Chants of India

Last updated

Chants of India
Chants of India 1997 front cover.jpg
Studio album by
Ravi Shankar
Released6 May 1997
RecordedJanuary–August 1996
StudioSruthilaya Media Artists Studio, Madras; FPSHOT, Oxfordshire
Genre Indian classical, devotional music
Length63:33
Label Angel
Producer George Harrison
Ravi Shankar chronology
Ravi Shankar: In Celebration
(1996)		Chants of India
(1997)

Chants of India is an album by Indian musician Ravi Shankar released in 1997 on Angel Records. Produced by his friend and sometime collaborator George Harrison, the album consists of Vedic and other Hindu sacred prayers set to music, marking a departure from Shankar's more familiar work in the field of Hindustani classical music. The lyrical themes of the recorded chants are peace and harmony among nature and all creatures. Sessions for the album took place in the Indian city of Madras and at Harrison's home in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, following his work on The Beatles' Anthology (1995). Anoushka Shankar, John Barham, Bikram Ghosh, Tarun Bhatacharaya and Ronu Majumdar are among the many musicians who contributed to the recording.

Contents

Chants of India was well received by reviewers; author Peter Lavezzoli describes it as "a quiet masterpiece" and "the most fully realized collaboration" by Shankar and Harrison. [1] Shankar considered it to be among the best works of his 60-year career.

In 2010, the album was reissued as part of the Dark Horse Records box set Collaborations , which combined various projects undertaken by the two artists, beginning in 1973. Chants of India was the last formal collaboration between Shankar and Harrison, who was diagnosed with cancer shortly after its release. At the Concert for George in November 2002, Shankar incorporated some of the selections from Chants of India, including the album-closing "Sarve Shaam", in a set performed by daughter Anoushka as a tribute to Harrison.

Background and content

Having maintained a close friendship in the decades since their last official collaboration in 1974, [2] [3] Ravi Shankar and George Harrison began working together in 1995 on projects to celebrate Shankar's 75th birthday. [4] Harrison first produced a four-disc career retrospective issued on EMI's Angel Records, [5] Ravi Shankar: In Celebration (1996), [6] which also included unreleased recordings made by the pair, [7] before serving as editor on Shankar's second autobiography, Raga Mala . [8] When compiling In Celebration, Shankar and Harrison discussed with Angel Records the possibility of making an album of Vedic chants and other Hindu sacred texts set to music. [8] According to Shankar, the record company were hoping to repeat the commercial success of a recording by "those Spanish monks" [9] – Chant, an album of Gregorian chants by the Benodictine monks of the Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos, featuring a contemporary rhythm section. [10] [11] Author Simon Leng describes the Chants of India project as a "back to the roots" exercise for Harrison, after his production of Radha Krishna Temple and his own releases such as "My Sweet Lord" and "It Is 'He' (Jai Sri Krishna)" in the 1970s. [10] [nb 1]

As far as the words are concerned, they are open now [after 40 years], but the tune I had to give, or add a slight orchestration in the background, was with this very thought that it should match this old sentimental, old spiritual context that it has. At the same time, not be too much, you know? Or sound very ritualistic or fundamentalist or anything like that. [19]

– Ravi Shankar, 1997

Shankar had grown up in the Hindu holy city of Benares, [20] where the public chanting of Vedic hymns "[awakened] his passion for music", author Reginald Massey writes, [21] and as a young man during the 1940s he had embraced the concept of Nada Brahma (meaning "Sound is God"), under the strict tutelage of music guru Allauddin Khan. [22] [23] In his liner notes to Chants of India, Shankar nevertheless describes the undertaking as "one of the most difficult challenges in my life, as a composer and arranger". [24] Shankar noted the precedents for such a venture: "Sanskrit chants from the Vedas, Upanishads and other scriptures have been recorded by many in India and elsewhere, either in its original form by the Traditional Scholars ... or sung within raga forms by eminent musicians with accompanying instruments. Some have even attempted to make them more popular by using a semi-classical and commercial approach. I wanted to make a version different from all these, but still maintain the tremendous spiritual force, and purity of the Suktas, Shlokas and Mantras, and at the same time make it universally appealing." [24]

Shankar consulted a Dr Nandakumara of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in London, regarding the interpretation of the Sanskrit texts. [24] Aside from adapting these ancient texts, Shankar composed new selections for the album [3] – "Prabhujee", "Mangalam", "Svara Mantra" and "Hari Om" – and, as he put it, "tuned them in the same spirit". [24] Peter Lavezzoli, author of The Dawn of Indian Music in the West, writes of the album's themes: "The record begins with the traditional invocation to Lord Ganesha, continuing through a series of traditional Hindu prayers and chants from the Rigveda, Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita ." [25] Harrison biographer Gary Tillery describes the songs' focus, following the opening invocations, as "peace, love, ecology, and social harmony". [26]

Chants of India reunited Shankar and Harrison with English musician and arranger John Barham. [10] Barham provided Western annotation of Shankar's melodies, [27] a role he had first supplied for Shankar at the Bath Music Festival in 1966, when the Indian sitar virtuoso had duetted with Yehudi Menuhin. [28] Anoushka Shankar conducted the musicians at the sessions, [24] having made her European performance debut in July 1995 at an official concert to celebrate her father's 75th birthday, held at the Barbican Centre in London. [8]

Recording

The Chants of India recording was somewhat complicated by the fact that the record company wanted to release an album of "spiritual" music that would go to number one ... Neither George nor Ravi intended to commercialize it to anything like that extent ... the album is strictly a Ravi Shankar classical Indian record. [10]

– John Barham, discussing Shankar and Harrison's vision for Chants of India, 2003

The first recording sessions were held in the south Indian city of Madras in January 1996, [10] at Sruthilaya Media Artists Studio. [27] After a second set of dates there, in April, [24] [29] Shankar and Harrison decided to move the project to Harrison's recording facility at Friar Park, his home in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. [10] According to Tillery, Madras had been chosen in order to "cultivate authenticity", being a music capital of the South Asian region, yet the atmosphere at Sruthilaya "seemed too secular for the aura of spirituality they wanted to create". [30] [nb 2] A large cast of local musicians contributed to the recording in Madras, on instruments such as veena, violin, flute, cello, tanpura and mridangam, while the chorus singers (divided into "Indian" and "Western" groups on the sleeve credits) numbered 21. [27]

While in India in April, Harrison visited the holy city of Vrindavan with his Radha Krishna Temple friends Mukunda Goswami and Shyamasundar Das. [31] The pilgrimage inspired him in his current work with Shankar, author Joshua Greene writes, [32] just as a 1974 visit to Vrindavan had been the catalyst for staging Shankar's Music Festival from India revue [33] and their joint North American tour that year. [34] [35] In July 1996, Shankar and Harrison reconvened at Friar Park, after Harrison had recorded a contribution for Carl Perkins' Go Cat Go! album. [36] The Friar Park sessions for Chants of India took place in the house's drawing room, with cables fed through from the studio area above [26] – the same arrangement under which Harrison had produced the Music Festival from India studio album, [37] in summer 1974. [38]

I like producing Ravi's music, because for me it's educational as well as a joy to work with. It's actually soothing to your soul, and it helps you to focus or transcend. [39]

– George Harrison, 1997

From 7 July, [40] sessions ran intermittently through to late August. [36] Shankar later told Rolling Stone magazine that he wrote "Mangalam" at this time: "'Mangalam' came to me while I was walking in Friar Park, George's place, where we were recording. I was looking at the trees and the sky, and feeling very elated all of a sudden, wishing everything should be good for everyone, and it just came to me." [9]

Among the participating musicians at Friar Park were Shankar's occasional tabla player Bikram Ghosh, [1] along with Tarun Bhatacharaya (santoor), Ronu Mazumdar (bansuri flute) and Jane Lister (harp). [27] [nb 3] While operating mainly in the role of producer, Harrison responded to Shankar's requests to perform on the recordings; [26] Harrison contributed on acoustic guitar, bass, autoharp, vibraphone and percussion, as well as supplying backing vocals. [43] Shankar's wife Sukanya, a trained singer in the Karnatak tradition, [44] was also among the vocalists during what the album sleeve lists as the "London sessions". [27] The recording and remix engineer was John Etchells. [27]

Tillery describes the making of Chants of India as a "labor of love" for Harrison following his participation in the Beatles' Anthology project, [26] and Barham similarly recalls it as having been "a pleasure working on this beautiful record". [10] In Shankar's recollection, following a playback of some of the tracks, [45] Harrison was so moved that he "embraced me with tears in his eyes and simply said, 'Thank you, Ravi, for this music.'" [46] According to Lavezzoli, the album was one of Shankar's "personal favorite works". [8]

Release

Angel Records issued Chants of India on 6 May 1997 in America, with a UK release following on 1 September. [47] [48] The album was marketed as a collaborative work, [49] and Harrison joined Shankar in promoting the release. [50]

These activities included television appearances in New York and Paris, [51] one of which, for America's VH1 network, aired on 24 July as George & Ravi – Yin & Yang. [52] In what would turn out to be Harrison's final performance on a TV show, [53] he and Shankar discussed the album and their shared experiences, such as the Concert for Bangladesh (1971). [1] Harrison then accepted an acoustic guitar from host John Fugelsang [54] and performed songs including the just-released "Prabhujee", sung with Ravi and Sukanya Shankar. [55] [56]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [57]
Billboard "Spotlight" [58]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [59]
Entertainment Weekly A− [60]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [61]

Chants of India was critically well-received, [62] [63] while commercially it peaked at number 3 on Billboard magazine's Top World Music Albums chart. [64] On release, Josef Woodard of Entertainment Weekly labelled the album "enchanting" and added: "Unlike Shankar's classical raga recordings, Chants of India is a set of short, colorfully arranged pieces, enjoyable for neophytes and devotees alike. Another jewel from a humble world-music superstar." [60] JazzTimes described it as "a surprisingly colorful and accessible set of 16 pieces". [65] In his review for Billboard, Paul Verna commented that "the project possesses a hypnotic quality reminiscent of the label's enormously popular Gregorian chant recordings" and concluded: "'Chants of India' represents a creative milestone in the life of a veteran artist whose contributions to traditional Indian music cannot be overestimated." [58]

Peter Lavezzoli writes of the album: "Chants of India is a quiet masterpiece, one of the most uplifting and musically engaging recordings of sacred music ... Harrison's production created the ideal setting for each chant, all of which are exquisitely sung, and the album remains the most fully realized collaboration between both artists." [1] Jim Brenholts of AllMusic similarly praises the work, writing: "Shankar's style and diversity allow him to open doors that are closed to other musicians ... Shankar's compositional and sound-design styles add atmosphere. Harrison's deft touch allows the music to develop and maintain its own integrity. Among records of this nature, this one is special." [57]

Author and former Mojo editor Mat Snow considers it to be "perhaps the very best introduction to the enduring creative friendship between the Bengali classical master and the scruff from Liverpool's back streets". [66] Harrison biographer Alan Clayson describes Chants of India as a "thoroughly diverting production" that "[balances] sung lyrics as succinct as haiku and instrumental passages of a quirky complexity vaguely reminiscent of Frank Zappa". [67] Writing in Goldmine magazine in 2010, Gillian Gaar described the album as "a sound that's akin to 'Within You, Without You'", and "especially soothing and relaxing" due to the devotional nature of the words. [68] Anastasia Tsioulcas of NPR Music includes Chants of India in her list of Shankar's five "essential" works, and writes: "Shankar took Hindu prayers, mantras and scriptural texts and framed them within larger musical settings, incorporating both Indian and European instruments along with voices. The results are transporting – and very beautiful." [69]

Legacy and reissue

The personal and musical friendship between Ravi Shankar and George Harrison ... was powerful enough to make an impact on the large, musical life of the later nineteen sixties and it reverberates, as clearly, even today. I would go as far as to say that today there can scarcely be a musician or composer virtually anywhere in the world that is not aware of, nor been touched by, the fruits of the remarkable encounter between these two. [70]

– Composer Philip Glass, 2010

Chants of India was the last formal musical collaboration between Shankar and Harrison. [10] During promotion for the album in summer 1997, [71] Harrison was diagnosed with cancer, a condition he was then thought to have beaten [72] [73] until a near-fatal stabbing by a deranged fan, on 30 December 1999, encouraged its return. [74] [75] On 29 November 2002, a year after his death at the age of 58, Shankar included selections from Chants of India in the opening, Indian music portion of the Concert for George, [76] held at the Royal Albert Hall in London. [44] Anoushka Shankar performed the set, as sitarist and conductor, [77] backed by some of the musicians and singers who had contributed to the Friar Park sessions in 1996, including Sukanya Shankar, [78] Chandrashekhar, M. Balachandar and Lister. [79] The album-closing "Sarve Shaam" appears at the start of David Leland's Concert for George documentary film (2003), [79] played as Harrison's widow Olivia lights commemorative candles on stage. [44] [80]

As part of Ravi Shankar's 90th birthday celebrations in 2010, [81] Dark Horse Records reissued Chants of India in a four-disc box set titled Collaborations . [82] A project overseen and produced by Olivia Harrison, [70] [83] the box set also included the albums Shankar Family & Friends (1974) and Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India (1976), together with previously unreleased film of the Music Festival's debut performance in September 1974, [84] directed by Stuart Cooper. [85] [nb 4]

Track listing

All songs are traditional, adapted by Ravi Shankar, except where noted.

  1. "Vandanaa Trayee" – 4:32
  2. "Omkaaraaya Namaha" – 1:53
  3. "Vedic Chanting One" – 3:12
  4. "Asato Maa" – 7:12
  5. "Sahanaa Vavavtu" – 4:26
  6. "Poornamadah" – 1:28
  7. "Gaayatri" – 3:26
  8. "Mahaa Mrityunjaya" – 4:43
  9. "Veenaa-Murali" – 3:36
  10. "Geetaa" – 2:13
  11. "Mangalam" (Ravi Shankar, Dr Nandakumara) – 4:03
  12. "Hari Om" (Shankar) – 2:57
  13. "Svara Mantra" (Shankar) – 4:34
  14. "Vedic Chanting Two" – 2:13
  15. "Prabhujee" (Shankar) – 8:06
  16. "Sarve Shaam" – 5:09

Personnel

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ In the 1969–70 recordings credited to Radha Krishna Temple (London), the first UK branch of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, [12] Harrison had helped popularise the Hare Krishna (or maha) mantra [13] and, in the case of "Govinda", what is reputed to be the world's first poem, taken from the Satya Yuga. [14] "My Sweet Lord" also includes part of the maha mantra [15] and a prayer in praise of one's guru, the Guru Stotram, [16] while in his song "It Is 'He'", Harrison adapted the Sanskrit words of a kirtan [17] that he, Shankar and others had sung in a temple at Vrindavan in February 1974. [18]
  2. ↑ Author Keith Badman writes that Shankar and Harrison used a second location in the city during April – Swara Laya Studio. [29]
  3. ↑ During the sessions, Harrison recorded Ghosh and Lister's contributions to the Indian segment of his song "Brainwashed", [41] released posthumously on his 2002 album of the same name. [42]
  4. ↑ In another release to mark the start of Shankar's tenth decade, East Meets West reissued the long-unavailable 1971 documentary on Shankar, Raga . [86] As well as appearing in the film, [87] [88] Harrison produced its soundtrack album [89] and provided finance through Apple Films. [90]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Concert for Bangladesh</span> 1971 benefit concert organised by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar

The Concert for Bangladesh was a pair of benefit concerts organised by former Beatles guitarist George Harrison and Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar. The shows were held at 2:30 and 8:00 pm on Sunday, 1 August 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, to raise international awareness of, and fund relief for refugees from East Pakistan, following the Bangladesh Liberation War-related genocide. The concerts were followed by a bestselling live album, a boxed three-record set, and Apple Films' concert documentary, which opened in cinemas in the spring of 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark Horse Records</span> British record label

Dark Horse Records is a record label founded by former Beatle George Harrison in 1974. The label's formation coincided with the winding down of the Beatles' Apple Records and allowed Harrison to continue supporting other artists' projects while maintaining his solo career. The initial signings were Indian musician Ravi Shankar and Splinter, the latter of whom provided the label with its only significant commercial success until Harrison himself signed with Dark Horse in 1976. The label was distributed internationally by A&M Records for the first two years of its operation. Following a highly publicised split with A&M, Harrison and Dark Horse formed a long-term partnership with Warner Bros. Records that lasted until the expiration of his contract in 1994.

<i>Wonderwall Music</i> 1968 studio album / soundtrack album by George Harrison

Wonderwall Music is the debut solo album by English musician George Harrison and the soundtrack to the 1968 film Wonderwall, directed by Joe Massot. Released in November 1968, it was the first solo album by a member of the Beatles, and the first album issued on the band's Apple record label. The songs are all instrumental pieces, except for occasional non-English language vocals, and mostly comprise short musical vignettes. Following his Indian-styled compositions for the Beatles since 1966, he used the film score to further promote Indian classical music by introducing rock audiences to instruments that were relatively little-known in the West – including shehnai, sarod, tar shehnai, tanpura and santoor. The Indian pieces are contrasted by Western musical selections, in the psychedelic rock, experimental, country and ragtime styles.

"The Day the World Gets 'Round" is a song by English musician George Harrison, released on his 1973 album Living in the Material World. Harrison was inspired to write the song following the successful Concert for Bangladesh shows, which were held in New York on 1 August 1971 as a benefit for refugees from the country formerly known as East Pakistan. The lyrics reflect his disappointment that such a humanitarian aid project was necessary, given the abundance of resources available across the planet, and his belief that if all individuals were more spiritually aware, there would be no suffering in the world. Adding to Harrison's frustration while writing the song, the aid project became embroiled in financial problems, as commercial concerns delayed the release of the Concert for Bangladesh album, and government tax departments failed to embrace the goodwill inherent in the venture.

"The Lord Loves the One (That Loves the Lord)" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison, released on his 1973 album Living in the Material World. Like the album's title track, it was inspired by the teachings of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), more commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement. The song is an uptempo rock track with elements of blues and gospel. Some commentators have described it as the musical highpoint of Living in the Material World, with Harrison's slide guitar playing singled out as being among the finest performances of his career.

<i>Raga</i> (film) 1971 American film

Raga is a 1971 documentary film about the life and music of Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar, produced and directed by Howard Worth. It includes scenes featuring Western musicians Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison, as well as footage of Shankar returning to Maihar in central India, where as a young man he trained under the mentorship of Allauddin Khan. The film also features a portion of Shankar and tabla player Alla Rakha's acclaimed performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.

John Barham is an English classical pianist, composer, arranger, producer and educator. He is best known for his orchestration of George Harrison albums such as All Things Must Pass (1970) and for his association with Indian sitar maestro Ravi Shankar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hari's on Tour (Express)</span> 1974 instrumental by George Harrison

"Hari's on Tour (Express)" is an instrumental by English musician George Harrison, released as the opening track of his 1974 album Dark Horse. It was also the B-side of the album's second single – which was "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" in North America and most other territories, and "Dark Horse" in Britain and some European countries. Among Harrison's post-Beatles solo releases, the track is the first of only two genuine instrumentals he released from 1970 onwards – the other being the Grammy Award-winning "Marwa Blues", from his 2002 album Brainwashed.

"It Is 'He' " is a song by English musician George Harrison, released as the final track of his 1974 album Dark Horse. Harrison was inspired to write the song while in the Hindu holy city of Vrindavan, in northern India, with his friend Ravi Shankar. The composition originated on a day that Harrison describes in his autobiography as "my most fantastic experience", during which his party and their ascetic guide toured the city's temples. The song's choruses were adapted from the Sanskrit chant they sang before visiting Seva Kunj, a park dedicated to Krishna's childhood. The same pilgrimage to India led to Harrison staging Shankar's Music Festival from India in September 1974 and undertaking a joint North American tour with Shankar at the end of that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Writing's on the Wall (George Harrison song)</span> 1981 song by George Harrison

"Writing's on the Wall" is a song by English musician George Harrison from his 1981 album Somewhere in England. It was also the B-side of the album's lead single, "All Those Years Ago", which Harrison wrote as a tribute to his former Beatles bandmate John Lennon. In his lyrics, Harrison sings of the transient nature of life and the importance of recognising a spiritual purpose. Although the song was written long before Lennon's murder in New York in December 1980, the lyrics' reference to how easily friends can be shot down and killed led listeners to interpret it as a further comment on Lennon's death.

<i>Shankar Family & Friends</i> 1974 studio album by Ravi Shankar (on Dark Horse Records)

Shankar Family & Friends is an album by Indian musician Ravi Shankar, recorded primarily in Los Angeles during the spring of 1973, but not released until late 1974. It was produced by Shankar's friend George Harrison and one of the first releases on the ex-Beatle's Dark Horse label. Out of print for many years, and much sought after as a result, the album was remastered in 2010 and reissued as part of the Ravi Shankar–George Harrison box set Collaborations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India</span>

Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India was an Indian classical music revue led by sitarist and composer Ravi Shankar intended for Western concert audiences and performed in 1974. Its presentation was the first project undertaken by the Material World Charitable Foundation, set up the previous year by ex-Beatle George Harrison. Long a champion of Indian music, Harrison also produced an eponymous studio album by the Music Festival orchestra, which was released in 1976 on his Dark Horse record label. Both the CD format of the Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India album and a DVD of their performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London were issued for the first time on the 2010 Shankar–Harrison box set Collaborations.

The Material World Charitable Foundation, also known as the Material World Foundation (MWF), is a charitable organisation founded by English musician George Harrison in April 1973. Its launch coincided with the release of Harrison's album Living in the Material World and came about in reaction to the taxation issues that had hindered his 1971–72 aid project for refugees of the Bangladesh Liberation War. Harrison assigned his publishing royalties from nine of the eleven songs on Living in the Material World, including the hit single "Give Me Love ", to the foundation, in perpetuity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Am Missing You</span>

"I Am Missing You" is a song by Indian musician Ravi Shankar, sung by his sister-in-law Lakshmi Shankar and released as the lead single from his 1974 album Shankar Family & Friends. The song is a rare Shankar composition in the Western pop genre, with English lyrics, and was written as a love song to the Hindu god Krishna. The recording was produced and arranged by George Harrison, in a style similar to Phil Spector's signature sound, and it was the first single issued on Harrison's Dark Horse record label. Other contributing musicians include Tom Scott, Nicky Hopkins, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr and Jim Keltner. A second version appears on Shankar Family & Friends, titled "I Am Missing You (Reprise)", featuring an arrangement closer to a folk ballad.

<i>Joi Bangla</i> 1971 EP by Ravi Shankar

Joi Bangla is an EP by Indian sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar, issued in August 1971 on Apple Records. The recording was produced by George Harrison and its release marked the first in a series of occasional collaborations between the two musicians that lasted until the Chants of India album in 1997. Shankar recorded the EP in Los Angeles, to help raise international awareness of the plight faced by refugees of the Bangladesh Liberation War, in advance of his and Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh shows at Madison Square Garden, New York. Side one of the disc consists of two vocal compositions sung in Bengali, of which the title track was a message of unity to the newly independent nation, formerly known as East Pakistan. The third selection is a duet by Shankar and sarodya Ali Akbar Khan, supported by Alla Rakha on tabla, a performance that presaged their opening set at the Concert for Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Harrison and Ravi Shankar's 1974 North American tour</span> 1974 concert tour by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar

George Harrison and Ravi Shankar's 1974 North American tour was a 45-show concert tour of the United States and Canada, undertaken by English musician George Harrison and Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar in November and December 1974. It is often referred to as the Dark Horse Tour, since the concerts served as a launch for Harrison's record label Dark Horse Records, to which Shankar was one of the inaugural signings, and Harrison's concurrent single was the song "Dark Horse". The release of his delayed album, also titled Dark Horse, followed towards the end of the tour. The shows featured guest spots by Harrison's band members Billy Preston and Tom Scott.

<i>Ravi Shankar: In Celebration</i> 1996 compilation album by Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar: In Celebration is a compilation box set by Indian classical musician and composer Ravi Shankar, released in 1996 on Angel Records in conjunction with Dark Horse Records. The four discs cover Shankar's international career, from the 1950s to the mid 1990s, and include recordings originally released on the World Pacific, HMV, Angel, Apple, Dark Horse and Private Music record labels. Shankar's friend George Harrison compiled and co-produced the set, which was issued as part of year-long celebrations for Shankar's 75th birthday.

"Ride Rajbun" is a song by English musician George Harrison. It was released in 1992 on the multi-artist charity album The Bunbury Tails, which was the soundtrack to the British animated television series of the same name. Harrison co-wrote the song's lyrics with Bunbury Tails creator David English. The eponymous Rajbun was a character in the series based on English's friend and cricketer Rajendrasinh Jadeja, one of a team of cricket-playing rabbits – in this case, from Bangalore in India. The composition is in the style of a nursery rhyme or children's song, while the all-Indian instrumentation on the recording recalls some of Harrison's compositions for the Beatles during 1966–68.

<i>Collaborations</i> (Ravi Shankar and George Harrison album) 2010 box set by Ravi Shankar & George Harrison

Collaborations is a four-disc compilation box set by Indian classical musician Ravi Shankar and former Beatle George Harrison. Released in October 2010 on Dark Horse Records, it compiles two studio albums originally issued on that label – the long-unavailable Shankar Family & Friends (1974) and Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India (1976) – and Chants of India, first issued on Angel Records in 1997. Although all three albums were originally Shankar releases, for which Harrison served in the role of music producer and guest musician, both Shankar and Harrison are credited as artists on the box set. Each of the collaborative projects represents a departure from Shankar's more typical work as a sitarist and performer of Hindustani classical ragas, with the box set showcasing his forays into, variously, jazz and rock, Indian folk and orchestral ensembles, and devotional music.

<i>Raga Mala</i> (book)

Raga Mala is an autobiographic work by Indian classical musician Ravi Shankar, published in 1997 as a hand-bound, limited edition book by Genesis Publications. The initial print run was limited to 2000 signed and individually numbered copies, with a foreword by George Harrison, who also served as Shankar's editor. In addition, Oliver Craske was credited with providing "additional narrative".

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Lavezzoli, p. 198.
  2. ↑ Allison, p. 44.
  3. 1 2 Tillery, p. 141.
  4. ↑ Lavezzoli, pp. 195–96, 197.
  5. ↑ "Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar: In Celebration: Releases", AllMusic (retrieved 21 October 2013).
  6. ↑ The Editors of Rolling Stone, p. 193.
  7. ↑ Clayson, p. 436.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Lavezzoli, p. 197.
  9. 1 2 Al Weisel, "Ravi Shankar on his pal George Harrison and 'Chants of India'", Rolling Stone , 15 May 1997 (retrieved 26 November 2013).
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Leng, p. 281.
  11. ↑ "Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos – Chant", AllMusic (retrieved 13 March 2021).
  12. ↑ "The Radha Krishna Temple", Apple Records (retrieved 24 October 2013).
  13. ↑ The Editors of Rolling Stone, pp. 180, 192.
  14. ↑ Greene, pp. 132, 169–71.
  15. ↑ Allison, p. 122.
  16. ↑ Greene, pp. 181–82.
  17. ↑ George Harrison, pp. 296–97.
  18. ↑ Tillery, pp. 112–13.
  19. ↑ Ravi Shankar, in Collaborations, p. 13.
  20. ↑ Ken Hunt, "Ravi Shankar", AllMusic (retrieved 24 November 2013).
  21. ↑ Reginald Massey, "Ravi Shankar obituary", The Guardian , 12 December 2012 (retrieved 24 November 2013).
  22. ↑ Lavezzoli, pp. 17, 51, 70.
  23. ↑ Shankar, My Music, My Life, pp. 58, 65, 70.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ravi Shankar's liner notes, Chants of India CD (Angel Records, 1997; produced by George Harrison).
  25. ↑ Lavezzoli, pp. 197–98.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Tillery, p. 142.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Album credits, Chants of India CD (Angel Records, 1997; produced by George Harrison).
  28. ↑ Lavezzoli, pp. 62–63, 198.
  29. 1 2 Badman, p. 554.
  30. ↑ Tillery, pp. 141–42.
  31. ↑ Greene, pp. 251–53.
  32. ↑ Greene, p. 257.
  33. ↑ Olivia Harrison, p. 302.
  34. ↑ Tillery, pp. 112–14.
  35. ↑ Leng, pp. 148, 165.
  36. 1 2 Madinger & Easter, p. 487.
  37. ↑ Collaborations, p. 15.
  38. ↑ Lavezzoli, pp. 195, 197.
  39. ↑ Huntley, p. 273.
  40. ↑ Badman, p. 556.
  41. ↑ Leng, pp. 304–05.
  42. ↑ Lavezzoli, pp. 198–99.
  43. ↑ The Editors of Rolling Stone, p. 195.
  44. 1 2 3 Lavezzoli, p. 199.
  45. ↑ Leng, pp. 281–82.
  46. ↑ Shankar, Raga Mala, p. 308.
  47. ↑ Badman, p. 568.
  48. ↑ Tillery, pp. 142, 167.
  49. ↑ Leng, pp. 280–81.
  50. ↑ Allison, pp. 122–23.
  51. ↑ Badman, pp. 568, 569, 571.
  52. ↑ Clayson, pp. 446, 481.
  53. ↑ Leng, p. 282.
  54. ↑ Badman, pp. 572–73.
  55. ↑ Madinger & Easter, p. 488.
  56. ↑ Huntley, p. 274.
  57. 1 2 Jim Brenholts, "Ravi Shankar Mantram: Chants of India", AllMusic (retrieved 8 August 2014).
  58. 1 2 Paul Verna, "Reviews & Previews" > Albums, Billboard , 7 June 1997, p. 77 (retrieved 11 August 2014).
  59. ↑ Larkin, p. 2774.
  60. 1 2 Josef Woodard, "Chants of India, Ravi Shankar" Archived 29 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine , Entertainment Weekly , 1 August 1997 (retrieved 18 November 2014).
  61. ↑ John Lewis, "Miscellany: My sitar's quantum leaps", Uncut Ultimate Music Guide: George Harrison , TI Media (London, 2018), p. 117.
  62. ↑ Greene, p. 259.
  63. ↑ Rodriguez, p. 239.
  64. ↑ "Ravi Shankar Chants of India: Awards", AllMusic (retrieved 8 August 2014).
  65. ↑ "Ravi Shankar – Mantram: Chants Of India CD Album" > Product description, CD Universe/Muze (retrieved 8 August 2014).
  66. ↑ Snow, p. 89.
  67. ↑ Clayson, p. 446.
  68. ↑ Gillian G. Gaar, "Shankar/Harrison set succeeded on crossover appeal", Goldmine , 31 January 2011 (retrieved 4 August 2015).
  69. ↑ Anastasia Tsioulcas, "5 Essential Ravi Shankar Recordings, From 'West Meets East' To 'West Eats Meat'", NPR Music, 12 December 2012 (retrieved 22 August 2015).
  70. 1 2 "Foreword by Philip Glass", in Collaborations, p. 1.
  71. ↑ Badman, pp. 571, 574.
  72. ↑ Greene, pp. 260, 263.
  73. ↑ Huntley, pp. 276–77.
  74. ↑ Tillery, pp. 142–43, 167.
  75. ↑ Dhani Harrison interview, in George Harrison: Living in the Material World DVD (Roadshow Entertainment, 2011; directed by Martin Scorsese; produced by Olivia Harrison, Nigel Sinclair & Martin Scorsese).
  76. ↑ Ravi Shankar interview, in Concert for George.
  77. ↑ Leng, pp. 309–10.
  78. ↑ Lavezzoli, pp. 197, 199.
  79. 1 2 Booklet with Concert for George.
  80. ↑ Introduction, in Concert for George.
  81. ↑ Sean Michaels, "George Harrison and Ravi Shankar collaborations to be reissued", guardian.co.uk, 18 August 2010 (retrieved 8 August 2014).
  82. ↑ News: "11/5/10 Ravi Shankar/George Harrison Collaborations box set now available" Archived 23 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine , eastmeetswest.com, 5 November 2010 (retrieved 21 October 2013).
  83. ↑ Olivia Harrison, "George Harrison and Ravi Shankar Box Set 'Collaborations' is a Labor of Love for Me – Spinner". Archived from the original on 2 January 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), Spinner, 18 October 2010 (archived version retrieved 8 August 2014).
  84. ↑ Richie Unterberger, "George Harrison/Ravi Shankar Collaborations", AllMusic (retrieved 8 August 2014).
  85. ↑ Badman, p. 133.
  86. ↑ News: "8/15/10 Raga DVD" Archived 23 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine , eastmeetswest.com, 15 August 2010 (retrieved 22 October 2013).
  87. ↑ Leng, p. 36.
  88. ↑ Badman, p. 54.
  89. ↑ Lavezzoli, p. 187.
  90. ↑ Clayson, p. 308.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.