Ali Akbar Khan, Nikhil Banerjee - Signature Series Vol.4

"To me this record was made by these artists to create a joyful experience for the audience.”

I first obtained this recording on vinyl almost 30 years ago after seeing Nikhil Banerjee perform live on three occasions. He is the only performer I have witnessed live to be able to evoke tears in the eyes of his audience. As much as I love the recordings that both Nikhil-ji and his teacher Ali Akbar Khan have recorded separately, I become speechless in trying to describe the beauty of this particular recording, the only jugalbandi, or duet, recording that I know of made by master and disciple. The warmth and affection that these musicians had for each other is evident upon listening to both pieces on this album/CD. This recording also presents the most sublime and rewarding example of duet call and response that I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. This recording gets a rating of 10 out of five, yes, 10 out of 5! It is the best of the best. Enjoy! Footnote: While we can no longer hear Ali Akbar Khan and Nikhil Banerjee perform together live, two superb musicians in the lineage of Khan-sahib and Nikhil-ji, sarodist Rajeev Taranath and sitarist Partha Chatterjee, occasionally perform together. Don't miss any opportunity to hear them either in solo or duet performance.

Personnel: Ali Akbar Khan (sarod, sitar);
Nikhil Banerjee (sitar);
Mahapurush Misra (tabla).
Additional personnel:
Pandit Mahapurush Misra (tabla).

1. Rag Manj Khammaj - Ustad Khan Ali Akbar/Nikhil Banerjee
2. Rag Misra Mand - Ustad Khan Ali Akbar/Nikhil Banerjee

Flac (EAC Rip): 280 MB | MP3 - 320 kbs: 160 MB | Booklet Scans

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Shivkumar Sharma - Sunset Melody On The Santoor

Shivkumar Sharma (born 13th January 1938) is an Indian classical musician, working in the Hindustani classical music tradition. He is a master of the santoor, a folk instrument from the valley of Kashmir. It is a type of hammered dulcimer whose strings are struck with a pair of light carved wooden mallets. Before him the santoor was regarded as only an accompanying instrument.

He is credited with single-handedly making the santoor a popular classical instrument, to the extent that the santoor and Pandit Shivkumar Sharma are synonymous. Sharma modified the Kashmiri folk instrument to make it more suitable for his classical technique, increasing the range of the instrument to three full octaves and making it capable of a smoother meend (the glissando or gliding between notes required in Hindustani classical music to emulate the human voice). He also created a new technique of playing with which he could sustain notes and maintain sound continuity.

Sharma has performed many concerts with renowned musicians such as the tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain. He has also partnered the well-known flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia to form a group called Shiv-Hari for composing Hindi film music.

Shivkumar Sharma is the recipient of many national and international awards including honorary citizenship of the city of Baltimore, USA (1985)

1. Shree - Alap And Jod
2. Shree - Zhala Gat

Flac(EAC Rip): 340 MB | MP3 - 320 kbs: 120 MB | Covers

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The Most Relaxing: Feel Romance

Track Listings
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(01). Sorry, I Love You
(02). Indecisive
(03). From Now On (OST Winter Sonata)
(04). Destiny (OST Full House)
(05). So In Love
(06). By You Side
(07). Pray
(08). I Believe
(09). Praise of Love
(10). Ave Maria
(11). The Day We Met
(12). Remember
(13). You Can’t Say
(14). Sorry, I Love You (Singing)
(15). Indecisive (Singing)

Flac tracks (EAC Rip): 330 MB | MP3 - 320 kbs: 160 MB | Front Cover

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Music of the Himalayas

Rahul Kumar is the son of Shivkumar Sharma (of Call of the Valley fame) and is a world-renowned poet of the santoor in his own right. In fact, the two masters often play together. Until recently, the santoor, a trapezoid-shaped hammered zither, with its hundred-plus strings and curved wooden mallets, was considered appropriate only for Kashmiri folk tunes. But over the past half-century (a blink of an eye along India's ancient timeline), its rippling, metallic glissandos and arpeggios have become accepted even in rarified Indian music circles. Like his father, the younger virtuoso has solved the problem of how to create rounded, soothing tones from an essentially staccato medium. Heard live before a nearly silent audience, Rahul's deceptively delicate touch strikes fire while his fervent improvisations breathe deep and blossom. The listener becomes blissfully passive, like a traveler so enchanted by the journey that she no longer cares about reaching her destination

Rahul Sharma is a master of the santoor which is a similar instrument to the hammered dulcimer. Sharma is the son of Shivkumar Sharma and both father and son are renowned for their skill on this instrument. They have transformed it from a Kashmiri folk item to a respected instrument in Indian classical circles. Rahul Sharma recorded "Music of the Himilayas" in 2002. The album is a beautiful live recording of intricate and soul-stirring instrumental music that evokes the atmosphere of the breathtaking Himilayas. The album brings together expertly both traditional folk and classical influences.

1. Maqam-E-Navaa (Sufyana Musiqi)
2. Melody Of Kashmir
3. Melody Of Jammu Kashmir
4. Melody Of Kashmir In Contemporary Music

Percussion [Pakhawaj, Hudka, Ghungroo] – Pandit Bhawani Shankar
Santoor – Rahul Sharma
Tabla – Ustad Shafat Ahmed Khan

Flac(EAC Rip): 390 MB | MP3 - 320 kbs: 160 MB | Booklet Scans

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GUNDECHA BROTHERS - TEARS ON A LOTUS (GAOTI/SHIVRANJANI)

GUNDECHA BROTHERS
TEARS ON A LOTUS (GAOTI/SHIVRANJANI

Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha are one of India’s leading exponents of the Dhrupad style of music. They are among the most active young performers of Dhrupad in Indian and international circuits. Born in Ujjain in Central India, both were initiated into music by their parents.

Gundecha Brothers received conventional university education and learned the Dhrupad vocal art under the renowned Dhrupad vocalist Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar and also with Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (the distinguished performer of Rudra Veena) in Dhrupad Kendra Bhopal.

The Gundecha Brothers have sung great Hindi poetry by Tulsidas, Kabir, Padmakar, Nirala in Dhrupad style . They have recorded about 25 cassettes and CDs by H.M.V, Music Today, Rhythm House, Senseworld Music, Sundaram Records, IPPNW Concerts Berlin, Navras

and Audio Rec London. They have also sung for many television channels in India and have been broadcasted on British, U.S., German and French, Japan and Australian Radio as well. As well as being an integral part of all of India’s prestigious music festivals, the Brothers have also performed at many important international music festivals and institutions in about 25 countries in Europe, U.S.A, Australia, Japan, Egypt, Singapore, Bangladesh, U.A.E and Hongkong.

They have received M.P. Govt. Scholarship from 1981 to 1985, National Fellowship from 1987 to 89, Ustad Allauddin Khan Fellowship in 1993, Sanskriti Award in 1994 and Kumar Gandharva Award in 1998 by Govt. of Madhaya Pradesh and Dagar Gharana Award by Mewar Foundation in 2001. Rajat Kamal - National Film Award for the Best Music Direction ( 2006)

1. Raag Gaoti (Alap)
2. Raag Gaoti (Alap)
3. Raag Gaoti (Alap)
4. Raag Gaoti (Alap)
5. Raga Gaoti (Dhrupad)
6. Raag Shivranjani (Alap)
7. Raag Shivranjani (Dhrupad)

Flac tracks(EAC Rip): 390 MB | MP3 - 320 kbs: 170 MB | Scans

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Flamenco: Sara Baras: Sabores "DVD"

Contemporary flamenco great Sara Baras showcases her dancing abilities in this fantastic concert performance that was filmed over the course of several shows at the Nuevo Apollo Theatre in Madrid, Spain. Highlighted by guest appearances by Jose Serrano and Luis Ortega, this release is certain to captivate you. 108 min. Standard; Soundtrack: Spanish; Subtitles: none; interviews; "making of" documentary. In Spanish; no subtitles.

If you want to know what Flamenco is all about, buy the DVD titled Sara Baras, Sabores. She is absolutely wonderful. Everyone in her company is simply amazing and the passion they portray sends the audience on an imaginary trip to mystical Spain. She is marvelous, and Luis Ortega and Juan Serrano are very worthy partners in this production. Both of them are beautiful dancers with superior abilities. They are magnificent. I love to watch someone this good. Everything about the show is great. The coreography is so beautiful and fits with all the dancers she has in her company. She surrounds herself with the highest quality performers. Every dancer is a soloist, but each one works well together in a group, which is sometimes a difficult thing to do. In this show each dancer is showcased while dancing in beautiful lines. I just can't say enough about this spectacular show and everyone should buy it that wants to see really beautiful Flamenco done in a perfect way. Every time I watch it I want to practice for the rest of my life and am reminded of all the different reasons that I love Flamenco so much. I love the music, the dancing, the singing, the castanets, and the spirituality. It all works so well together in this show, it's a show full of artistic genius and passion. This DVD overflows with Duende, and is a passionate rendition of true, pure, and beautiful Flamenco.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Most Relaxing: Feel Best

Most Relaxing: Feel Best, Asian collection of rock/new age artists from the US and Japan, featuring Himegami, Togi Hideki, Kitaro, Adiemus, Enigma, Michael Nyman, Ryuichi Sakamoto and more.

(01). Time to say goodbye - Solo Version
(02). Kamigami no uta (Bulgarian Version)
(03). New Aaia
(04). Bolero
(05). Beyond the century
(06). Syukumei (Piano Solo Version)
(07). Return to innocence
(08). Lady's Tango
(09). The heart saks for pleasure frist the promise (Piano Version)
(10). Sugisarishi eien no hibi
(11). The shek tering sky theme (Piano Version)
(12). Tsubame ni naritai
(13). Oukina kawa to chisana koi
(14). CROATIAN RHAPSODY
(15). Shima-uta
(16). La valse D’amelie
(17). Kimi wo shinjite (Violin version)

Flac tracks (EAC Rip): 350 MB | MP3 - 320 kbs: 160 MB | Front Cover

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Stephan Micus - Desert Poems

Austere and ecstatic, multi-instrumentalist Stephan Micus's 15th album is a meditation on both the topography and idea of the desert. Unobstructed, ancient, and open, the compositions evoke a harshly beautiful state of being that exists outside of human perceptions of time. Micus attempts to touch this deeper reality by combining an arsenal of instruments and musical styles ranging from the Asian steppes to the Sahara and the mountains of the Republic of Georgia. A quiet restlessness unites the performances. "Adela" overdubs 22 dilruba Indian string instruments in a piece that strangely suggests modern chamber music. "Shar Khar Venakhi" transposes a 13th-century polyphonic choral piece from the Caucasus to massed Indian and Turkman strings with windblown, forlorn effect. Every instrument on this impressive disc is played by Majorcan resident Micus, who also sings with monastic sobriety on "Contessa Entellina" and in Japanese Noh theater style on "For Yuko" accompanied by clay flowerpots and shakuhachi. Many artists attempt to fuse vernacular instruments of the world with a sense of the distant past, but few strike the chilling note of solitude that pervades this clear-headed work.

I consider Micus to be one of the preeminent composers of our time, Genius in its truest and brightest meaning. I live at the western edge of the High Desert of the Basins and Ranges and have come to love the desert more than I had ever imagined possible. Capturing the stark beauty of stark places is one of the most difficult things which can be done - one must turn inward to see outward, the further inward you are able to see, the greater the panorama of your outer vision. While others have commented that this is 'more of the same' and that this is 'not a bad thing' - I have to disagree - in the stark places of the world, just as in the stark places of the Soul - the beauty, the Mystery, lies in the subtle differences. I own all albums and while I may find some more favorite than others, each has it's own subtle beauty. I would rank this album within the top five, and possibly the top three of my favorite Micus albums. The Subtle Beauty, just as the subtle difference, is there if you have the ear to hear. A very good album from an exceptional creator.

1. The Horses Of Nizami
2. Adela
3. Night
4. Mikhail's Dream
5. First Snow
6. Thirteen Eagles
7. Contessa Entellina
8. Shen Khar Venakhi
9. For Yuko

FLAC (EAC Rip): 220 MB | MP3 - 320 kbs: 120 MB | Booklet Scans

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