Consisting of three ragas,
Quest is about life evolving and being at peace. But before you go dismissing that as New Age idealism in an Indian setting, this is a serious classical Indian album. Recorded live in February 1999,
Sanjeev Chimmalgi shows a light voice which weaves phrases elegantly. In many ways, he bears the marks of his teacher,
Pandit C.R. Vyas, who was part of the school of the voice culture of Kirana Gharana.
Chimmalgi is at his best on the challenging "Raga Hameer," with its bright melody, but also perfectly at home on the more reflective and somber "Raga Puriya." With tabla accompaniment from Pandit Omkar Gulvady, this marks an interesting debut from someone who's already walked a long path, and for whom the future shines brightly. ~ Chris Nickson