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The Sounds of India

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

The Sounds of India is an album by Ravi Shankar that explains Hindustani classical music to a Western audience. It was released in 1957 on Columbia Records and recorded in the label's New York studio, under the direction of George Avakian, the producer of Miles Davis. The model was The Sounds of India by Ali Akbar Khan, in which the musician himself explains what he plays.

For each piece there is a short lesson. He plays sitar, accompanied by Chatur Lal on tabla and N.C. Mullick on tanpura. The album is now regarded as being of historical importance: it shows both his skill and his wish to teach the West. Yoshi Kato calls it an excellent entry point to this music.

Listening

Listening tip. In An Introduction to Indian Music, listen to how the music is explained before the actual playing begins.

Track list

  1. 1An Introduction to Indian Music4:08Apple Music ↗
  2. 3Máru-Bihág11:41Apple Music ↗
  3. 4Bhimpalasi12:09Apple Music ↗
  4. 5Sindhi-Bhairavi14:59Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗

Categories: Albums and songs