Search - Ustad Vilayat Khan;Akram Khan :: Ustad Vilayat Khan Sitar Akram Khan - Tabla (Raga Shree)

Restless energy recorded and preserved perfectly

J. Book | Pasco, WA United States | 10/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you want a true virtuoso of the sitar, pick up this CD by Vilayat Khan. It was the first time I had heard him and heard of him, and I feel ashamed. If you have only limited yourself to Ravi Shankar's playing, it's time to expand your mind a bit. "Raga Shree" is described as a raga of restless energy, someone searching for inner peace, and he explores this through the 34 minute "alap". His style of playing is very unique, and while you can't compare him to anyone else, his approach to the sitar is very much like Jimi Hendrix, doing things that aren't of the norm, but sound perfect in his hands. The second half of "Raga Shree" explores all of the emotions, at times sounding like someone who has too much going on in his mind. In other words, not enough time in the world to do everything you want. But by the end, Vilayat Khan has explored all possible emotions and you feel elated once its over. It's a 75 minute raga where it's impossible to lose interest."

Not one of my favorite recordings of Shree.

Into | everywhereandnowhere | 04/23/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Ustad Vilayat Khan was definitely one of the "big three," sitar players, the other two of whom are Ravi Shankar, and the late Nikhil Banerjee, in my book. Vilayat Khansahib's recent passing has definitely left a void in the world of North Indian classical music.



Shree, one of the most time-honored ragas in the North Indian classical repertoire, is easily one of my ten favorite ragas, so I was really looking forward to hearing Vilayat Khan's rendering of it. Vilayat Khan elected to shift the emphasis from komal Re (the flattened second) to komal Dha (the flattened sixth), for this performance, which changes the flavor of the raga too much, imo, and not in the most positive way.



There is an element of minimalism to North Indian classical music that contributes to its meditative quality, as there are main phrases and motifs that recur, and are developed and improvised upon throughout the course of a raga performance; but this development and improvisition do not necessarily happen in the same way as they do in western classical and jazz music.



[Before I go on, I will clarify a couple of points addressed in the previous paragraph. To some music listeners, the word "minimalism" has a negative connotation. I have heard and read about North Indian classical music referred to as having a "minimalist" element to it, but this was not intended in any negative way: at worst, it is taking a predominantly western musical term, used to describe music by composers such as Phillip Glass, and applying it to eastern music. 2) North Indian classical music has commonly been referred to as Hindustani music, but it has come to my attention that some people consider the latter term passe, or perhaps "un-PC," so I have chosen not to use it here.]



If the recurrent motifs and phrases chosen by the performer, within the framework of the raga, are pleasing to the ear and soul of the listener, listening to a traditional extended treatment of a raga can be a transcendent experience. If the recurrent phrases chosen by the performer do not resonate with the individual listener, the performance can be a bit difficult to "get into."



Unfortunately, even after several listenings I couldn't get past the feeling that Vilayat Khan's melodic material sounded rather banal--I kind of hate to use this word to describe a performance by such an acknowledged master, most of whose other recordings I greatly admire, but I can't really think of a better word. I feel that part of the reason for this less-than-satisfactory impression has to do with the shift of emphasis of the leading note (vadi). Don't get me wrong, I am not a rigid traditionalist when it comes to music, Indian or otherwise, and I often admire artists--especially "elders"--who have the courage to get "progressive," but I just don't think that Vilayat Khan's alteration of the raga works here. In effect, he has practically created a new raga, which is perfectly acceptable, but maybe it would've been better to call it "Dhaivat Shree," or something like that, to acknowledge the tonal shift, instead of leading the listener to believe that he is going to hear a traditional performance of Shree Rag.



If you are not well-acquainted with Shree Rag you might find this recording perfectly enjoyable--and of course, the quality of Khansahib's playing is never in doubt--but if you have studied North Indian classical music in some detail, and esp. if you have a fondness for this particular raga, you may find this performance a bit frustrating."

Excellent

J. Book | 08/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is probably the best among Khansahib's recent recordings. It has all the ingredients of this genius, leisurely alap with delicate minds and beautiful gat with exquisite tans. A very satisfying experience. A must buy for vilayat khan fans."