Simply great!
Andrew W | 06/02/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"An absolute masterpiece! Raga Manomanjari is Pandit Nikhil Banerjee's own creation and reflects his musical intellect. The way he unfolds the subtleties of the raga is unbelievable. Excllent accompaniment by Mahapurush Misra"
Absolutely Indescribable!
Andrew W | Japan | 08/29/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I mean how can anyone realistically offer anything new to the discussion when it comes to the late Pandit Nikhil Banerjee? One simply cannot, and who would be so precocious as to try? certainly not I! This CD captures a pure moment and renders it for posterity; late afternoon sunlight streaming through woodland, illuminating leaves and cobwebs. It is the reverberation of the universe; all that is, has been and will be. It is as perfect as a cloud and as wondrous as an icicle waiting to drop. It is a carpet of frost and falling autumn leaves. It is the all of these things and more, SO much more.
One must not forget though, that there were two sublime forces at work that evening, and full credit needs extending to the late Pandit Mahapurush Misra on tabla for his exceptional playing.
If there has to be a drawback of this CD, then it would have to be the lack of any hint this is live, e.g. the audience clapping at the end, or ambient noises that ground the work. The recording is SUPERB, don't get me wrong, it is perfectly sharp, clear, crisp, colourful and bright, but a little too much so. I want to hear 1967 oozing through my speakers a little more. That, and the relative shortness of the performance which is an arbitrary comment anyway. Only those two points, but for me, that's enough to knock a star off. Anyway, thank-you Raga records for sharing these joys with us."
Brilliant Banerjee in Berkeley
Dr. Debra Jan Bibel | Oakland, CA USA | 08/08/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Nikhil Banerjee was the yin to Ravi Shankar's yang. Both were students of Allaudin Khan, and Banerjee continued his studies under the guidance of Khan's son, Ali Akbar Khan. While Shankar prefers the razzle-dazzle and vigor of the gat, Banerjee is at home in the slow unfolding of the meditative alap. This album's first raga, Chandrakaush, while limited to merely 20 minutes, allows full appreciation of its unusual pentatonic scale and late night mood. Banerjee's improvisations are beautiful and lyrical. He performs this work solo, but in the second raga, Khamaj, he is joined by Mahapurush Misra, a brilliant tablist who helped make Ali Akbar Khan's Connoisseur/Signature Recordings so memorable. The selected rhythm cycle for the first gat is rupak tal, seven beats, and then closes with 16-beat teental. This often played raga of the early evening is ligher, more romantic in mood than the deep spiritual feeling of the first piece. Together, they provide an album of greatness. Now, consider this: these ragas were recorded live-to-air on the radio in the USA in 1967. Historic in many ways."
Track Listings (2) - Disc #1