain Nahin, Braj ke Nandlala", 15'50", IAM 1003.
A very moving recital full of viraha ras, has often brought me to tears. This is the essence of Kirwani for me.
A very close second is Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia's recital that Unni recently uploaded (21'20"). This is one that I do not have album info on.

Bibhas

bhibhas where can I listen that
Kirwani by rashid khan that u mentioned???

And where is that Vilayat khan darbari.
it must be somewhere on HF

Waqas,
The Kirwani thumri was uploaded by Shaibaal a while back but you can also download it from here:
http://web.music.coolgoose.com/music/song.php?id=150875


Unni has requested Vilayat Khan sahab's Darbari, I'll be posting it soon in the Vilayat Khan thread.

Bibhas

Could someone make recommendations of which recitals to listen for the following raags:

1. Puriya Dhanashree

2. Chaayanat

3. Bhairav (just pure unmodified bhairav)

4. Kedar

5. Hemant

I have a longer list but I'll start with these.

Bibhas

Bibhas........(and all others out here)..........I needed to question you on this one..........I recently happened to chance upon a very RARE....amazing recording of a LIVE CONCERT rendition by three great Flute masters TOGETHER........ - Pt.Hariprasad Chaurasia, Romu Majumdar and Rupak Kulkarni (I think these were the three.....last two names to be confirmed by you) accompanied by another GREAT LEGEND Ustad Zakir Hussain on the Tabla..........It was the rendition of a song .....the tune was the same as "Vaathapi Ganapathim Bhajeham" based on Hamsadhwani Ragam In the Carnatic system of music. Only the start portion was this........after which each of the artistes go on to improvise on the Raga and other patterns..........and then Ustad Zakir Hussain comes up with some amazing improvisations on the Tabla......

Was definitely one of the very best HCM renditions I've ever heard.......Needed more details on this one..........and if someone could oblige me with that TRACK!!!!!!!!!! That would be the icing on the cake....... HF would be blessed to witness that upload ...of a Gem of rendition, with each of the Masters at their very best..........TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!

Shyam,
Based on your description, it sounds like you're referring to the album "Possession". It's a recording of a concert at the Osho Commune, Pune. The Hansadhwani track on that album is truly amazing for the "Sawaal-Jawaab" between Hariji and Ustad Zakir Hussain. The supporting Flautists are Rupak Kulkarni and Rakesh Chaurasia, not Ronu Majumdar.
Ever since Hansadhwani was "imported" into HCM, one of the most popular bandishes remains "Laagi lagan" which has the same tune as "Vatapi Ganapathim" for the first line. Hariji has used this bandish as his gat in that concert (and on his other Hansadhwani recordings).

Unni uploaded this track not too long ago, he's your man.

Bibhas

WOW!!!!!!! That was really something Great....wasn't it???? Excellent piece of info Bibhas.......and yes.......I can never ever forget that impromptu Sawaal-Jawaab between Hariji and Zakir Ji..........Only those two maestros could have come up with something like that........Truly Amazing stuff!!!!!!!!!

Now Unni!!!!!! "My Man"!!!!!!! The tracks please!!!!!!!!!!

Bibhas,
Just a quick reaction to two of the ragas -
Bhairav - Dagars (if you are into dhrupad), Gangubai Hangal, Rashid Khan.
Chhayanat - "Jhanana jhanana payal baaje" - in no particular order, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Nissar Hussain Khan, Rashid Khan.
Shaibaal.

Raag Hansadhwani: Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia & Ustad Zakir Hussain

Uploaded in 5 parts. Please download all 5 files into one folder. Extract one file and the rest will automatically extract and merge to form one track.

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Shaibaal- who sings Jhanana payal baje? Also, would you happen to have any of these recitals, esp. Rashid Khan's, and if you can, U/L them?
thanks
Bibhas

P.S. Are you referring to these ?
Sayeeduddin Dagar - Lineage of Dhrupad- Sense World Music- Raga Bhairav, Gunakali, Komal Rishabh Asavari

Ustad Rashid Khan - Raga Bhairav - Khyal in Drut Teental (11:28) Sony Music NR 70032

Rashid Khan Vol 2 - Rageshri, Chhyanat, Desh. Live Recording, Inreco Pyramid.

What do you think of Rashid Khan's Puriya Dhanashree ?

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Unni!!!!! God Bless You for those amazing uploads!!!!! Jeeyo!!!! Jeeyo!!!!!!

Bibhas,
I don't know what I was thinking - there is no "payal" in the Chhayanat bandish. Here is Rashid Khan with Chhayanat. I am a very big fan of Rashid - when he sings pure classical or thumri/dadras! The album this is from has Darbari Kannada and Megh as the other tracks. I don't have the original CD - cannot confirm the details. However here it is in three parts - enjoy.
Shaibaal.
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Shaibaal,
Thanks a ton for the Chayanat ! Since you're a big Rashid fan, can you help me figure out which raags are the following in?
1. Gokula Gavu Kanganu Muraliyan Nainanume
2. Deem Dara Dir Dir Tele Lana
3. More Man Bhaaye, Tum Beena Suna Sab Sansar
4. Phir Na Jaane Re Balma, Dheet Langar Manata Nahin
5. Tore Gun Gao
6. Une Sangu Laage

Also, would you recommend his Puriya Dhanashree, Bilaskhani Todi, Gunakali and Ahir Bhairav?

Bibhas

Bibhas,
I can remember a few right away - the others I will have to look up. More man bhaaye is Raga Saraswati, Une sang laagi is Raga Kaushidhwani. The second one you mention is obviously a tarana and he has sung quite a few! I will check the others out.
Shaibaal.
And yes, I would recommend all the other ragas you mention - his voice has a wonderful "dard" (to use a bengali expression). You may want to check out his thumri in Gunkali.

Hello All-
These are the Chayanat(s) from my collection.

Ustad Asad Ali Khan
Pandit Anant Manohar Joshi (2 Tracks)
Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar
Veena Sahasrabuddhe (2 Tracks)
Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan
Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan
Saraswati Phatarphekar
Ustad Faiyaz Khan

For some reason I'm unable to upload them. Please let me know, which tracks you guys want and also the resolution of problem. When I try to upload the track (RAR) file it displays the page not found error.
Thanks.

Akash

Hey,

Most likely that is because the file size is too big (> 10mb).

Pranav

Bibhas

I have this one but it's only 11'19'' long. If your's is 15'50", can you upload this?

I tried uploading tracks less than 10MB and still getting Page not found error. Please help!!!!!!
Thanks

Akash

Anurag,
Sorry, that was a typo, mine is 13'50". Let me know if you still want it.
Bibhas

Could someone recommend a defining recital in Marwa - one that completely conveys the raaga-bhaava ?

Following are my Favorite Marwa recitals-
Ustad Amir Khan
Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur
Pandit Vasantrao Deshpande

Thanks.

Akash

I was also going to suggest Ustad Amir Khan - majestic rendition and what a towering voice....
Shaibaal.

Akash/Shaibaal,
Thanks. Could you please specify the recitals in question or better yet, U/L ?
Bibhas

Bibhas-
I have all three of these on tape. I can copy them and send it to you by USPS. Are you in US? For digitizing these, I will have to sepend hours........Please email me at agaiki0993@yahoo.com
Thanks.
Akash

Akash,
Yes, I am in the US (New York). Thanks for the offer, very kind of you. I'll email you soon with details. (If Shaibaal doesn't come up with a digital version meanwhile).
Bibhas

Bibhas, I have three pieces in raga Marwa by Amir Khan. Here, they are:


Vilabmit

vilambit part2

Marwa_Drut

Thanks Anurag.

Amir_Khan-Marwa_raagmala.rar

Bibhas, If you are lucky, I might be able to locate in the evening a Mallikarjun Mansur live recording of Marwa from 1981. Until then enjoy this Amir Khan recording, which is stupendous.

Anurag-
Just a small correction, I hope you don't mind This is raga Patdeepak by Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan. This raga is also refered as Patdeepaki.

Thanks.

Akash

Here is Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur in a LIVE Concert.
Enjoy!!!

Akash

Thanks for the correction, Akash. Not all of my tracks are properly labeled and this is where knowledgeable listeners like you, Anil, Shaibaal, and Bibhas come to my rescue.

This also has a bonus Darbari Bandish- Kin Bairan Kaan Bhare.

Akash,
I am not familiar with Patdeepak. Could you tell me what is the structure of this raag?
Bibhas

Hi Bhibhas-

Here you go.....
Patdeepki is referred as “Pradeepki ka Prakar”. This raga uses Komal Nishad & both the Gandhars. Rest of the swaras are Shuddha. Rishabh & Dhaivat are omitted in Aaroha, making it Oodav-Sampurna. By omitting Shuddha Nishad and keeping the chalan of Hamskinkini, you will get Patdeepki. Madham is Vadi & Shadja is Samvadi. This raga is usally played in the afternoon.

There is one more prakar where both Nishad's are used. The above mentioned was the one I learned. I will have to refer my notes to tell you about the second prakar. Please let me know.

Thanks.

Akash

Akash,
Thanks for that nice explanation. I have a couple of questions:
Which gandhar is used in aroha vs avaroha ?
Are the aroha and avaroha vakra or is it just SGmPnS/SnDPmgRs ?
Bibhas

Two more are worth mentioning:

Gangubai Hangal (Inreco Records) Has Ahir Bhairav on the flip side. A great vilambit: 'ab mel aa' and a drut tarana (of Abdul Karim Khan) 'dir dir dir dir tanom'

D V Paluskar (78 rpm) 'maaru kavan' (great rendition)

Regards-Archie.

1. Puriya Dhanashree: Bhimsen Joshi's 'paar kaaro araj suno' (LP-HMV in the early 60-s)

2. Chaayanat: Faiyyaz Khan's 'pavan chalat san na na..' (78 rpm - Hindusthan Records) and Omkarnath Thakur's 'karat ho neha ki jhooti jhooti batiyaan' (78 rpm - both sides - wrongly labelled as 'shuddh nat')

3. Bhairav (just pure unmodified bhairav): A great recital by Bismillah Khan (an HMV LP of the 60-s) and Narayan Rao Vyas' 'jaago mohan pyare' and 'jaage brij-rajkumar' - (2 78 rpm records)

4. Kedar: Among the 78 rpm records: D V Paluskar-'ja-ke kanha', Bade Ghulam Ali Khan- 'naveli naar'. A great AIR archival recording of HMV by Paluskar 'jogi rawal' (vilambit) & 'kanha re nand nandan' (drut) and a 45 rpm recording of Basavraj Rajguru in Chandni Kedar (jogi rawal). Talking of Chandni Kedar, the piece de resistance is Vilayat Khan (sitar) & Imrat Khan (surbahaar) in the HMV LP of the late 60-s called 'A Night In Taj' on raag Chandni Kedar

5. Hemant: Easily Nikhil Banerjee's LP (HMV) of the 60's with bhatiyar on the flip side.

Regards-Archie.