Ravi Shankar - Essential Ravi Shankar (CD)

All Music Guide

With over 90 albums to his credit, the task for those who wish to investigate the recordings of India's master musician Ravi Shankar can be a daunting one. Therefore, the Legacy /BMG Essential Ravi Shankar fills a welcome place in his catalogue, as well as a stop gap for the novitiate. There are 20 c]uts on these two discs that range over most f the sitarist and composer's shelf from his early Angel recordings where he played mostly Indian classical music to his later recordings for Private Music to his lone Columbia album Chappaqua in 1967. Along the way, Shakar is featured in many settings from solo to performances with large ensembles of traditional Indian musicians to his collaborations with violinist Yehudi Menuin form the gorgeous West Meets East recording to his recording with George Harrison to his work with Philip Glass and numerous other musicians on Passages. Through it all, Shankar is consistently in the classical framework, whether he is improvising on ragas or poerfomri...ng other compositions. The sound here has been completely remastered and the liner essay by Hank Bordowitz is both informative and compelling factually. This is the real intro to Shankar that has been needed for such a long time on CD. - Thom Jurek, All Music Guide Read more Less