Search - Ustad Shahid Parvez, Anuradha Pal :: Sheer Magic: Jugalbandi Live

Very soulful performance

R. Sohi | 03/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ravi Shankar and Nikhil Banerjee are generally considered to be the greatest sitarists in history. Based on the CDs I've heard, Shahid Parvez is not quite in their league but he's pretty amazing. Anuradha Pal, one of the few women I've ever heard on the tabla, and who joins him here is no slouch either. The recording on this disk, culled from two live performances from May 2000 in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, are simply breathtaking. At times Parvez plays with such dazzling speed but does so in a way that he never sounds like he's sacrificing soulfulness for technical virtuosity. On the slower first piece, his playing is very moving, evoking a deep melancholy that, for me, only Indian classical music can stir. The sound is far from audiophile quality, but it's a live recording, so some allowances can be made, especially considering the beauty of the music.



The CD I have which looks identical to the one shown here also has an unlisted 16 minute fourth track, which appears as "Untitled" when played in iTunes. I'm assuming it's also on this disk.



If you're new to Indian classical music, this is a pretty good place to start. If you already know and love the music, you'll definitely want this disk in your collection.



Also worth picking up, if you can find it, is a recording Parvez made with Partha Sarathi Mukherjee (on tabla) called "Midnight Moon.""