Shivkumar Sharma, Brij Bhushan Kabra & Hariprasad Chaurasia

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Shivkumar Sharma, Brij Bhushan Kabra & Hariprasad Chaurasia · In 1967 the santoor player Shivkumar Sharma, the slide guitarist Brij Bhushan Kabra and the bansuri player Hariprasad Chaurasia recorded the instrumental album Call of the Valley together. It became a milestone of world music and one of the best-known records of Indian classical music. The critic Ken Hunt wrote that a newcomer who buys only one Indian classical record should make it this one. The album is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It also marked the beginning of the long collaboration between Chaurasia and Sharma.

Music and breakthrough

Hariprasad Chaurasia, born in Allahabad in 1938, grew up with his father, a wrestler. He learned music in secret and later became a pupil of Annapurna Devi of the Maihar gharana, who made it a condition that he unlearn everything. He has played left-handed ever since. In 1957 he started at All India Radio in Cuttack, and in 1962 he moved to Bombay. Together with Sharma he formed, as Shiv-Hari, a film composer duo, for Silsila and Chandni among others. He also worked with George Harrison, Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin and Jan Garbarek, and played on The Inner Light by The Beatles.

Influence

Chaurasia raised the bansuri, a bamboo transverse flute, to the status of a concert instrument, with a singing tone and an extended development of the raga, with alap, jor and jhala. Sharma's santoor and Kabra's slide guitar give the album its voice. In this way the trio brought Indian classical music to a worldwide audience.

Listening

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  Ahir Bhairav / Nat Bhairav · Shivkumar Sharma, Brij Bhushan Kabra & Hariprasad Chaurasia, 1967
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