In Concert - Part 1
Ashwin Batish - Sitar, Zakir Hussain - Tabla
Product Description
Ashwin and Zakir's friendship goes back to when their fathers, Pandit S. D. Batish ji and Ustad Alla Rakha ji, would to perform together starting 1940. It was only natural for the two sons to meet and create some amazing music.
1st Half: Raga Shudha Sarang:. Alap and a Gat (composition) in medium and fast Tintal
This is the first half of a concert produced by the Batish Institute of Music and Fine Arts and held at the performing Arts Theatre, University of California, Santa Cruz. It is a unique and a refreshing experience in the exposition of the classical North Indian music tradition. The 2nd half is also available via Amazon.
Here are some comments on people that have bought this tape: "I really enjoyed your videos with Ust. Zakir Hussain and Shyamji. They were truly inspirational!" by Ajit Acharya, fan
Review in GoodTimes, Santa Cruz.
It seemed like telepathy Ashwin Batish and Zakir Hussain traded licks and phrases back and forth as if they were having a conversation. Sometimes they broke into complicated unison parts in which Zakir's tabla-drums matched Ashwin's sitar note for note. They even seemed to tell each other jokes with their instruments. And then they'd wander away, each lost in his own exploration of the raga form until they'd suddenly burst into their intense dialogue again. The audience was a diverse bunch, with a sprinkling of turbans, robes, saris, beads, and even a few Rastafarian with dreadlocks. But they all gave off the same warm, friendly vibes that Batish and Co. exuded from the UCSC performing Arts stage. And that's one of the keys to appreciating North Indian classical music; It's not music to be analyzed. Don't listen and try to understand; just try to be receptive to the emotions you experience while the music plays over you. On the one hand, it's classical music with ancient, iron-clad rules, but it's also totally improvised - like a Saturday-night jam between old friends. by Dan-Einar Toft --Good Times, Santa Cruz, CA
Ashwin Batish is an extraordinary sitarist and tabla player. He received training in the North Indian classical tradition from his father S.D. Batish and later created his own unique fusion of Indian classical sitar with pop, rock, jazz, calypso, funk... an example of a few hybrids he excels at. He is famous for such songs as the Bombay Boogie, Raga Rock, Raga Jazz, Casbah Shuffle and Sitar Mania. Ashwin is also very well know for being an educator. His series of instructional videos for the sitar, tabla, dilruba, dholak, vichitra veena, harmonium that he has produced with his father Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish have become a very sought after commodity by the Indian music student. Ashwin often gives private and group Indian music lessons at his Santa Cruz, California USA facility and is often called upon by various music festivals and universities to perform his sitar and be a guest lecturer for weekend workshops and seminars on Indian music and ethno-pop, raga rock sitar fusion. Ashwin Batish's pioneering effort in worldbeat music called "Sitar Power" has earned him some critical reviews and great respect in the music community. The sitar is ageless in Ashwin's hands. It is souped up for amplification and effects! We hope you get to catch one of Ashwin's electric performances. His music is as dynamic as his stage presence. Zakir Hussain's brilliance as a soloist on the tabla is well recognized. But what many don't know is his great understanding of accompaniment. His ears are always listening to every nuance of the music and he excels at complementing the lead player in the finest sense of the music tradition. Visit batish.com for more information.
(Program duration 56 minutes)
Catalog#: BRV7DVD
