Pt.Hariprasad Chourasia & Zakir Hussein classical instrumental

Click Here to Buy Pt.Hariprasad Chourasia & Zakir Hussein classical instrumental on Amazon.com

MyHinduPage.org Review. These two giants of Indian classical music talent provide for a unique combination melodious bansoori flute and powerful rhythm. Inspirtional tracks for dawn and early morning to get you in the mood to start the day with your favourite cup of coffee or tea.

The Essential Ravi Shankar, Two Disc Collectors Edition

Click Here to Buy The Essential Ravi Shankar by Amazon.com

Review on Amazon.com by Steve Vrana
Master musician Ravi Shankar makes the following observations in the opening track, "An introduction to Indian Music" (from 1957's THE SOUNDS OF INDIAN MUSIC): "The improvisation is the highlight in Indian music. The sheer joy of creating on the spot by a musician, always coming back to the main theme in the raga he has chosen is what listeners look forward to....The Western listener will appreciate and enjoy our music if he listens with an open and relaxed mind." And for more than two and a half hours, Shankar takes us on a musical journey that covers five decades of recordings.

Disc 1: Out of the East (74:40)

Most of these tracks are ragas and are taken from his albums of the fifties and sixties. The most recent is "Dhun: Fast Teental" from 1967, the same year Shankar earned both the Billboard Recording Artist and Musician of the year honors. All tracks feature a small ensemble with Shankar accompanied only by tabla and tambura (and sarod on "Raga Palas Kafi)."

Disc 2: Into the West (78:29)

The tracks on this disc feature Shankar in collaboration with Western musicians. "Swara-Kakali" features famed violinist Yehudi Menuhin. "Discovery of India" is from the soundtrack album GHANDI, for which Shankar received an Oscar nomination for best score. There are two tracks from 1990's PASSAGES, which teamed Shankar with minimalist composer Phillip Glass. "Ragas in Minor Scale" features Shankar's ensemble playing a Glass composition, while "Offering" has Glass's ensemble performing a Shankar composition (the only track that Shankar does not perform on).

And, of course, it's only fitting that Shankar's most famous disciple be included. No fewer than three tracks feature George Harrison on autoharp: "Village Dance," "Memory of Uday" (Harrison also plays synthesizer on these two tracks), and "Friar Park." In addition, Harrison produced "Vandanaa Trayee."

This is a solid introduction to the music of India's best known musical ambassador. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Tamil Hindu Devotional Songs by Dr. Seerkazhi S. Govindarajan

Click Here to Buy Tamil Hindu Devotional Songs by Dr. Seerkazhi S. Govindarajan on Amazon.com

Track listing and previews available on Amazon.com. Downloadable as individual MP3.

Music of South India: Songs of Carnatic Tradition

Click Here to Buy Music of South India: Songs of Carnatic Tradition on Amazon.com

Review on Amazon.com
I think this was the first recording of south Indian classical singing that came out on LP in the USA. And it's a fantastic recording. Three short songs (kritis) and one long piece, the ragam-tanam-pallavi. The latter is a complicated form, where ragam and tanam are long improvisations (a bit like alap/jod in north India), and pallavi is a structurally complex form of elaboration on melodic lines of a kriti. It also contains a drum solo. Now, this form (RTP) in concert can run up to three hours; the feat on this album was to condense it into half an hour and the way they did it was so succesful it has been a recording norm ever since.
Ramnad Krishnan was a singer from the top level, and the accompaniment is also top-notch. Violin and kanjira playing especially. In some ways, this album is better than many being recorded today, since it features both mridangam and kanjira drums, instead of the current unfortunate trend towards mridangam only.

The three kritis, sweet as they are to the south Indian ear, are probably bitter fodder for beginner foreigners, but, and this is important about this groundbreaking release, the RTP is catchy even in the Western sense, and with its long and fantastic drum solo (remember, mridangam AND kanjira) it will certainly appeal to many, many more listeners than the average recording in the genre. It is also divided into tracks for the various sections, which is rare but absolutely examplary for someone who hasn't even heard an RTP before but wants to understand how it works.

Liner notes are also very good, and extensive enough to convey a little more than basic background information.

1. Kriti: Ninnadanela
2. Kriti: Palincu Kamaksi
3. Kriti: Abhimanamennadu
4. Alapana
5. Tanam
6. Pallavi Theme
7. Pallavi Niraval
8. Svara Kalpana
9. Tani Avartam (Drum Solo)

Music can be sampled on Amazon.com

Carnatic Classical Vocal - Sudha Ragunathan

Click Here to Buy Carnatic Classical Vocal - Sudha Ragunathan on Amazon.com

Sudha Raghunathan is one of the nightingale's of South Indian Carnatic Vocals. Listen to the sample of her songs, buy individual MP3 downloads or the entire CD. Below are the track listings.

Chants Of India by Ravi Shankar

Click Here to Buy Chants Of India by Ravi Shankar on Amazon.com (See all World Music CDs)

Editorial Review
Mantram is Ravi Shankar's effort to set Sanskrit chants from ancient Hindu scriptures to music, and the result is a captivating mix of chant and music. Produced by George Harrison, this collection of mantras and prayers from the Vedas, Upanishads, and other scriptures powerfully transports the listener to a place of peace where it's possible to be one with the universe. It's as if a heavy, enveloping cloak of serenity falls from the dark, floating sounds of cello opening the CD. Shankar employs flute, tamboura, harp, and other instruments to accent the mighty "Om" thread that weaves itself through the cloth of this album, bringing together deep, ominous voices with delicate, earthly instruments. One looking for extensive Shankar sitar might be disappointed, but the beauty of this artist's creativity and spiritual vision sweeps one away into a larger, more meaningful listening experience. Highly recommended. --Karen Karleski

Track Listings
1. Vandanaa Trayee
2. Omkaaraaya Namaha
3. Vedic Chanting (One)
4. Asato Maa
5. Sahanaa Vavatu
6. Poornamadah
7. Gaayatri
8. Mahaa Mrityunjaya (Om Triambakam)
9. Veenaa-Murali (Music Interlude)
10. Geetaa (Karmanye Vadhikaraste)
11. Mangalam (Tala Mantra)
12. Hari Om (Music Interlude)
13. Svara Mantra
14. Vedic Chanting (Two)
15. Prabhujee
16. Sarve Shaam

Review on Amazon.com by Ashwini Aragam
This collection of chants from ancient Indian scriptures is simply the best you can get of such a collection. It starts, as in traditional Indian music, with a chant for Lord Ganesh. The collection is quite varied from chantings of a specific God such as the goddess of Learning (Saraswathi); chantings from the Gita (the famous Karmanyeva adhikareste, which states that one should refrain from acting with expectations about results) and the vedas - there is the other famous Gayathri mantra. The chants are authentic in their rendering in terms of the utterences and adherence to tradition.

For the westerner, all the chants may make no sense at all. But the quality of the vocals tends to give one a feeling of sacredness and sanctity. Some of the chants are melodious; Ravi Shankar's sitar is quite evident in most of these; but it doesn't dominate as with his other renderings. The chants are the main body.

This CD is ideal if your roots are Indian, and you want your child to listen and learn from these. It is nice background music for a religious gathering or for a Yoga class. I use this for many of my Yoga classes. It is not infrequent, that some of my students request this particular CD be the background music for their Yoga class.

Hymns from the Vedas and Upanishads, Vedic Chants

Click Here to Sample and Buy Hymns from the Vedas and Upanishads, Vedic Chants MP3 Downloads on Amazon.com (See all World Music CDs)

Review on Amazon.com
I am not an expert in music of India, but have listened to many CD's and attended many performances. Jitendra Abhisheki's voice is simply exquisite. His pronunciation is so clear that even without a text to follow you can pick up words to most of the peace chants. His rendering of the Siva Mahimnastotram (Hymn on the Greatness of Shiva) sets a mood of reverence and absorption. Also included are a poem by Jayadeva of Radha's great love for Krishna. This isn't something you want to have playing in the background during a fourth-of-july celebration, it really deserves dedicated listening. I am looking for more by him.

Vedic Chants of India - MP3 Downloads (Pay per download)

Click Here to Sample and Purchase Vedic Chants of India MP3 Downloads on Amazon.com

MyHinduPage.org Review. This selection of Vedic chanting is precise metered chanting by South Indian priests. They are powerful with potent reverberation that only this kind of sanskrit chanting can deliver. Sample any of these 15 tracks on Amazon.com and choose your picks. Have fun.

Darshana: Vedic Chanting for Daily Practice

Click Here to Buy Darshana: Vedic Chanting for Daily Practice from Amazon.com (See all New Age Music CDs)

Review by BEautiful Curls on Amazon.com
Bri Maya uses proper syncopation of Sanskrit words, which are powerful. These words reach our Universal selves bringing peace and conscious advancement. I am a Catholic by background, and at first had difficulty practicing the Sanskrit chants because of the narrow teachings of my religion. However, another part of my kept pushing to discover this. The urging sounded so loud that I could not ignore it, and had to take the venture. Having read Bri Maya's health restoring book "The Path of Practice" and also Dr. Pratima Raichur's book "Absolute Beauty" I learned the value of sound on our spiritual, emotional, and physical health. I tried western music and other approaches first, yet again my inner urgings said to give Sanskrit mantras a try. Darshana sat in my "wish list" for over a year until I took the plunge. I am so glad that I did!!! I select one of her 22 mantras and play it repeatedly (and even read with Bri Maya) for at least 15 min. to get the words into my conscience. With them I feel the needed gentle strength to make good life choices and to be a instrumental player in this world. I also find that they are helping me be a better Catholic -- by being more bold in my loving. For those who are doubting the dabble in another religion, please know that Sanskrit words are Universal. They help us connect to our core -- where we are each connected and transcend religion. They are truly transformative, and soul empowering. This is my path and experience. I hope my share is helpful to you. On a closing note, I read a couple reviews that commented that the CD is too western. I am unclear as to what they are referencing exactly. There are a few mantras that feature running water or a drum beat. I find these sounds to be awesome and further aligns my conscience. In my estimation (and in comparison with other chants on youtube), Bri Maya's approach is very rich, traditional, and transformative. Namaste...

Track Listings
1. Om Srigurubhyo namah
2. Prayer of gratitude to Brahman
3. Peace Invocation
4. Prayer for Self-Cognition
5. Prayer for Victory over Death
6. Prayer to Lord Ganesh
7. Prayer before Studies
8. Prayer to Remembrance of our Divinity
9. Prayer in Praise of Goddess Lakshmi
10. Prayer in Praise of Lord Vishnu
11. Prayer for Light and Prosperity
12. Prayer in praise of the Sun
13. Prayer for Peace and Inner Harmony
14. Prayer for Self-Clarity and Self-Knowledge
15. Mantra for Cleaning the Mind
16. Prayer to the Divine Mother
17. Prayer to the Lord Shiva in the form of Rudra
18. Invocation to Lord Ganesha
19. Praise of the Guru
20. Prayer to Bless the Hands
21. Prayer before sleeping
22. Sonnet in Praise of Lord Shiva

Music in the Ragas

Click Here to Buy Music in the Ragas: Kannada / Kalyanavasanta / Natakuranji / Ranjani / Des - Dr. N. Ramani, Flute on Amazon.com

Review by Orpheus "a wayfarer" on Amazon.com
The most famous exponent of Hindustani flute music is off course the great Hariprasad Chaurasia playing the bansuri (the bamboo flute) and to a lesser extent Ronu Majumdar. In the West, North Indian music has always overshadowed South Indian (Carnatic) music, which is a pity as the latter is as profound and beautiful as the former.

North Indian music has changed through the Middle Ages by the Arabian, Turkic and Persian influences the Mogol Invaders brought with them. It had become music played predominantly at the courts aiming to evoke a great variety of moods for any occasion and concentrating on the virtuosic prowess of the musician(s).

Carnatic music, on the other hand, remained for the most part 'pure' - as Muslim rule could never really subdue the southernmost reaches of the Indian subcontinent. As a result the culture of South India is the last place in the world with an unbroken line with it's origin and source: the Vedic way of life, the world's most ancient civilization.

Dr Ramani has a very expressive flute (Pullankulal) tone, sometimes resembling even the human voice; an emotive and visceral sound that is at the same time sensual and devoted. This unmistakably forges the rasa (feel) of the music: Solemn yet playful, Exalted yet grounded, Relaxed yet full of anticipation - the interweaving voices of the flute and violin produce, supported rhythmically by the mrdangam and ghatam, a strange delicacy I have never heard before in Carnatic music.

This is music of a very high order. Dr. Ramani and his ensemble present an organic, yet deliciously complex sound (brilliantly recorded by the sound-engineers of Nimbus). I am surprised to be the first to review this disc, as it contains such quiet joyous rapture one can hardly imagine people not wanting to share the experience.

A few years ago I visited India and the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and this music - as no other recording I own - revivifies the experiences I had during that time: the luscious and awe-inspiring landscape: verdant green vegetation starkly contrasted by the flaming red earth. The mysterious elegance and quiet confidence of the people of South India. The majestic and expanded temple comlexes. This otherworldly beauty cannot possibly be described, it has to be experienced.

There are several reasons to get this recording:

Anyone who loves Carnatic Music cannot go without this remarkable recording, If you like Indian music and you want to explore the rich tradition of Carnatic music. If you have been to South India and want to revisit it through the means of music. If you are going to South India and want to understand this extraordinary place. If you love the sound of the flute, or just perhaps if you like great music.

Karnatic Violin by L. Subramaniam

Click Here to Buy Karnatic Violin on Amazon.com (See all Pop Music CDs)

Review by Curious Skeptic on Amazon.com
I've listened to L. Subramaniam in other contexts, more cross-over stuff. Lately I've learned more about traditional carnatic music and was searching for something on violin. Surprised to find this and equally surprised to discover how superbly Subramaniam plays the traditional stuff. The sound quality is excellent, which is not always the case with this music. Highly recommended