Sitar master Ravi Shankar passes away. He was 92. Although I didn’t like his type of music, I’ll be the first to acknowledge that he was a master at it. He was also a large influence to other artists, especially in the 60s (for good examples, watch his performances in the movies Monterey Pop and The Concert for Bangla Desh). Among those he left behind is his daughter, singer Nora Jones.
Dave Brubeck needed accompaniment.
And Ed Cassidy :(. It’s in threes again, it seems . At least all got a pretty decent run - 92, 92 and 89.
Ouch. So long fella.
Be.
I love Indian music and have several of his albums. I saw Monterey Pop for the first time a few months ago (in the theater) and marveled at how much he must have blown the minds of everyone there (everyone paying attention, anyway). Many of the musicians in the audience, such as Jimi Hendrix, would have known who Ravi was, but I’m sure many didn’t. The look of ecstasy on everyone’s faces is almost as good as the music. I love how Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees jumps up in elation at the end of this performance.
And his other extremely talented daughter, Anoushka Shankar.
This is an odd fusion of styles, but it’s my favorite Ravi Shankar song. Not saying it’s the best, he has a billion albums, and they’re all great, but I always get such a thrill out of this particular song.
“Village Dance” (from his album Tana Mana)
Now I’m listening to Tana Mana again. This song is so much fun and shows his very playful side.
He will be missed.
I have a handful of his albums, and although they are all awesome, there’s a special place in my heart for Three Ragas.
Truly a wonderful musician and by all accounts a truly decent human being.
RIP
Rest in peace Pandit Ravi Shankar. It has been an honor to listen to your peaceful music.
Ravi toured the world as performer for over 70 years, revolutionized Hindustani music and the sitar instrument, and some people claim that he founded the ‘world music’ genre. I have long viewed him as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. In the western hemisphere, he is most famous for his association with and tutoring of The Beatles’ George Harrison, but Ravi’s influence beyond this cannot be overstated. The influence of Ravi’s music and books on my own life have been substantial.
Among my favorite performances of Ravi’s are his Golden Jubilee Concert album performance, the Raga Bihag DVD of an old BBC broadcast, and the Concert for World Peace at Royal Albert Hall. Many others are excellent as well though including Monterrey, Woodstock, collaborations with Philip Glass and Yehudi Menuhin among others, Concert for Bangladesh, and the Gandhi movie soundtrack.
One of the greatest musicians of the 20th century. At least he’s alongside Alla Rakha again.
I like his fusion songs a lot. He’ll be sorely missed.
He was respected in his world of sitar and Eastern music. He was a big player as Western music sought to open itself to Eastern. He left a legacy of talented musician children. Wow, I want that life. He will be missed.
He introduced America to the music of his part of the world, which was quite an accomplishment. I remember when he was all the rage, and of course his influence on The Beatles. RIP.
I had front row seats when he played the Centennial Concert Hall in Winnipeg in 1982. The joy on all of their faces was only matched by the astonishing music. One of my favourite moments was the Tabla solo - Ravi was clapping the basic beat pattern, and Alla Rakha was taking great delight in trying to throw Ravi off. The best part was that Ravi would occasionally hesitate as if he was not entirely sure where the next strong beat would fall. When that strong beat finally came, Alla Rakha made a gesture with his head, as if to say ‘There it is.’, and Ravi just beamed at the spontaneous invention of his collaborator.
Rest in peace, and thank you for the beautiful music.
RIP, Ravi.
A grand talent as creator, performer, and builder of bridges between cultures; someone who made the world a richer place. I had the privilege of hearing him live decades ago at the Baltimore Symphony Hall, and it met and exceeded all expectations built up by the recordings. He will be missed but always celebrated.