Nikhil Banerjee - Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival - Copy of a rare CD published in India

The Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival in Delhi is one of the oldest festivals of classical Indian music in India. Many of the concerts the visitors of the festival can later buy as a CD, produced by the festival itself. These CDs can only be bought during the festival and are often sold out quite fast. There is no other way to obtain them. That is the reason why they are very rare and very little known. 

Here we present exceptionally a rare CD by Nikhil Banerjee published by the festival. In the future we might post some more of these CDs, but this one is the only one by Nikhil Banerjee we have. Since quite a number of years this CD or any others by Nikhil Banerjee are no longer offered for sale at the festival. Our friend KF made for us a copy of the CD he had bought years ago at the festival. Many thanks to him.

1. Raga Darbari (46:19)

2. Raga Kirvani (24:54)

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Ramesh Prem - Vichitra Veena - AIR recordings

Here we present two beautiful recordings from the Archives of all India Radio. We recorded them in november 2017 from Raagam, the internet radio channel of AIR, which broadcasts 24 hours 7 days a week classical Indian music from the archives of AIR.

In 2013 we posted a private CD by Ramesh Prem, containing an EP and another AIR program by the artist.

A friend made these covers for these recordings. Many thanks to him.

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Ahmed Raza Khan - Vichitra Veena - Recordings from All India Radio

We pointed out this great master of the Vichitra Veena in a post in 2013, without sharing any music by him, just referring to his excellent CD published in Germany. See here.
Recently we received some AIR recordings from our friend KF, which we share here. Many thanks to him for his generosity.

On the artist see:

http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/citation_popup.php?id=127&at=1

Broadcast by AIR Delhi, Nov. 1980: 

1. Raga Basant Mukhari: Alap,Gat Vilambit Tintal & Drut Tintal - Tabla: Nanak Chand 

2. Raga Mishra Pilu - Tabla: Nanak Chand 

3. Raga Ahir Todi: Gat Vilambit Tintal & Drut Tintal - Tabla: Faiyaz Khan

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from the cover of an EP published by Gramophone Company of India in 1975

Asad Ali Khan (1937-2011) - Rudra Veena - Concert on October 29, 1999 in Frankfurt, Germany

Here we present a private double CD containing a concert which took place on 29th of october 1999 in the big hall of Hessischer Rundfunk, Frankfurt, Germany. It was broadcast on second of december 1999. Many thanks to KF for the recordings and the nice covers.

CD 1 - flac

CD 2 - flac

CD 1 - mp3

CD 2 - mp3

The great Ustad Aslam Khan (1940-2018) passed away on 21st of March 2018

We just received this morning the sad news that the great Ustad Aslam Khan (1940-2018) passed away already on 21st of March 2018. May he rest in peace. We always were very fond of this outstanding singer with a very rich background and a huge, extremely beautiful repertoire. For us he was one of the two or three greatest singers of his generation and perhaps the most interesting. Unfortunately he was only well known amongst the real connoisseurs. He had quite a number of cassette and CD releases during his long career.

In 2013 we posted two cassettes by him.

"A grand Condolence Meeting was organised to mourn the sad demise of Legendary Musician Ustad Aslam Khansahab Khushrang arranged by Pandit Nayan Ghosh, Sangit Mahabharathi and all the Fans Friends Colleagues, Students and disciples of Ustad Aslam Khansahab on the 18th April 2018 Wednesday 7. pm at the Sangit Mahabharathi Hall JVPD Mumbai. It was well attended by many eminent Musicians Followers and Close Associates of Late Aslam Khansahab. It included Pandit Nayan Ghosh (Introductory Speech) His Holiness Shyam Baba. Swami Chaitanya Swarup. Ustad Yakub Hussain Khan. Mr. Ramdas  Bhatkal. Ustad Vajahat Hussain Khan. Prof. Jamil Kaamil. Ustad Raja Miyan. and Pandit Amrendra Dhaneshwar.Two Minuites Silence was observed in the begining of the Meeting to pay homage to the departed Soul.Ustad Aslam Khansahab was a Musicians Musicians  and possessed a very rich repertoire of Indian Classical Ragas and Bandishes. He taught more than 500 Students and many of his disciples are in the frontline performers as on date. Aslam Khan belonged to the very famous Gharanas like  Hapur. Khurja. Atrauli=Jaipur Agra and the Delhi Tanras Khan Gharana.like his Guru the famous Gayan Samrat Ustad Azmat Hussain Khan Dilrang he served the Indian Music till he breathed last. He was an Awarded and Rewarded Musician.He precious recordings are preserved and recorded extensively by Sangit Natak Akademi. ITC Sangit Research Academy. N.C.P.A  Samvad Foundation. Goa Kala Academy. Saptak Sangeet Ahmedabad. Agha Khan Foundation New Delhi and All India Radio Akashwani Mumbai. New Delhi,  CPC Doordarshan. VividhBharathi Mumbai and many other Music Institutes.His prominent disciples include. Ustad Vajahat Hussain Khan. Anwar. Manhar Udhas. Usha Amonkar. Vrinda Mundkur. Bhal Patil. Chandra Kothari. Angna Kothari. Kamla Jhangiani.  The treasure of Music which Ustad Aslam Khansahab has left behind will be of great use for posterity and knowledge for the young generation of India. May his soul rest in peace. Website. www.dilrangacademy.org"

See the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIATf6NIKGQ&feature=youtu.be

There are in total 6 videos there.

On the artist:

http://dilrangacademy.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=12

https://www.esamskriti.com/e/Culture/Music/Down-The-Memory-Lane~-A-Journey-Into-The-Repertoire-Of-The-Living-Legend-~-Ustad-Aslam-Hussain-Khan-Saheb--colon-Khushrang-colon--1.aspx

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/aslam-hussain-khan-an-honest-blend-of-six-hindustani-gharanas/309908

As a tribute to this great master we post here another cassette published in India in 2000:

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Asad Ali Khan (1937-2011) - Rudra Veena - Echoes of Ancient Music - Cassette published in India in 1990

Here a beautiful cassette by the artist, shared generously by our friend Werner Durand. Many thanks.

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Asad Ali Khan (1937-2011) - Rudra Veena - Raga Bihag - Concert in Nürnberg, Germany

Here we present a concert recording of Raga Bihag. The concert took place in Tafelhalle, Nürnberg, Germany. The recording was broadcast by WDR on 15th of november 1995. The Pakhawaj player was Mohan Shyam Sharma.

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Asad Ali Khan (1937-2011) - Rudra Veena - LP published in India in 1978

Here we present the only LP by the other great Rudra Veena master of recent decades, Ustad Asad Ali Khan. This LP was also a very exciting discovery for us as we were able to listen for the first time to the old Rudra Veena, before it was modified by Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar. It is very difficult to say which one to prefer: both have their beauty and are in effect two different aural worlds.

In the 1990s and the 2000s I had the good fortune to experience Asad Ali Khan quite a couple of times in concerts in Germany and in Holland. I also had opportunities to talk to him and experienced him as a person extremely enthousiastic and proud of the tradition he belonged to. It was exciting to listen to him. I always was very impressed by his exquisite musicianship and his perfect technique, especially his playing with three fingers, which I never had seen before with any other musician.
Ustad Asad Ali Khan has quite a number of CD releases.
His German student Carsten Wicke, now living in Kolkata, has on his YouTube channel a good number of excellent videos of his concerts in Germany and Holland.

In 2011 we posted a recording of a concert in Germany on the occasion of his passing away. We added now a flac file and covers. We will post next another concert from the same tour.

In the winter 2016/2017 I had a little mouse in my appartment and this tiny mouse decided to build its nest behind one shelf of my LP collection. It made confetti out of parts of the covers of my LPs (about 20) to make its nest more comfortable. Luckily most of the covers I had already scanned a while ago, but this one not. One can see on one side the marks of the sharp teeth of that little mouse. The mouse fed on the food of my bird at night. It took a while until I noticed its presence. Finally I was able to trap it into a box and set it free outside in the garden (it was already beginning of spring then).

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Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (1929-1990) - Rudra Vina - Private double CD containing two cassettes from the 1980s

Here we present a private double CD from the collection of our friend KF. The two CDs contain two cassettes:

1. Cassette MA 8508 published in Holland in 1988: Raga Yaman Kalyan from the concert in Mozes and Aaron Church in Amsterdam on 19th of june 1982.

2. Cassette published by Swarashree Enterprises (CBS) in India in mid 1980s: Raga Ahir Bhairav & Raga Malkauns. As the sound of the cassette is not so good we decided to take the recordings from the re-release on CD published in 2008 which is no longer available. KF reversed the order of the two Ragas of this cassette, probably in order to have a logical succession of Ragas on CD 2 from evening and midnight to morning. We kept his order.

Here the original covers of this cassette, thanks to WD:

Many thanks to KF for sharing the recordings and creating the covers. Unfortunately the covers faded over the years.

CD 1 - flac

CD 2 - flac

CD 1 - mp3

CD 2 - mp3

Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (1929-1990) - Rudra Vina - Copy of a cassette published in India in 1980

A quite bad scan of the original cover on Discogs.

Here the cover of the copy I had received years ago:

Here we present another beautiful recording by the artist, published in 1980 on cassette by Amarnad, a small Indian label. Unfortunately we only have a copy of the cassette. We don't remember anymore from whom we received this cassette. It might be from Ambrose Bierce. Anyway, many thanks.

Recently we had another cassette from the same label by a student of Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, Chandrashekhar Naringrekar. Normally we post only orginal releases. But this cassette is so rare. that we decided to post it as we have it.

If anyone has the original cassette and could share better covers, that would be great and very appreciated.

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Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (1929-1990) - Rudra Veena Recital - LP published in India in 1974

Here another very beautiful LP by the great master. I bought this one in mid 1970s in one of the Indian record shops in Southall, UK. An additional highlight on this LP is the great Pakhawaj master Swami Pagal Das. His solo is outstanding.

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Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (1929-1990) - Raga Mangeyabushan - Re-release of an LP originally published in France in 1974

This LP was one of the greatest discoveries ever for me. I still remember vividly how I first saw the cover hanging in the window of a record shop in Cologne and discovered that it was a Rudra Veena recording. In effect, it was the very first Rudra Veena LP ever. I immediately bought the record. At home when I put the record on I was completely taken by the sheer beauty and majesty of the sound of the instrument and the exquisite musicianship of the artist. For many years it was my favourite record and till today it always kept a very special place in my collection. The LP I bought then was the first edition (see its cover below), but when the second edition was published a couple of years later I bought that one too, as I wanted to make sure never to be without this recording, if ever the first LP got damaged. I sold the first one when I had to reduce my collection as I had planned then to move to New York, which finally never happened.

An alternate take of this recording was published in 2001 on CD. According to the information given there the recording was done in Chembur, Mumbai, January 31, 1968. Also according to the information there the correct name of the Raga is Gangeyabushan. This CD can still be obtained on Discogs though the label doesn't exist anymore for quite some years.

We had recently posted a cassette from 1989 by the artist. More recordings will follow.

On the artist see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zia_Mohiuddin_Dagar

http://countryandeastern.se/artists/zia-mohiuddin-dagar/

On the website of Raga Records you can read the booklets to the two CDs by the artist: Raga 219 & Raga 222.

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Here the cover of the first edition: