#4371, Western Instruments Playing Ragas
Listen to raga-based music played on Western classical instruments: guitar, piano, a classical string trio, and saxophone from guitarist Sharon Isbin and sarod master Amjad Ali Khan, pianist Sophia Subbayya Vastek, and Norwegian saxophone player Jan Garbarek with the late Pakistani vocalist Ustad Fateh Ali Khan (not to be confused with Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.)
Hear music played with raga scales, and with a little maneuvering by virtuoso guitarist Sharon Isbin from the record Strings for Peace, with sarod master, Amjad Ali Khan, and his virtuoso sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash. The music was composed and arranged for Isbin by Amjad Ali Khan who sought ways to find common ground in ragas and medieval modes of the two classical traditions.
Then, listen to music for a re-tuned piano from Baltimore-based pianist Sophia Subbayya Vastek’s record, Histories, featuring a work by Michael Harrison based on a traditional Indian raga. “Jaunpuri” combines Western compositional structures, notation, and harmony with structures and materials of Indian classical music, including raga (a melodic archetype), tala (rhythmic cycle), bandish (fixed melodic composition), gamak (melodic embellishments), and taan (virtuosic riffs).
There’s also music from the Scottish string trio, the Red Note Ensemble, joined by tabla player Kuljit Bhamra. Then, sample music from a record Ragas and Sagas by Norwegian saxophone player Jan Garbarek with the late Pakistani vocalist Ustad Fateh Ali Khan (not to be confused with Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.) Plus, pianist Richard Bennett fuses Indian classical music, jazz and electronica together in piano-based works derived from traditional Indian raga scales, yet played on a piano in standard Western tuning. - Caryn Havlik
Program #4371, Western Instruments Playing Ragas (First aired 5/27/2020)
ARTIST: Jan Garbarek & Ustad Fateh Ali Khan
WORK: Raga I [1:00]
RECORDING: Ragas and Sagas
SOURCE: ECM Records 1442
INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Sharon Isbin, Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash
WORK: Amjad Ali Khan: By the Moon -Raga Behag [13:31]
RECORDING: Strings for Peace
SOURCE: ZOHO ZM 202004
INFO: mvdshop.com
ARTIST: Sophia Subbayya Vastek, piano; Michael Harrison, tanpura; Nitin Mitta, tabla
WORK: Michael Harrison: Jaunpuri (Rendition of a Raga) [9:54]
RECORDING: Histories
SOURCE: Innova 974
INFO: innova.mu
ARTIST: Kuljit Bhamra & Red Note Ensemble
WORK: Himalaya [3:52]
RECORDING: Reels to Ragas
SOURCE: Keda Records KEDCD41
INFO: Try Amazon.com, Apple Music, or Spotify
ARTIST: Jan Garbarek & Ustad Fateh Ali Khan
WORK: Raga I [8:42]
RECORDING: Ragas and Sagas
SOURCE: ECM Records 1442
INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Richard Bennett
WORK: Nightfall (raga puriya part 1) [7:01]
RECORDING: New York City Swara
SOURCE: Times Music
INFO: Available at Apple Music, Spotify or findersrecords.com
ARTIST: Richard Bennett
WORK: Nightfall (raga puriya part 2) [4:11]
RECORDING: New York City Swara
SOURCE: Times Music
INFO: Available at Apple Music, Spotify or findersrecords.com
