So the last week I had the pleasure of being able to not just see 2 amazing sitar concerts, but I was able to see one of my hero's. 3 years ago I saw Ravi and his daughter Anoushka for the first time and was absolutely blown away by what i had witnessed. I had wanted to play sitar for a while before than, but after that show I was hooked, had to get one, and have been playin since. Following are reviews of both the sitar concerts I experienced, along with some heady links.2009-10-15 Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar Hill Auditorium Ann Arbor, MI
This concert was simply beautiful. To be able to see a living legend at 91 years of age rip the hell outta the sitar was truly a sight to behold. But what truly was amazing was the call and response between Ravi and Anoushka. Both have such unique tones that it was amazing to listen to them back and forth. Ravi plays a very classical style, as he was trained since a small child. His riffs were reminiscent to the classical ragas, however his speed was not nearly there.
As a 91 year old man, it is hard to rip as hard as you did at 89 or 40 or even 20 as he was at woodstock. However, what he lacked in speed he fully made up for in tone quality. He has one of the greatest tones to the sitar I've ever heard. His tamboure was mindblowing. Anoushka on the other hand has exceeded her father in talent. And the look on Ravi's face was sheer pride for his daughter, who has become more than he could hope for. Her speed and accuracy were insane as well as the tone she has created for herself. Anoushka's innovative style is truly amazing and I recommend her work just as much as her fathers. Overall the show was amazing, not the best Ravi show I've seen(out of the two), but definitely amazing. Show rating 4 out of 5.
Some Ravi links:
Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000
Homage to Mahatma Ghandi
Monument of Strings
Ravi Shankar: Woodstock Performance... by far my favorite Ravi show of all time.
The Doyen of Hindustani Music
The Ravi Shankar Collection: Improvisations ... Ravi's jazz project... amazing, mindblowing listenin.
Anoushka Shankar:
Anourag
Rise
2008-10-06 Live In Tokyo
2009-10-18 Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan
This concert took place in an Indian families' home, as most small traditional concerts do, in West Bloomfield, MI. The sitarist is an extremely well known sitarist on the Indian classical music ticket. He is acclaimed by such master musicians as Zakir Hussain, Ustad Allah Rahka, and Ravi Shankar. This was one of the most mind-blowing concerts Ive ever been to. Not only was this sitarist one of the best Ive ever seen but the setting was perfect. We were in the basement sitting on the ground as the sitarist and tabla player take the small stage which was back-dropped by a beautiful lake with many trees with colorful foliage that really set the tone for the concert. The sitarist's use of microtones in addition to his insane speed and accuracy led him to be one of the best sitarist I've ever seen. He played for nearly 3 hours and completely beasted the whole time... I was amazed. I hate to say it but that performance blew Ravi out of the water, but Khan has age and has been studying 14 hours a day for 10 years. AMAZING... Ive uploaded some of his albums... check him out, simply amazing.. take note it is a different style of sitar playing than Ravi's style.
Show Rating: 5 out of 5
Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan:
Raag Bhopali
Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan
Enjoy!
Mr. n00b
Awesome review Zach! ... Heady links...
ReplyDelete-J-man
Thank you for the reviews!
ReplyDeleteI've not only attended some of Pt. Shankar's performances, but for a time I studied sitar with a former student of his.
I am presently studying with Shahid Parvez Khan. You were not exagerating about his superhuman abilities! Imagine what it's like to learn fom him! He's a wonderful person, and a truly great musician.