The Sounds of India

The Sounds of India is an album by Ravi Shankar which introduces and explains Hindustani classical music to Western audiences. Released by Columbia Records in 1968, it was influenced by Ali Akbar Khan's The Sounds of India,[1] and recorded and produced by George Avakian in 1967 at Columbia's New York studio.[2]

The Sounds of India
Studio album by
Ravi Shankar
Released1968 (LP), 1989 (CD)
Recorded1967
GenreHindustani classical music
Length53:40
LabelColumbia (CD)
ProducerGeorge Avakian
Ravi Shankar chronology
Three Ragas
(1967)		 The Sounds of India
(1968)		 India's Master Musician
(1969)

It is regarded today as being of historical interest for showing both Shankar's musical skills and his interest in teaching the West about classical Indian music.[3]

It was digitally remastered and released in CD format by Columbia Records in 1989.

Recording

The album was recorded for Columbia Records in their New York studio in 1967, and produced by Miles Davis's producer George Avakian.[2][1] It was influenced by and followed the style of Ali Akbar Khan's The Sounds of India album, in which Khan introduces and explains the music he is playing.[1]

Legacy

AllMusic reviewer Adam Greenberg feels that The Genius of Ravi Shankar (1990)[4] is a better choice for listening to Shankar's earlier music, though regards this album as a useful historical document for both "Shankar's amazing abilities" and his love for teaching Western listeners about Hindustani classical music by using short lessons before each performance.[3] Yoshi Kato, in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, feels that as Shankar was already familiar to Western audiences, particularly via the interest shown by George Harrison, he was "the perfect musical ambassador", and this album is an "excellent way" into Shankar's music.[5] For Christian Larrède, writing in Music Story, the album "reste une curiosité" (remains a curiosity), and the short lengths of the chosen music along with the spoken introductions "ne souffrent pas de l’entreprise ouvertement pédagogique" (do not [cause the album to] suffer from the obvious educational enterprise).[6]

Track listing
  1. "An Introduction to Indian Music" – 4:13
  2. "Dádrá" – 10:30
  3. "Máru-Bihág" – 11:44
  4. "Bhimpalási" – 12:13
  5. "Sindhi-Bhairavi" – 15:00

Personnel

References
  1. Peter Lavezzoli (24 Apr 2006). The Dawn of Indian Music in the West. A&C Black. p. 61. ISBN 9780826418159.
  2. David Fricke. "From Monterey Pop to Carnegie Hall: The Best Recordings of Ravi Shankar". rollingstone.com.
  3. Greenberg, Adam. "Ravi Shankar The Sounds of India". AllMusic. Retrieved August 9, 2010.
  4. Adam Greenberg. "The Genius of Ravi Shankar". allmusic.com.
  5. Yoshi Kato (2005). Robert Dimery (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Cassell Illustrated. p. 134.
  6. Christian Larrède. "Chronique de The Sounds of India (in French)". Music Story. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
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