Shakti | |
|---|---|
 Shakti in 1976 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Turiyananda Sangit (in the early days) |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1973–1978; 2020–present |
| Labels | |
| Spinoffs | Remember Shakti |
| Members | |
| Past members | |
Shakti is a fusion band formed by English guitarist John McLaughlin and Indian violinist L. Shankar with percussionists Zakir Hussain (on tabla) and T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram (on ghatam). [1] The original lineup, formed in 1973, consisted of John McLaughlin on guitar, L. Shankar on violin and R. Raghavan on mridangam, [2] initially under the name "Turiyananda Sangit" [3] (which translates in English to "The pinnacle delight in music" [4] ). Zakir Hussain was later added on tabla and the name was changed to Shakti (meaning "creative intelligence, beauty, and power." [5] ) as the band members wanted a name that “listeners in the West could relate to”. [6] Raghavan didn't stay with the project and TH Vikku Vinayakaram was added on ghatam for the remainder of those Shakti days. The band played acoustic fusion music which combined Indian music with elements of jazz.
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In addition to fusing Western and Eastern music, Shakti also represented a fusion of the Hindustani and Carnatic music traditions, since Hussain was from the north region of India while L. Shankar and T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram are from the South. [7]
The group came together in 1973, after the dissolution of the first incarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and toured fairly extensively during the period 1975-1977. After 1977, the albums which L. Shankar recorded with Z. Hussain and T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram stayed close to the music made popular by Shakti.
Two concerts at the Montreux Jazz Festival (July 6, 1976 and July 8, 1977) are included among the 17 CDs of the box set Montreux Concerts by John McLaughlin. [8]
Between 1982 - 1984, Shakti regrouped for a reunion tour in India, this time with Shankar performing on the double violin. [9]
In 1997, McLaughlin and Hussain put together another band with the same concept, called Remember Shakti, including V. Selvaganesh (son of T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram ), mandolin player U. Shrinivas and eventually Shankar Mahadevan.
The band reformed in 2020, [10] and released their first album as Shakti in 46 years, This Moment , on 23 June 2023. [11] The album will be supported by a world tour including India, Europe, and United States under the name Shakti50. [2] Violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan joined the band as a full time member. The band also performed a live set for the Tiny Desk Concert.
In 2024, Shakti won the Grammy Award for the Best Global Music Album for the album This Moment.
