Ravi Shankar's
In London is a World Pacific album from 1964. On it, the master of 20th century sitar shows off the speed and clarity of playing that made him such a great. Accompanying him are
Kanai Dutt on tabla and
Nodu C. Mullick on tamboura. The album begins with a nice exposition of a South Indian raga that has migrated somewhat to the North, "Raga Hamsadhwani," in rapak tal. Following is a lighter dhun (with some incredibly high-speed solos) composition in Kafi. Finally, a longer exposition takes place on "Raga Ramkali," showing off all of the major movements of solo playing (alap, jor, jhala, and slow and fast gats) in Teental. Overall, a very nice recording with crisp, clear sound and exceptional playing by an undisputed master. Pick it up as a fan of Indian music of any sort, and especially as a fan of
Ravi Shankar. ~ Adam Greenberg