The Essental Ravi Shankar
Columbia/ Private Music/ Legacy 82876 71610 2
152 minutes

Into his 6th decade as a professional musician, 85 year-old Pandit Ravi Shankar is sometimes described as the father of world music and, "...his genius and his humanity can only be compared to that of Mozart's," according to Yehudi Menuhin. His impact on the music world, with his 90-something recordings and decades of touring, including sold out shows during his current tour, is absolutely immense. If there's someone else currently alive who has been an international influential virtuoso for as long, I cannot think of their name. Miles Davis would have belen close but he passed away 1991. I'm also disappointed to see that on his upcoming tour, he's playing several Canadian cities, but not Winnipeg, where I live! He's selling out 2000 seat concert halls and could easily do the same here.

This two-CD set is actually more thoughtfully compiled than I imagined. Among my favorite recordings of his would be the 1990 album "Passages" - a true desert island recording - with Phillip Glass (1937). I assumed that album was too esoteric to be represented here, but it is, by two selections on disc 2. Disc 1, entitled "Out Of The East", features mostly ragas, spanning the decade from 1957 - 1967, from notable albums such as The Sounds of India (1954), The Genius of Ravi Shankar (1957) and India's Master Musician (1963.) Into The West is the title of disc 2 and its 13 tracks, not surprisingly, feature Shankar performing with the likes of violinist Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999), George Harrison (1943-2001), guitarist Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and minimalist composer Phillip Glass.

I happen to like the traditional ragas but also the newer, easier-to-digest material, such as the George Harrison collaboration "Village Dance" from 1987's Tana Mana.

Disc 1:
1. Introduction to Indian Music
2. Dádrá
3. Kafi-Holi (Spring Festival of Colors)
4. Raga Des
5. Raga Palas Kafi [Excerpt]
6. Sitar Todi
7. Dhun: Fast Teental [Excerpt]