Gharana Music

Raag Bhairavi (Mar 28th)

2011-04-04T20:27:00.002-04:00

This show featured Raag Bhairavi. Bhairavi is associated with the early morning and is quite pleasant to the ear. It is common practice to end a performance with Bhairavi.

Here's the playlist for the show:
1. Bade Ghulam Ali - Thumri Bhairavi (15:32)
2. Ravi Shankar - Raag Bhairavi (15:16)
3. Vilayat Khan - Malika in Bhairavi (20:09)
4. Rashid Khan - Raag Bhairavi (9:09)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org (+1)
404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Raag Todi (Mar 14th)

2011-03-28T20:43:00.002-04:00

The second episode of our mini-series Raag, and we're listening to Raag Todi. Quite the opposite to Khamaj, Todi is like a minor scale. In fact, it has that melancholy feel to it and is used quite often in Hindustani music to portray sadness.

1. Rashid Khan - Raag Miyan ki Todi (17:10)
2. Bismillah Khan - Raag Todi (9:59)
3. Pandit Jasraj - Raag Bilaskhani Todi Vilambit (18:10)
4. Fateh Ali Khan - Raag Gujari Todi (14:29)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Raag Khamaj (Mar 7th)

2011-03-28T20:24:00.001-04:00

This is the first episode of a mini-series called Raag which looks at some of the important raags of Hindustani music. A raag can be considered equivalent to a scale in western music. It sets the mood of the piece and defines what notes can and cannot be part of the composition. We'll start the series with Raag Khamaj.

Khamaj is associated with the late evening, with the sunset really, and is pretty much as close as you can expect to get to a major scale. As you can imagine, it is very pleasant to listen to, and generally conveys happiness.

Playlist:
1. Ali Akbar Khan - Raag Manjh Khamaj
2. Ulhas Kashalkar - Koyalia Kook Sunave
3. Vilayat Khan - Ragamalika in Khamaj
4. Ulhas Kashalkar - Raag Khamaj

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Playlist for Feb 21st

2011-03-07T20:52:00.000-05:00

Here's the playlist for Feb 21st:

1. Nikhil Banerjee - Raag Sohini (20:05)
2. Zakir Hussain & Sultan Khan - Raag Des (10:24)
3. Buddhadev Dasgupta - Raag Jaijaivanti Alap, Jor, Jhala (15:02)
4. Hariprasad Chaurasia - Raag Durgawati Drut Gat (14:15)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Variety! (14th Feb)

2011-02-21T20:22:00.001-05:00

I happened to pick out a very diverse set of songs for this show, simply because a lot of the other shows so far work around a theme and have songs that sound more or less the same. There's something for everyone in this list - from the wonderful vocals of the Gundecha brothers to Anindo Chatterjee's amazing antics on the tabla! So here's to some variety in our lives!

1. Gundecha brothers - Raag Yaman (10:16)
2. Vilayat Khan - Raag Bhairavi Thumri (20:09)
3. Anindo Chatterjee - Nasruk taal (20:05)
4. Bismillah Khan - Purvi Dhun (10:24)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

RIP Bhimsen Joshi

2011-02-14T20:11:00.000-05:00

As you would very well know by now, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi passed away on the 24th of January this year at the age of 89. His was cremated the following morning with full state honours - a 21 gun salute, fancy speeches and everything. His voice will be sorely missed by millions around the world. I decided to put up a tribute show, one last awesome Bhimsen Joshi special, so here it is:

1. Bhimsen Joshi - Raag Bhairavi
2. Bhimsen Joshi - Raag Brindavani Sarang
3. Bhimsen Joshi - Majhe Maher Pandhari
4. Bhimsen Joshi - Raag Tilak Kamod
5. Bhimsen Joshi - Ab Aayo Ghanashyam

May his soul rest in peace.

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

From the archives of WREK

2010-12-21T15:43:00.000-05:00

Very different show lined up for today, we'll start with some vinyl for the day. Lots of stuff back here in the vault at WREK, and this is just a little taste of what's inside. We start with Raag Mishra Maand - Pandit Nikhil Banerjee on the sitar, Ali Akbar Khan on the sarod and Mahapurush Mishra playing the tabla.

The next track is one of Zakir Hussain's many collaborations with John McLaughlin. As always the line-up is phenomenal - Zakir Hussain (percussion), Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute), John Mclaughlin (acoustic guitar) and Jan Garbarek (saxophone); this is a lovely track titled Anisa, of the album Making Music.

Our next track is on CD, and it features Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan on the Shehnai, titled Raag Jhinjoti from the album Serenity. The final track for the evening is by Zakir Hussain, Bela Fleck, and Edgar Meyer, with a title as unusual as the line-up. It's called Bubbles from the album Melody of Rhythm.

1. Raag Mishra Maand - Nikhil Banerjee, Ali Akbar Khan, Mahapurush Mishra (21:23)
2. Anisa - Zakir Hussain, John Mclaughlin, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Jan Garbarek (9:10)
3. Raag Jhinjoti - Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan (21:30)
4. Bubbles - Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Zakir Hussain (7:30)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

A Little Bit of Sitar

2010-12-13T21:01:00.000-05:00

Today, we start the show with a little bit of sitar. Our first track is Raag Kirwani by Pandit Nikhil Banerjee from the album Immortal Sitar, accompanied by Pandit Anindo Chatterjee on the tabla. Following that, we have Raag Jaijaivanti by Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta on the sarod. He's a well-known sarodiya from the Shahjahanpur Gharana, famous for his unique style on the sarod.

After that, some more sitar, we move on to a performance by Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Alla Rakha, this track is called Raag Marwa, taken from their concert in New York in 1967. Our final song for the day is a wonderful vocal track by Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar called Raag Durga.

Playlist:
1. Nikhil Banerjee - Raag Kirwani (15:37)
2. Buddhadev Dasgupta - Raag Jaijaivanti (15:02)
3. Ravi Shankar - Raag Marwa (17:43)
4. Ulhas Kashalkar - Raag Durga(10:41)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

December 6th

2010-12-13T20:35:00.000-05:00

We're starting the evening today with the old familiar - Ustad Zakir Hussain on the tabla with the song Taal Mela from the album Sambandh, which showcases the various percussion instruments in India. Accompanying him are some of the finest musicians - his father Alla Rakha on the tabla, Vikku Vinayak Ram (from Shakti) on the ghatam, Ustad Sultan Khan on the sarangi, and a few others.

Our next track is by a female instrumentalist, a rare breed in classical circles, Anupama Bhagwat. Anupama is a versatile sitarist, still relatively young, but fairly well-known in Hindustani circles. She is the disciple of Pandit Bimalendu Mukherjee of the Imdadkhani Gharana, and she is renowned for her melodies, and her technical virtuosity.

Our final track is an old recording of Ustad Allauddin Khan, a multi-instrumentalist, though he was best known for his virtuosity on the sarod.

Playlist:
1. Zakir Hussain - Taal Mela (15:04)
2. Anupama Bhagwat - Raag Shyam Kalyan Drut (17:16)
3. Allauddin Khan - Raag Chhayanat (26:31)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

November 29th

2010-12-13T18:59:00.000-05:00

Playlist:
1. Pandit Jasraj - Raag Desh (15:06)
2. Vilayat Khan & Bismillah Khan - Raag Bhairavi (13:09)
3. Ustad Rashid Khan - Raag Suha Sughrai (6:56)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Show on Nov 22nd

2010-11-29T19:15:00.005-05:00

Exceptionally busy day at the studio for me, there were 5 songs on the playlist! We started off to some energetic stuff by Anindo Chatterjee and Pandit Ravi Shankar, followed by Ulhas Kashalkar and Fateh Ali Khan. We ended the show with a long relaxing song by the brothers Rajan and Sajan Mishra.

Playlist:
1. Anindo Chatterjee - 8 1/2 beats (6:02)
2. Ravi Shankar - Raag Bahar (6:13)
3. Ulhas Kashalkar - Dekho Dekho Re Saiyan (Kafi Thumri) (9:25)
4. Fateh Ali Khan - Raag Patdeep (10:43)
5. Rajan & Sajan Mishra - Raag Lalit (29:43)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Ustad Ali Akbar Khan

2010-11-29T19:08:00.005-05:00

Ran into some car trouble so I ended up starting the show late. The artist for this show was Ustad Ali Akbar Khan - a wonderful sarod player from the Maihar Gharana. He dedicated a lot of time and effort to popularizing the sarod in later years of his career and is also well-known for his performances with Pandit Ravi Shankar. Here's the playlist for this show:

1. Ali Akbar Khan - Raag Durga
2. Ali Akbar Khan and Nikhil Banerjee - Raag Mishra Mand

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Pandit Nayan Ghosh at Georgia Tech

2010-11-08T20:45:00.003-05:00

Pandit Nayan Ghosh and his son Ishaan Ghosh will be performing at the Reinsch-Pierce Auditorium, at the College of Architecture at Georgia Tech. The event is on Sunday, Nov 14 2010, at 6pm. More details about the event can be found here.

Today's show is dedicated to the music of Pandit Nayan Ghoshm a renowned sitarist and tabla player. Pandit Nayan Ghosh was trained by his father, the legendary Padmabhushan Nikhil Ghosh. In addition to his father, Pandit Nayan Ghosh has accompanied and received inspiration from many of the all-time greats, such as his uncle Pandit Pannalal Ghosh, Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, Ustad Vilayat Khan. Currently he receives training in the repertoire of the Senia-Shahjanpore style from the great sarodiya Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta.

Playlist:
1. Nayan Ghosh - Raag Yaman (33:49)
2. Nayan Ghosh - Raag Kafi (26:15)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Vocal Special

2010-11-01T20:07:00.002-04:00

Welcome once again! Plenty of vocals in today's track list, so sit back and enjoy the wonderful flow of words. You might not be able to understand everything they say of course, but we can deal with that another day :)

To start off, we have Umeed Ali Khan, with Kafi Kanra. It's a phenomenal piece, an excellent demonstration of his skills over the course of thirty minutes, accompanied by Hamid Hussain on the saarangi and Allah Ditta on the tabla. From there, we move on to a set of shorter songs, sung by some of the best vocalists in Hindustani music - Ustad Rashid Khan, Amir Khan, Bade Ghulam Ali and the Dagar Brothers.

Playlist:

1. Umeed Ali Khan - Kafi Kanra (26:54)
2. Rashid Khan - Raag Bhatiyar (14:14)
3. Amir Khan - Raag Malkauns (6:37)
4. Bade Ghulam Ali - Be Gun Gaaye (Raag Bhimpalasi) (3:26)
5. Dagar Brothers of Udaipur (6:11)
Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Playlist for the show on 10/25/2010

2010-10-31T19:30:00.003-04:00

1. Zakir Hussain - Rupak Taal (15:12)
2. Amjad Ali Khan - Tribute to Bengal (6:50)
3. Nazakat & Salamat Ali Khan - Raag Khamaj Thumri (6:19)
4. Ravi Shankar - Raag Shuddha Kalyan (22:11)
5. Ravi Shankar - Fair (8:05)

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Ustad Rashid Khan and Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan

2010-10-11T20:23:00.005-04:00

A rather special playlist this time, with a twist at the end. To start us off today, we have the exquisite vocals of Ustad Rashid Khan, and from there we go into a more percussive mood.

1. Rashid Khan - Raag Bairagi (19:56)
2. Rashid Khan - Raag Bahar (9:16)

Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan (1930-1996) was of the greatest tabla players produced by Pakistan. He is part of the Punjab and Delhi gharanas and his skills at solo percussion as well as accompaniment are legendary. We have two tracks featuring Shaukat Hussain Khan. The first is a solo performance in Teentaal. The second one demands an explanation. It is a fusion track by Jan Garbarek on the saxophone, Anouar Brahem on the oud (an arabic intstrument similar to a lute) and Shaukat Hussain on the tabla.

3. Shaukat Hussain - Teentaal (10:06)
4. Jan Garbarek, Anouar Brahem, Shaukat Hussain - Sull Lull (16:54)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Ustad Zakir Hussain and Pandit Nikhil Banerjee

2010-09-27T19:14:00.004-04:00

We start off the hour with two tracks by the legendary Ustad Zakir Hussain. The first one is an interesting performance, where he showcases the sounds of almost every percussive instrument used in Indian classical music. The second track is a performance with his father, Ustad Alla Rakha Khan in Rupak Taal.

1. Zakir Hussain - Khand Jati (19:00)
2. Zakir Hussain - Rupak taal (10:06)

Our next artist for the day is Pandit Nikhil Banerjee. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that name, he is one of the most well-known sitar players in India, and his style and virtuosity speaks for itself.

3. Nikhil Banerjee - Raag Megh (19:42)
4. Nikhil Banerjee - 4. Raag Khamaj Thumri (11:42)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi

2010-09-20T19:08:00.003-04:00

Sorry, I've been falling behind on my blog posts the last couple of weeks. Hopefully, I can keep things updated on time from now on.

For a long time now, I've been meaning to do a special episode featuring the great vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi - two reasons for this - firstly, I'm a huge fan of his music, it is absolutely fantastic! And secondly, I happen to have at my disposal a very decent collection of his music.
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi is one of India's greatest classical vocalists.He is a member of the Kirana Gharana. Though He is best known as a classical vocalist, he is famous for his devotional music, and he has done a bit of playback singing as well. His compositions are said to incorporate styles from several different gharanas, and he is said to be an amazingly spontaneous performer.

How he came to be where he is is another story in itself. He ran away from his home in North Karnataka when he was about eleven years old, and hopped onto a train to Dharwad. From there, he borrowed money from some of the passengers on the train and made his way to Pune and then Gwalior where he joined the Madhava School of Music. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi then went on to release his debut album and moved to Mumbai to work at All India Radio. And of course is rest is pretty much history...

Playlist for the day:
1. Raag Bahar (15:11)
2. Raag Bageshree Bahar (15:49)
3. Raag Hindol Bahar (15:23)
4. Yadumani Sadana (15:23)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Dream on Drums by Pandit Anindo Chatterjee

2010-09-06T20:42:00.004-04:00

Here's a very special performance by one of the most prominent tabla players of the day, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, and the performance in question is called Dream on Drums. To be honest, this could be considered a major bias, because I am personally a very big fan of Pandit Anindo Chatterjee. It so happens that my research work at GT is related to the tabla, and so I ended up listening to quite a lot of Anindoji's work, and some of it is just exceptional! His compositions are always lively and fun to listen to, and his performances is absolutely wonderful! We've played some of his work before on the show, but this particular performance was just something that I thought should not be missed by anyone.

1. Ashta Mangal Taal (14:06)
2. Choutaal (14:05)
3. Jhaptaal (29:41)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and the Dagar Brothers

2010-08-30T20:38:00.004-04:00

Our first track today is by the sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. He is one of the biggest names in India, a living legend when it comes to the sarod. Most of his work goes towards making classical music more accessible to the general public, and he is said to be quite the entertainer during his live shows. This track is called Raag Maru Bihag.

Our second track has a history unlike any track that we have played so far. Let me start from the very beginning - there exists a vocal tradition called Dhrupad which is said to be one of the oldest surviving forms of classical music in India. It is said to be a form of music used in temples and courts, very strongly associated with worship. Dhrupad vocalists flourished under the reign of the Mughals and the Rajputs in medieval India, but the art began to fade away when the British took over. Around the turn of the 20th century, there were very few such singers left. The descendants of these singers formed the Dagar family, and are responsible for keeping the tradition alive till today. Now that you know the story behind it, the second track is called Raag Kambojhi, performed by N Zahiruddin Dagar and his nephew Wasifuddin Dagar, and it is definitely one of the most interesting vocal performances I have ever heard!

1. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan - Raag Maru Bihag (24:24)
2. Zahiruddin Dagar and Wasifuddin Dagar (29:46)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar and Ustad Vilayat Khan

2010-08-23T20:42:00.004-04:00

Welcome back, loyal listeners! It's been a long, eventful summer, hot as hell too, but here we are at the beginning of a new semester. This is the same old Gharana music though, bringing you your weekly dose of Indian classical music.

The first two tracks today are by a Hindustani vocalist named Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar from the city of Nagpur in Maharashtra. He is one of the prime representatives of the Gwalior and Jaipur Gharanas. He is said to be very strong on the traditional styles of singing, yet his performances always incorporate very interesting interpretations of his own. His voice is just beautiful - crisp and clear, and his vocal control is breath-taking. Here are the tracks:

1. Ulhas Kashalkar - Raag Alhaiya Bilawal (20:15)
2. Ulhas Kashalkar - Raag Hindol (10:28)

Our next artist for the day is Ustad Vilayat Khan - a sitar maestro from Bengal. He has been playing the sitar for over 60 years now, and he is defintely one of the bigger names in Hindustani Classical music, alongside the likes of Pandit Ravishankar. There is quite some controversy associated with his life though. Rumour has it that he there was quite a bit of rivalry between Ustad Vilayat Khan and Pandit Ravishankar, though I don't think it was anything serious. His animosity towards political institutions in India was no rumour. He routinely rejected National Awards every time he was awarded one, stating that the awards committee was not suited to judge his work, and that "it is always a story of the wrong awards given to the wrong people at the wrong time". It turned him into a not-so-media-friendly figure at one point of time and things went so far that he even boycotted All-India Radio - which was, for a long time, the main promoter for classical music in India. Regardless of all that, his music is simply divine, and his performances are legendary.

3. Ustad Vilayat Khan - Raag Marwa Drut (25:01)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Pandit Nikhil Banerjee and Ustad Rashid Khan

2010-07-19T20:07:00.009-04:00

Finally, we've reached a stage where I'm actually running out of things to say on air. Or maybe that's because today's line-up is so awesome that I don't want to interrupt the music. Two great artists, the first of whom is the legendary sitarist Pandit Nikhil Bannerjee. We've played a lot of him on the show and the more I listen to his music, the more it grows on me. So for the first half an hour, we have:

1. Pandit Nikhil Banerjee - Raag Sohini (20:00)
2. Pandit Nikhil Banerjee - Raag Mishra Gara (8:01)

Next up is Ustad Rashid Khan, one of the biggest names in the Indian music industry. We haven't played too much of him on the show, and that's precisely why the next half an hour is dedicated to him. I also stumbled across this nice little interview of his on The Hindu. It is quite old, but pretty interesting to read.

3. Ustad Rashid Khan - Raag Bhairavi (14:15)
4. Ustad Rashid Khan - Raag Kaushi Dhwani (15:09)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Ustad Bismillah Khan and Pandit Jasraj

2010-07-12T17:41:00.006-04:00

Let's start with something a bit different this time. There is an instrument in Indian classical music called the Shehnai. It's a wooden flute/horn kind of instrument and it makes a sharp distinct sound. It's often used in traditional Indian marriages, In the wrong hands, it can easily be mistaken for some sort of vuvuzela, but in the hands of Ustad Bismillah Khan it can take on quite a charming character. He has been playing the shehnai for eight decades, and he is almost single-handedly responsible for giving the shehnai the status of a classical instrument, so you know that this guy knows exactly what he's doing. I especially like the way he bends the notes, very elegant, very controlled. This is going to be absolutely entertaining, believe me, Raag Kedar by Ustad Bismillah Khan.

Our next track is by Pandit Jasraj, titled Raag Puriya from the album Raagdari. We have played some of his tracks before on the show, he's an amazing vocalist, and it's a delight to listen to his voice.

1. Ustad Bismillah Khan - Raag Kedar (29:50)
2. Pandit Jasraj - Raag Puriya (29:49)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Buddhadev Das Gupta

2010-07-05T17:56:00.005-04:00

Today's show features the great sarod player, Buddhadev Das Gupta. He was born in Bihar in 1933, and picked up the sarod at the age of 9. Now the difference between this story and most of the others I tell you is that his music didn't get him very far, initially of course. So he studied Mechanical Engineering, and became a power engineer for the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC). He worked there for 32 years, and meanwhile continued his training on the sarod. During these years, he gave plenty of performances all over India, and a few in Europe too, and he developed a style which is said to be distinct and quite different from most other classical performers. I really like his music, it is usually quite melodic and very interesting to follow.

Buddhadev Das Gupta received his training from the sarod maestro Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra. His music is said to have descended from the sarod great Ustad Murad Ali Khan, one of the earliest players of the sarod. Our second piece, very typical of his style of music, this is titled Slow TeenTaal.

Raag Ahir Bhairav - Alap (17:02)
Raag Ahir Bhairav - Jor (13:39)
Slow Teentaal - (31:00)

Click here to visit his website for more information.

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Shakti

2010-06-28T18:14:00.008-04:00

Here's a heads-up about an event this week:
The renowned tabla player Pandit Yogesh Samsi, accompanied by Pritam Bhattacharjee of the Pandit Jasraj School of Music, Atlanta, is performing at the Dunwoody Baptist Church Chapel, Thursday, July 1st at 8:00 pm. For more details, visit: http://www.dbc.org/schoolforthearts.

Today's show features a band called Shakti, one of the earlier bands to attempt a fusion of Western and Indian music. It consists of an acoustic guitar, a tabla, a violin and a ghatam. I think the ghatam deserves some explanation, it is a south Indian percussive instrument, well, actually it's a pot made of clay. Most people would keep it upright and use it to store water; Carnatic musicians, however, prefer to turn it upside down and make the weirdest noises with it. But that is a story for another day. Shakti was formed way back in 1975 when John McLaughlin met Ustad Zakir Hussain, it was said to be instrumental on the world music scene, and the result was a blend of hindustani, carnatic, jazz music that the world had never even imagined. Personally, I'm a huge fan of their music - I find it exhilarating - and that is precisely the reason why it is here on Gharana.

Shakti began when John McLaughlin met Ustad Zakir Hussain, this was in 1975. Two others joined in, L. Shankar on the violin, and T.H.Vinayakaram on the ghatam and that was that. The band was a great success, and for the next two years they toured all over the world and produced two albums of incredible music.

Sadly, like Mclaughlin's other attempts at fusion, most notably, the Mahavishnu Orchestra in all its incarnations, Shakti did not last very long. They rarely made appearances after 1977, and they soon faded away. About twenty years later, an attempt at reviving Shakti was made, the new band being called Remember Shakti, you might want to check out their music, it is quite like that of the original band.

Here's the track listing for the day:

Natural Elements
1. Mind Ecology (5:47)
2. Face to Face (5:57)
3. Come on Baby Dance with Me (1:56)
4. The Daffodil and the Eagle (7:00)
5. Happiness is Being Together (4:27)
6. Bridge of Sighs (3:52)
7. Get Down and Sruti (7:00)
8. Peace of Mind (3:22)

A Handful Of Beauty
1. India (12:38)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Zakir Hussain

2010-06-21T19:06:00.006-04:00

A few days ago, I came across this delightful track on the sarod. The artist is Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and let me tell you that he is amazing at what he does! First off, the sarod is a stringed instrument, with 5 or 6 main strings and about 9 sympathetic strings. The sympathetic strings are merely resonators that vibrate along with the main strings and add some depth and texture to the sound that is produced by the instrument. Most importantly, the sarod is a fretless instrument, and that gives the artist tremendous control over the sound that is produced. Compared to the sitar, it produces a duller, heavier sound - "sadder", if I can call it that, though it can be equally energetic in the right hands. And believe me, he's got the right hands. Personally I find his music very easy to listen to - a very prominent melody always and I find his progression very compelling, very relaxing, though it does have its intense moments. So here we go, this is Ustad Amjad Ali Khan on the sarod playing Raag Hemanti. The song is in rupaktaal, which means it is in 7 beats counted 1-2-3-1-2-1-2.

Our next artist is the perhaps the most famous tabla player India has ever produced - Ustad Zakir Hussain. I'm going to skip the usual introduction, and let his music do the talking. Besides you'll find more information on Google than I could ever hope to give you. Our second track for the day is a song titled, "Sarod", of his album Instrumental Indian. Our third and final track is going to last a while, the song is called Teentaal, meaning a cycle in 16 beats from his album Sangeet Sartaj Volume 2.

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Pandit Nikhil Banerjee and Pandit Shivkumar Sharma

2010-06-14T20:23:00.006-04:00

Pandit Nikhil Banerjee and Pandit Shivkumar Sharma

Off to a late start today, because I thought was locked out of the studio, but luckily Brian was there to let me in. And once again, the day is saved thanks to...

Back to business though, and our first track for the day is by Pandit Nikhil Banerjee. Regulars of the show would have heard quite a bit of his music, but here's a quick introduction anyway. Pandit Nikhil Banerjee was born in Kolkata in West Bengal, and he was taught the sitar by his father at a very young age. He was instantly recognized as a child prodigy and soon found himself playing the sitar for All India Radio. It was at this time that he met Ustad Allauddin Khan, and became his disciple. Allauddin Khan was very well-known for his standard of discipline. Nikhilji's day would begin at 4 in the morning everyday, and go on till 11 in the night, with breaks only for meals. So now that you know what goes into the making of a performance of this level, here's Pandit Nikhil Banerjee with Raag Miyan Ki Todi.

Our second track is by Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. His name is synonymous with the santoor, a stringed instrument like a dulcimer. The body consists of a wooden frame with about 60 to 70 strings drawn across it's width. It is played using two metal hammers. He is an absolute pleasure to listen to and you'll find his music all over the place - Solo albums, recordings with his son Rahul Sharma and also on bollywood soundtracks and he's generally regarded as the main proponent of the santoor as a mainstream classical instrument. So this is Pandit Shivkumar Sharma with Raag Charukeshi of a compilation: The Best of Shivkumar Sharma.

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Pandit Jasraj

2010-05-31T19:04:00.008-04:00

Continuing from where we left off last time, and I believe we were talking about the vocalists of Hindustani music, our first track for the day is by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan in Raag Basant. Bade Ghulam Ali Khan was born way back in 1902, and he's part of an older generation of singers. He was from the Patiala Gharana, and he is considered an representative of Hindustani Music at the turn of the 20th century. On the other hand, the singer of our next track, another well-known vocalist, Pandit Jasraj, who was born in the year 1930 and belongs to the next generation of Hindustani singers. He is from the Mewati Gharana, and the reason I decided to play his track next is to bring out the contrast in their styles of singing.

Playlist
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan - Raag Basant (29:30)
Pandit Jasraj - Raag Shankara (22:59)
Pandit Jasraj - Raag Bilaskhani Todi Drut (3:35)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Ustad Rashid Khan & Pandit Bhimsen Joshi

2010-05-24T15:43:00.005-04:00

So far, we've looked at percussionists and instrumentalists, but Hindustani music is perhaps best known for its vocalists. So here they are today, to take centerstage at Gharana Music - two of the best classical vocalists produced by India.

The first track is by Ustad Rashid Khan. Ustad Rashid Khan was born in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh in Northern India, and as a child he absolutely abhorred music. But it was his uncle (and later his "grand-uncle", if there is such a word, but you know what I mean) who started him off on classical vocal training. The training was so intense, sometimes practicing the same note for hours together, that it was not until he was 18 did he actually start appreciating the music. This initial training, though, served him well through his later years, and gave him the expression and control that listeners recognize in his voice today. He is known for the emotional overtones in his style of singing, unlike most classical singers who tend to concentrate more on technique and content, and he is said to have very good control over his voice. Apart from traditional classical music, he has also experimented with light fusion music, and some Bollywood music as well (most recently on the sound track of the movie Jab We Met).

The singer of the next track is a living legend, the one and only Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. How he came to be where he is is another story in itself. He ran away from his home in North Karnataka when he was about eleven years old, and hopped onto a train to Dharwad. From there, he borrowed money from some of the passengers on the train and made his way to Pune and then Gwalior where he joined the Madhava School of Music. A few years later his father traced him to Jalandhar in Punjab and brought him back home. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi then went on to release his debut album and moved to Mumbai to work at All India Radio. He is regarded a spontaneous, intuitive singer, very famous for his improvisations and interpretations of traditional compositions and is said to have astonishing control and accuracy.

Playlist

Ustad Rashid Khan - Raag Puriya Dhanashree (24:00)
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi - Raag Shudh Kalyan (30:06)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia

2010-05-17T17:45:00.010-04:00

This week on the show, we're featuring the music of the legendary flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. He is an absolute genius on the flute, which could partly explain why he has produced an incredible number of albums - I looked up the list on his website, and it is just endless! He also has a long list of collaborations with literally hundreds of musicians. I've had the pleasure of attending one of his performances, and let me assure you that he is a dream to listen to. He is one of those artists whose work is "audience-friendly", if I may use the term. Personally, I find him very easy to listen to - melodious, easy to catch on to, yet very elegant - it really is very soothing to listen to, especially after a rough day at work.

Now surprisingly, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia comes from a family of non-musicians. In fact, his father was a wrestler, who wanted him to follow in his footsteps. Though he did undergo training to be a wrestler, Pandit Chaurasia started learning music at a friend's house in secrecy. It was only when he was 15, and better at music than wrestling that he was able to receive formal training. He started with vocal music but soon switched to the flute. Even today, he claims that his initial training in wrestling gave him the stamina and control that is characteristic of his style of playing the flute.

Throughout his career, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia has worked with a lot of musicians. He has put a lot of effort into making Hindustani music accessible to everyone. In particular, he has done a lot of work in collaboration with jazz artists, most notably, with John McLaughlin and the fusion band Shakti.

For more of his music, visit his website, right here.

Today's playlist:
1. Raag Madhuvanti (15:08)
2. Raag Mishra (10:30)
3. Raag Sindhi Bhairavi (6:11)
4. Raag Bageshree (10:42)
5. Raag Mishra Shivaranjani (10:43)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Pandit Anindo Chatterjee

2010-05-10T20:13:00.006-04:00

For today's show, we're going to feature one of India's most eminent tabla players. He is a prolific performer, very well known for his amazing speed and clarity on the tabla and also for his improvisations. I've been listening to quite a bit of his music lately, and the thing that strikes you about each of his performances is the intelligence. He has this knack of turning even the simplest themes into incredibly complex patterns and I really love the way he switches between the slower and faster sequences. It is always a pleasure to listen to his music. But I've been building up the suspense far too long, so our first track for the day is Taal Pancham Savari by Pandit Anindo Chatterjee. The track is called so because it is in Taal Pancham Savari. Now for those of you who are new to Hindustani music, taal is almost equivalent to the meter of a piece. It defines the length of each cycle. In this case, Taal Pancham Savari defines a cycle of 15 beats counted 3-4-4-4.

A bit more about Anindoji. He was born and brought up in West Bengal, and it was his uncle, a sitar player, Pandit Biswanath Chatterjee who started him off on tabla training when he was just 4 years old. Years later, when asked why he chose the tabla, Anindoji replied, "As a child, I went around beating things around the house. This probably made my parents think that I had fancied rhythm and therefore I started on my Tabla training." By the age of 5, he was performing on All India Radio, and at the age of 6, he became a disciple of Padmabhushan Gyan Prakash Ghosh. Anindoji's performances are marked by clarity of tone, very crisp and clear bols and an intutive sense of rhythm and melody. The next track in Taal Deepchandi - it is in 14 beats counted as 3-4-3-4, this song is much shorter but very entertaining to listen to. Our final track is in Taal Ashta Rupak, meaning it is in 8 beats.

If you would like to hear more of Pandit Anindo Chatterjee's music, you can visit his website here.

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Alla Rakha at the Monterey Pop Festival '67

2010-05-03T20:13:00.005-04:00

Welcome to Gharana Music, first the "good" news: Karan Mehra, who has been hosting this show for the last year or so, decided to graduate from Georgia Tech, and move to New York. Well, good for him, we'll miss you, Karan. Good luck. The bad news is mainly for me, desperately trying to fill his shoes at WREK. It's also bad news for you, because you, our beloved audience, will have to put up with me, Avinash Sastry. Not a fair contest. Trust me.

So on that cheerful little note, let me tell you about today's line-up. Today, we feature Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Alla Rakha Khan and their phenomenal performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. For me, this is a very special performance. It goes way back to my undergrad days, when we were sitting and watching the videos of the Monterey Pop Festival. And right after Jimi Hendrix, came these two giants of Hindustani music. We just sat there, and watched and watched for the whole hour without saying a word. The performance scarred me, in that I could never think of Hindustani music as slow music for patient listeners; it had become just as enthralling as Led Zeppelin or AC/DC (bad comparison I know, and I apologize, but I warned you ).

The first track is in Raag Bhimpalasi. It starts slow and gradually builds up speed and rhythm, yet never goes too fast, setting up the mood for the second half of the performance. The second half begins with a spell-binding solo performance by Ustad Alla Rakha in Ektaal. I really like the way Pandit Ravi Shankar explains the timing, "It is 12 beats for each cycle, counted as 4-4-2-2, but Alla Rakha wants to play it faster so we'll be counting six beats as 2-2-1-1". The third and final track, called Dhun (Dadra and fast Teentaal) concludes their performance. He explains the timing for this one too, and as they start playing it seems quite easy to follow. Soon though, you reach a point where it is almost impossible to keep track of what they're doing, and that's when you realize that it is just pure genius!

As always, feel free to send us a mail, or comment on our blog, we'd love to hear from you! If you miss the show, you can still hit those links in the second column and listen to our archive. Looking forward to a great year with you all and with Gharana Music!

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

29th March, 2010 - Sufi/Fusion Special

2010-03-31T21:34:00.006-04:00

For this show I decided to experiment a little and incorporate some Sufi-inspired music as well as "fusion", while keeping the base Indian Classical. And it turned out to be great fun. I have to say though, this was completely inspired by this recent discovery: cokestudio.com.pk

Coke Studio is a Pakistani television show that aired its first season in 2008 and the second in 2009. It features a wide range of pop, rock, classical (both Indian and Pakistani), Sufi-inspired and folk music played by Pakistan's most celebrated musicians A friend of mine found some videos of it on YouTube recently and shared them with me. I was blown away with just the first three songs that I heard and decided to get as much of the music as possible. Thankfully, they let you download it all for free. So instead of playing just one song of the Coke Studio sessions on the show, I decided to do an entire show around the concept of collaborations including, but going beyond Indian Classic music.

An interesting opener to the show was an Indian raag (Raag Bahaar) being performed by the legendary Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. I could not think of a better coming-together of music from the two countries, as you will realize when you listen to a Hindustani raag being performed in typical Qawwali style. That was followed by Aik Alif from the Coke Studio sessions (my current favourite track), Making Music by Zakir Hussain and friends (an album off which I have played nearly all the tracks over the past year), and finally a track from a CD that I found in the WREK studio that almost made my eyes pop out: "The Melody Of Rhythm", a collaboration including Ustad Zakir Hussain, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer and The Detroit Symphony Orchestra!

It was a show that gave me a lot of happiness.

Here is the track listing:

1. Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (vocals) - Raag Bahaar (live)

2. Saeen Zahoor (vocals) & Noori (rock duo) - Aik Alif (Coke Studio Session, Season 2)

3. Ustad Zakir Hussain (tabla), Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute), Jan Garabarek (saxophone) & John McLaughlin (guitar) - Making Music (album: Making Music)

4. Ustad Zakir Hussain (tabla), Bela Fleck (banjo), Edgar Meyer (bass) and The Detroit Symphony Orchestra - Bubbles (album: The Melody of Rhythm)

...and that leaves just about 5-6 more shows of Gharana Music that I will host before I graduate! The countdown begins..

Karan Mehra

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

22nd March, 2010

2010-03-30T15:09:00.004-04:00

A big thanks to Uche, host of Sub Saharan Vibes, who covered in for me last Monday and did a great job picking music and hosting the show. He dug out some rare vinyls from our vault, and these are the tracks he played:

1. Pandit Raghunath Seth (flute) & Sri Balakrishnan Iyer - Raag Hansadhwani (album: Classical Flute Music of India)

2. Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta (sarod) - Drut Bandish in Teentaal

3. Pandit Samir Chatterjee (tabla) - Drut Gat in Teentaal

4. Pandit Devendra Murdeshwar and Gopal Das

5. Pandit Ravi Shankar - Mishra Ghara Dhun

6. N. Rajam - Raag Jhinjhoti

Karan Mehra

Gharana Music

WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM

Mondays, 8-9 p.m.

www.wrek.org

(+1) 404-894-2468

Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

8th March, 2010

2010-03-08T21:12:00.004-05:00

The music on the show tends to get more soothing around exams, I'm not sure whether that's a conscious attempt on my part.

Tonight what played was 2 beautiful pieces that definitely helped relax the mind. Here they are:

1. Dr. N. Rajam (violin) - Raag Jhinjhoti (album: Masters Of Indian Classical Music Vol 2)

2. Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute) - Raag Durga (album: Masters Of Indian Classical Music Vol 2)

Playing live in Atlanta on 20th March is the big event: Ustad Zakir Hussain! He will be performing at the Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University with a host of brilliant musicians, namely

Taufiq Qureshi, Ganesh and Kumaresh, Sabir Khan, Navin Sharma, Sridar Parthasarathy, and the Motilal Dhakis of Bengal.

More details here: http://www.rialtocenter.org/

For updates regarding the show and Indian Classical events in Atlanta, follow us on Twitter on http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

Karan Mehra

Gharana Music

WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM

Mondays, 8-9 p.m.

www.wrek.org

(+1) 404-894-2468

Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

1st March, 2010: 50 weeks!

2010-03-08T20:48:00.004-05:00

The March 1st episode marked my 50th show as host of Gharana Music, so I'm really happy. I almost didn't realize when it happened - the last year has gone by very quickly.

To talk a little more about the show I invited Dr. Parag Chordia into the studio who could fortunately make it this time. Dr. Chordia started the show at Georgia Tech, but he spoke about how Gharana Music predates his time at Tech. It actually began while he was in college in California, pursuing his PhD. Dr. Chordia dedicated the night's episode to his guru Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta, a true genius on the sarod.

Here are the tracks off of a rare All India Radio recording, all by Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta:

1. Kafi Kanhra

2. Raag Naiki Kanada (alap)
3. Raag Naiki Kanada (madhyalay and drut teentaal)
4. Raag Chhaya (drut teentaal)

Hopefully, Dr. Chordia will join me in the studio more often.

Karan Mehra

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

22nd February 2010: Tabla Special

2010-02-24T02:01:00.005-05:00

Having a tabla themed show was always going to be fun, and I hope you weren't disappointed.

We had three pieces tonight, the first two being performances in teen taal (16 beats), and the show closer was radically different to anything we've played before. In addition to Ustad Zakir Hussain's tabla beats, there was also the ghatam, the dhol, the dholak and more. One of the most energetic mpieces we've ever had, this ventured away from the mould of Indian Classical and incorporated flavours of Punjabi folk (north India), Rajasthani folk (western India) among others. If you couldn't tune in, make sure you listen to it by playing the tracks on the right sidebar of this blog (link available until 7th of March).

Here are the tracks that played:

1. Pt. Suresh Talwalkar - Drut Teentaal

2. Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri - Vilambit Teentaal

3. Ustad Zakir Hussain - Taal Mela

Join us again next week for another theme-based show!

Karan Mehra

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

8th & 15th February 2010

2010-02-08T20:28:00.002-05:00

Gharana Music will not air on 8th & 15th of February due to sports broadcasting on WREK.

Join us on the 22nd!

Karan Mehra
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com
http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

25th January, 2010

2010-01-25T20:09:00.004-05:00

Welcome back to the first live broadcast of Gharana Music of 2010! Spring '10 is well on its way at Georgia Tech and it's great to be back in the studio.

Picking music for the first show of the year was easy, an hour-long performance of Raag Malkauns by Pandit Nikhil Bannerjee on sitar. It's been said that Pt. Bannerjee preferred live performances to studio recordings, so I chose to play one of his performances from his concert at Bath, England.

Thanks to all of you who have emailed us, called in and given us feedback through our blog! Hope you tune in for the next several Monday nights, or catch the recorded version on this blog or www.wrek.org.

Oh, and here's wishing all the Indians a happy Republic Day, and happy Australian Day to our Australian listeners.

Until next time,

Karan Mehra

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

23rd November, 2009

2009-11-23T21:29:00.005-05:00

It's been nearly a year since the horrific terrorist attacks on Mumbai (26th November 2008), and let's take this moment to offer our respects to those we have lost and wish their families the best. It is also an opportunity to look ahead and learn from what's happened, and feel a sense of pride about how the Mumbai and Indian citizens came together and brought the city back to its feet in no time.

Gharana Music was on as usual, and what played on the show tonight was one of the most talented contemporary Hindustani musicians who is also from Mumbai, Pandit Nayan Ghosh - a rare case of someone who has mastered two diverse instruments, the tabla and the sitar. We also heard a piece by Ustad Rashid Khan. Here are the songs:

1. Pandit Nayan Ghosh (sitar) - Raag Kafi accompanied by Malhar Ghosh on tabla

2. Ustad Rashid Khan (vocals) - Raag Bihag

You can listen to the last two shows (the links refresh every week) by clicking on the links in the right sidebar. Tune in again next week!

Karan Mehra

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

9th November, 2009

2009-11-09T20:56:00.003-05:00

Ketaki Deo was back to hep me out this week, she hadn't had enough of the WREK studio :)

Tonight we focused on raags that are generally played at or around daybreak:

1. Pandit Ravi Shankar (sitar) - Raga Ramkali, Live in London
2. Pandit Jasraj (vocals) - Raag Bhairavi, accompanied by Shafat Ahmed Khan on Tabla, Appa Jalgaonkar on Harmonium, Kumari Shweta Zaveri, Shri Neeraj Parekh & Shri Krishna Kant Parekh on vocals
3. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (sarod) - Jogiya Kalingra

Thanks for tuning in & calling in, tune in next Monday for another hour of some of the finest music created.

Karan Mehra
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com
http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

2nd November, 2009

2009-11-09T20:36:00.004-05:00

Possibly one of our best hours on Gharana Music, the music was mesmerising! Here's what played:

1. Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan (sitar) - Raag Shahana
2. Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Mohan Veena) - Raag Bageshri (in Vilambit Tintal)
3. Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma (santoor) - Raag Bhimpalasi (Gat in ektal)
4. Ustad Zakir Hussain (tabla), Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute), John McLaughlin (guitar) and Jan Garbarek (saxophone) - Making Music (album: Making Music)

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com
http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

26th October, 2009

2009-10-26T21:10:00.007-04:00

More firsts on tonight's show, including music by Ustad Shahid Parvez and the first in-studio guest of the semester.

But first, here's what played last Monday (19th October), since I did not update the blog in time:

Ustad Vilayat Khan (sitar) - Raga Jhinjhoti, along with Hidayat Khan (sitar) and Sukhvinder Singh (tabla)

Back to this week, we're really excited to let you know that Ustad Shahid Parvez, one of the finest Sitar players who has been performing live 46 years now (his first performance was at the age of 8!), is coming to Atlanta. Not just that, he's coming to perform at Georgia Tech! Ustad Shahid Parvez's genius demonstrates how he has done more than justice to the lineage of musical legends that he comes from, including Ustad Imdad Khan, Ustad Wahid Khan, Ustad Vilayat Khan and more.

He will be accompanied by Rohit Majumdar on Tabla, and will be performing from 6-9 at the Student Center Theater (350 Ferst Drive, Atlanta GA 30332). For tickets and further details pls contact Dr. Santosh Pande at 770-447-5517 / Mr. Bob Ghosh at 404-431-0091 / Dr. Sham Navathe at 770-416-8901. I would NOT miss this concert organized by the ICMS (Indian Classical Music Society).

We also had in the studio with us Ketaki Deo, a masters student at Georgia Tech studying Computer Science. She has been classically trained in Hindustani vocals and was here to share with us her introduction to Indian Classical music, her training with her Guru back in Pune, India, and the cultural hub that is Pune. Ketaki, we will hopefully see you perform soon at Tech. We also used this opportunity to play our first Rahul Deshpande performance (since Ketaki asked for it), someone whose music I've been wanting to play for a while but haven't gotten down to.

Here's what played tonight:

1. Ustad Shahid Parvez (sitar) - Raag Desh (live)

2. Rahul Deshpande - Albela Saajan (live)

3. Ustad Shahid Parvez (sitar) - Dhun (live)

In case you missed any of this, you can listen to the last 2 shows by clicking on the links in the "Listen to Gharana Music now" section on the right hand side.

See you next week!

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

5th October, 2009

2009-10-05T21:33:00.003-04:00

An interesting show to say the least, all the performers whose music we played today have had Western influences, yet play music that is truly Hindustani.

Srinivas Reddy on sitar began playing rock and jazz until his "life-changing" meeting with Sri Partha Chatterjee, who would go on to become his guru. (http://www.srinivasreddy.org/)

Sameer Gupta on tabla began, and continues to play improvisational world, fusion and jazz, with several other active musical projects. (http://www.sameergupta.com)

Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya, a highly accomplished slide guitar player uses it for Indian Classical music. (http://www.debashishbhattacharya.com)

Here is what played:

1) Srinivas Reddy (sitar) and Sameer Gupta (tabla) - Raag Hemant (Alap and Vilambit), from the album "Hemant & Jog"

2) Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya (slide guitar) with Swapan Chaudhuri (tabla) - Raag Pahadi Jhinjhoti (Madhya Gat in Jhaptal)

If you liked what you heard (you can listen to the last 2 shows by clicking on the links in the sidebar on the right), go ahead and buy the music!

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m. EST
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

28th September, 2009

2009-09-28T21:14:00.003-04:00

Ustad Vilayat Khan's music always has a calming effect on me, and so I thought even the 40+ minute performance was too short. This was followed by Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, whose style of playing I've always been a fan of. Not much else to report from here, apart from the as-usual hectic school work.

Here's what played tonight:

1. Ustad Vilayat Khan (sitar) - Raag Bhairo Bahar -- Alap and Jhor

2. Pandit Anindo Chatterjee (tabla) - Asta Mangal taal (album: Dream on Drums)

You can now listen to the last two shows by playing the links on the sidebar on the right. You can also follow us on twitter!

http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

See you next week!

Karan Mehra

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

21st September, 2009

2009-09-21T21:31:00.003-04:00

Atlanta is under water and the situation is serious. The American Red Cross is in and there are emergency services coming to the aid of many. Here are some emergency numbers, courtesy @hellonorthga on Twitter:

American Red Cross, Metro Atlanta: Phone: 404-575-3730 Fax: 404-575-3082

Down trees: 404-817-6813

Flooding: 404-658-6500

Power outages: 888-891-0938

Protected from all this in the studio, was some great Hindustani music. What played during the hour was:

1. Anupama Bhagwat (sitar) - Raag Shyam Kalyan Vilambit

2. Pandit Jasraj (vocals) - Raag Bhairavi

3. Gundecha Brothers (vocals) - Raag Puriya Dhanashree Sooltaal

You can listen to the show here until 28th September:

Part 1 (8.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m.)

Part 2 (8.30 p.m. - 9.00 p.m.)

And here between the 28th and 5th of October:

Part 1 (8.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m.)

Part 2 (8.30 p.m. - 9.00 p.m.)

http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org

(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

http://twitter.com/gharanamusic

14th September, 2009

2009-09-14T20:48:00.003-04:00

Busy start to the week, promises to get busier. Aarohi, the student orgranization on campus plan to organize their first Indian Classical concert of the semester in a few weeks, details will be posted here.

What played on the show this week was Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar and Pandit Ravi Shankar:

1. Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar (vocals) - Raag Sampurna Malkauns

2. Pandit Ravi Shankar (sitar) - We played a number of short tracks in the following raags:

Raag Ahir Lalit, Raag Nat Bhairav, Raag Bhatiyar, Raag Sindhu Bhairavi, Raag Hemant, Raag Rasiya

Here's an important event coming up:

Vibha will be holding its annual 5km run/walk event this year on sept 19th. The event will start in BioTech Quad courtyard, 315 Ferst Drive NW at 8.30 am. Vibha is a charity organization working for underprivileged children. All proceeds support child development projects and "Make a Wish" foundation. Last year, they had over 1000 participants and could raise $50,000. This year, there will be a special kids' carnival. For more details, please call Keshav at 770-309-6268 or visit http://tinyurl.com/vibhagtwalk

Come and support a great cause!

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

7th September, 2009

2009-09-07T21:00:00.001-04:00

The slide guitar made its debut on Gharana Music as we played music by Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya for the first time on the show. A beautiful 34 minute piece in Raag Pahadi Jhinjhoti accompanied by Swapan Chaudhuri on tabla, started off the show. Pt. Bhattacharya started playing music at the age of three and has gone on to receive great respect in the musical fraternity worldwide. Read more about him at:

http://www.debashishbhattacharya.com/

One Bengali musician was followed by another, Pandit Dhruba Ghosh on the sarangi covered the rest of the show. Both the artists' CDs can be found on www.amazon.com, and they even have a few songs posted on www.myspace.com, http://last.fm and more.

Here are the tracks that played tonight:

1. Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya (Hindustani slide guitar) with Swapan Chaudhuri (tabla) - Raag Pahadi Jhinjhoti (Alap, Jor & Jhala)

2. Pandit Dhruba Ghosh (sarangi) with Kashinath Mishra (tabla) - Raag Komal Rishabh Asavari (Madhya Bandish in Jhaptaal, Drut Bandish in Teentaal)

You can listen to the tracks here until 14th September:

Part 1 (8.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m.)

Part 2 (8.30 p.m. - 9.00 p.m.)

And here between the 14th and 21st of September:

Part 1 (8.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m.)

Part 2 (8.30 p.m. - 9.00 p.m.)

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

August 31st, 2009

2009-08-31T20:14:00.006-04:00

The fall semester begins, and it's great to have a campus full of people! This semester will see more musicians come in to the studio (Georgia Tech students, and otherwise) and have a chat with us. Also, stay tuned to get updates about Indian Classical concerts happening on and off campus.

Tonight's show included artists that we hadn't played before, and I'm now wondering why. Here's the playlist:

1. Pandit Suresh Talwalkar (tabla) - Drut Teental (album: Laya Kalpana, Rhythmic Bliss of Tabla)

2. Ustad Vilayat Khan (sitar) with Akram Khan (tabla) - Raag Jaijaiwanti

3. Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute) - Raag Marwa

You can listen to the show here until the 7th of Sept:

Part 1 (8.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m.)

Part 2 (8.30 p.m. - 9.00 p.m.)

Or here between the 7th and the 14th:

Part 1 (8.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m.)

Part 2 (8.30 p.m. - 9.00 p.m.)

Do your best to make it to the Georgia Tech campus on the morning of the 19th of September, an contribute by walking for charity:

http://wiki.vibha.org/Dream_Mile:2009_Atlanta_Home

If you would like to volunteer for the event, please visit:

http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gtg956v/vibha%20volunteering.htm

Hope to see you there!

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

July 27th, 2009: The July tribute series to Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, ep 4

2009-07-27T21:00:00.001-04:00

The final show of the series and personally, it was my favourite. Following the opening piece by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan was a beautiful performance by the Ustad along with Pandit Ravi Shankar, in Raag Ramdas Malhar. The show ended with what is possibly one of my favourite performances, Raag Mishra Mand by the Ustad and Pandit Nikhil Bannerjee. I had played this on an earlier show as well, but since we ran out of time on the show, I just had to play it again. I was happy that we could manage to fit in three great pieces in our last show, covering a good combination of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan's solo performances as well as collaborations with two of Hindustani music's greatest Sitar players.

You can listen to the show here:

Part 1: 8 - 8.30 p.m.

Part 2: 8.30 - 9 p.m.

With this we wrap up our July special, a tribute to the legend. While he will be dearly missed by listeners, followers and peers all across the world, his music is timeless and something that we will continue to play here at Gharana Music.

These past 4 weeks have been a treat, I hope you enjoyed it as well.

Karan Mehra

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

July 20th, 2009: The July tribute series to Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, ep 3

2009-07-20T20:20:00.003-04:00

Just one more week to go in this series of tribute shows to the late Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and today we have a 1988 recording from his concert in Stuttgart. The performance featured the Ustad accompanied by Swapan Chaudhuri on tabla, who is the Director of Percussion at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California and Basil, Switzerland. On the tambura (tanpura) is Shefali Nag.

The other track of the night was by the tabla legend Ustad Allah Rakha, along with his son, Ustad Zakir Hussain. When Ustad Ali Akbar Khan gave his first recital on All India Radio in 1938, it was Ustad Allah Rakha who had accompanied him on the tabla.

Here is the playlist:

1. Gat in Slow and Fast Tintal - Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (sarod), Swapan Chaudhuri (tabla) & Shefali Nag (tambura): Live in Stuttgart

2. Roopak Taal - Ustad Allah Rakha (tabla), Ustad Zakir Hussain (tabla)

Here are the audio files of the show, these links will be good for a week:

Part 1: 8 - 8.30 p.m.

Part 2: 8.30 - 9 p.m.

Next week will be the final show of the tribute month, and I promise you it's going to be special. We'll be playing some of the Ustad's finest collaborations with other artistes that he has played a lot with.

Thanks for tuning in!

Karan Mehra

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

July 13th, 2009: The July tribute series to Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, ep 2

2009-07-13T20:50:00.002-04:00

Continuing with our tribute to Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, the music on today's show was special. We started the hour with an All India Radio archival recording by Khansahib, followed by a beautiful piece by Pandit Nikhil Bannerjee, someone that Khansahib has played a lot with. What made the show special today was the last piece, one in which both these legends played together.

Here's the playlist:

1. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (sarod) - Raag Darbari (All India Radio Archival Recordings, Vol 7)

2. Pandit Nikhil Bannerjee (sitar) - Raag Sohini

3. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan & Pandit Nikhil Bannerjee - Raag Mishra Mand

Each week, you can listen to the current week's show here:

Part 1: 8 - 8.30 p.m.

Part 2: 8.30 - 9 p.m.

And the previous week's show here:

Part 1: 8 - 8.30 p.m.

Part 2: 8.30 - 9 p.m.

Here are some interesting quotes by and about the late Ustad Ali Akbar Khan:

(source: http://dkvblog.sulekha.com/blog/post/2009/06/alvida-ustad-ali-akbar-khan-1922-2009.htm)

"..an absolute genius, the greatest musician in the world "

- Yehudi Menuhin describing Ustad Ali Akbar Khan when he met him in 1952

"If you practise for 10 years, you may begin to please yourself. After 20 years you may become a performer and please the audience. After 30 years you may please even your guru. But you must practise for many more years before you finally become a true artist – then you may please even God."

- Ustad Ali Akbar Khan

"When I heard the news it was like losing Ray Charles, or John Coltrane, or Charlie Parker, you know. There probably couldn't be two-three musicians like him in the world."

- Rock Guitarist Derek Trucks paying tribute to Ustad Ali Akbar Khan

"I started to learn this music at the same time I began to talk. So it is as natural to me as speaking. It's not something I have to think about any more than I have to think about the words I'm saying."

- Ustad Ali Akbar Khan talking to Don Heckman of The Times

"I teach what I learned from my father. The same system, with the same traditional purity. The same kind of devotion, the same love for music has to be built up. And that can only happen when it comes from the heart. Otherwise, music doesn't last. It doesn't stay."

- Ustad Ali Akbar Khan in conversation with The Times

"When I came in '55, because I was in Indian dress, people on the street in New York came out of the bars and shops and followed us. They asked me, 'Who are you? Where are you from?' When I said, 'India,' some of them didn't even know where it was. Or others who knew I was a musician asked funny questions like, 'How can you play music in India with all the tigers and snakes and monkeys you have to fight off?' "

- Ustad Ali Akbar Khan in conversation with the Asian Week as quoted in The Washington Times

"All the people who studied there - it changed all our lives. Khan embodies the pure spirit of music; it's not just the notes, it's the spirit. Every time I listen to him, he takes me there."

- Mickey Hart, drummer with Grateful Dead talking of learning music under the Ustad as quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle

Karan Mehra

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

July 6th, 2009: The July tribute series to Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, ep 1

2009-07-06T20:49:00.003-04:00

One show isn't enough to pay tribute to a legend of the stature of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, so we dedicate this month of July in his honour. Each week we'll bring you at least one of his pieces, as well as talk about different aspects of his life and career.

Tonight we started the show with an old All India Radio archival recording of his, which you might not have been able to hear too clearly. However, these are special pieces and we're lucky to have them, so it wouldn't be fair to not play them. This was followed by a piece by the Ustad's father, Ustad Allauddin Khan, another Sarod legend and the Ustad's guru.

1. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan - Raag Bhimpalasi (All India Radio archives)

2. Ustad Allauddin Khan - Raag Alhaiya Bilawal (Baba's Melody: Vol. 4 )

Here are the recordings of tonight's show, as usual in two 30-minute files:

Part 1: 8 - 8.30 p.m.

Part 2: 8.30 - 9 p.m.

Tune in again next week for music by the legend who was fondly called Khansahib.

Karan Mehra

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

29th June, 2009 - A Tribute to Ustad Ali Akbar Khan

2009-06-29T21:33:00.006-04:00

The Hindustani Music family lost one of its most revered members, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan on the 18th of June, 2009. Khansahib, who had been ailing from a prolonged kidney problem, passed away in San Fransisco, CA, the home of the Ali Akbar College of Music.

We at Gharana Music dedicated tonight's show to him, one of many to come, to celebrate the greatness of his music and life. We have been very privileged to exist in the same era as one of the greatest Hindustani musicians, and his music will live on and on for generations beyond ours.

Here is what played tonight:

Raag Chandrakauns - All India Radio Archives

Raag Bageshri (live in Stuttgart) along with Swapan Chaudhuri (Tabla) (Director of Percussion at the Ali Akbar College of Music) & Shefali Nag (Tamboura)

In case you missed the show, you can listen to it here. The hour long show is recorded over two 30-minute files.

Part 1: 8 - 8.30 p.m.

Part 2: 8.30 - 9 p.m.

Here is a good place to read more about the legend. Tune in next Monday for some more of his music.

Karan Mehra

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

22nd June, 2009

2009-06-17T22:47:00.005-04:00

As the show continues right through the summer, this week we had the pleasure of listening to the following two pieces:

1. Ustad Rashid Khan - Raag Bihaag

2. Pandit Anindo Chatterjee - Jhaptaal (album: Dream on Drums)

Keep tuning in every Monday night at 8. In case you missed the show in the past couple of weeks, you can listen to the archives here:

Last show:

Part 1: 8 - 8.30 p.m.

Part 2: 8.30 - 9 p.m.

Week before last:

Part 1: 8 - 8.30 p.m.

Part 2: 8.30 - 9 p.m.

Each show is split over two 30 minute files, and the tracks will open up in the music player of your choice.

Karan Mehra

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

15th June, 2009

2009-06-15T21:30:00.005-04:00

Thanks for tuning back in tonight!

Here's what played:

1. Asin by Ustad Zakir Hussain (tabla), Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute), John McLaughlin (guitar) and Jan Garbarek (saxophone) off the album 'Making Music'

2. Raag Sohni by Pandit Nikhil Banerjee (sitar)
3. Raag Bhoop by Gundecha Brothers (vocals), off the album 'Naad Sugandh'

You can listen to the show on www.wrek.org, in the archives section, where it is hosted for 2 weeks. Click here for the instructions.

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

8 June, 2009

2009-06-08T20:47:00.002-04:00

We're back after a week's break, there was no Gharana Music aired last Monday because of a baseball game. Tonight we heard one of the most influential vocalists of Indian classical music, the late Ustad Amir Khan and his rendition of the Raag Yaman. Be sure to tune in next week!

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

18th May, 2009

2009-05-18T20:19:00.002-04:00

Tonight we heard an hour long piece by the late Sitar great, Ustad Vilayat Khan along with his son Hidayat Khan and Sukhvinder Singh. It was a performance of the Raag Jhinjhoti, a night raag that belongs to the thaat Khamaj. The piece was from the live performance 'Colours of Jhinjhoti' performed live in London in 2000.

Karan

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

11th May 2009

2009-05-07T20:30:00.005-04:00

...and we're back to school for the summer! And Gharana Music continues on WREK, 91.1 FM Atlanta. Tonight we heard sitar performances of two beautiful night raags: Khamaj and Yaman.

1. Pandit Ravi Shankar - Raag Khamaj (Golden Jubilee Concert, 1990)

2. Pandit Nayan Ghosh - Raag Yaman

Gharana Music will be on all summer, so keep tuning in!

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

4th May, 2009

2009-05-01T14:24:00.003-04:00

Today's playlist:

1. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (sarod) - Raag Shri (All India Radio archival recording)

2. Pandit Anindo Chatterjee - Taal Pancham Sawari

Gharana Music will be on air through the summer as well! Thanks for tuning in.

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Jayateerth Mevundi Concert Rescheduled

2009-04-29T16:14:00.002-04:00

A message from Indian Classical Music Society (ICMS) Atlanta:

Due to some difficulties in the visa processing, the musician party including Jayateerth Mevundi has not been able to depart from India yet.

As such, their programs on the coming weekend have to be rescheduled. (They were due to perform in Austin, Dallas and Atlanta on the next weekend).

We will look into a suitable date once their visit dates are confirmed and will try to schedule the concert towards end of May or in June.

The inconvenience to our music enthusiasts is regretted. We will make our best effort to reschedule this concert.

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

20th & 27th April, 2009

2009-04-27T20:21:00.007-04:00

The last Monday of the Spring 09 semester! But the show will go on through the summer, so keep tuning in every Monday night at 8 p.m. for an hour of the highest quality Indian classical music.

To begin with, last Monday (20th April) was a Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia special, where we played his performance of Raag Bageshree (alaap and gat).

Back to this week, coming up this Sunday, the 5th of May, we will be lucky to watch a very accomplished vocalist Jayateerth Mevundi, disciple of the legend Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, live on campus at Georgia Tech. Here are the details for this performance brought to us by the Indian Classical Music Society (ICMS), Atlanta.

When: May 3rd, Sunday at 5 p.m.

Who: Vocalist Jayateerth Mevundi, accompanied by Bharat Kamat (tabla) and Guruprasad Hegde (harmonium).

Where: Georgia Tech Student Center Theater

Contact: Santosh Pande at 770-447-5517, Bob Ghosh at 404-431-0091 , or Sham Navathe at 770-416-8901

We also ended the show tonight with a piece by Jayateerth Mevundi. Here's what played on Gharana tonight:

1. Water Girl by Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute) off the album 'Making Music' (1992) by Ustad Zakir Hussain (tabla), which also features John McLaughlin (guitar) and Jan Garbarek (saxophone)

2. Pandit Nikhil Banerjee (sitar) - Raag Rageshree

3. Jayateerth Mevundi (vocals) - Megh Bada Khyal

Do turn up for the concert at the student center theater, it is going to be a beautiful evening.

Karan

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

6th April, 2009

2009-04-06T21:37:00.007-04:00

Today was an Ustad Zakir Hussain special, with the following tracks being played:

1. Ustad Zakir Hussain & Ustad Sultan Khan - Raag Hemant (album: Sur Taal)
2. Ustad Zakir Hussain - Vilambit and Drut Teentaal (live, from the album: Energy)

Tune in next week for more great artists and music!

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

23rd March, 2009. In-studio guest: Jag

2009-03-23T21:32:00.001-04:00

So, spring break is over. So to give me company and help me get over my depression, was Jag (Jagadeeswaran Jayaprakash), the President of 'Aarohi' and a Masters student at the Dept. of Music Technology at Georgia Tech. Aarohi is a student organization made to promote Indian classical music and art forms.

Jag was in the studio tonight to talk about Aarohi and South Indian Classical music, called Carnatic (or Karnatak) music. Jag played Carnatic music through the hour, and it was great. This show has traditionally concentrated on North Indian Classical, or Hindustani music, so it was great for the diversity of the music that we play here. Here's what played tonight:

1. Varanam - Viriboni (Ragam: Bhairavi / Thalam: Khanda jaadhi ata thalam)
2. Janani Ninnu Vina (Ragam: Reethigowlai / Thalam: Misra Chapu)
3. Rama nee samanam evaro (Ragam: Kharaharapriya / Thalam: Roopakam)

So here are a couple of things you should know about Aarohi:

Firstly, their website is:
http://cyberbuzz.gatech.edu/aarohi/default/index.html

Visit it to find out more about membership, how you can get involved, and what are the kinds of events they organize.

Secondly, they have a show coming up in just a couple of weeks! It is going to be a students' concert - Srinath, a masters student in CS would be giving a vocal performance, followed by a Violin concert by Gokul, a PhD student in the ECE.

For further details,
Mail : aarohi@gatech.edu
Or call Jag at : 404 423 1974

Thanks for tuning in, and thanks Jag for coming in! See you all next Monday.

Karan

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

16th March 2009

2009-03-13T16:49:00.005-04:00

Spring break is here! But that doesn't mean that the show won't go on. Airing at the usual hour - 8 p.m. on Monday night, the show today featured two great Indian Classical musicians and two evening/early night raags. Here's what played:

1. Pandit Jasraj (Vocals) - Raag Puriya

2. Ustad Bismillah Khan (Shehnai) - Raag Kedar

Tune in again on the 23rd for some of the finest music from India.

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

9th March 2009

2009-03-09T20:37:00.004-04:00

Hello,

Today's play list:

1. Pt. Ravi Shankar (Sitar) - Raag Shudh Sarang, live (afternoon raag)
The piece begins with Pt. Ravi Shankar introducing the raag to the live audience

2. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (Sarod) - Raag Bhimpalasi (afternoon raag)
All India Archival recording

Here is a video of Pt. Ravi Shankar giving George Harrison of The Beatles sitar lessons!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erLZ-zW9Ti4

Do tune in again next week.

In case you missed the show, you can listen to the last show at
http://www.wrek.org/afternoonschedule
and the show prior to that at:
http://www.wrek.org/afternoonschedule2

Just look for Gharana Music on Monday at 8 p.m. in the schedule shown on the page. Here are the listening options:

Thanks,
Karan

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Welcome!

2009-03-02T20:04:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the new Gharana Music blog! Gharana Music, home to Indian Classical Music, airs every Monday night 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Georgia Tech's very own student-operated radio station, WREK (91.1FM). Our studio is located on the campus itself, here in Atlanta, USA. For those of you who would like to follow the show but cannot tune in, you can listen to the show live on www.wrek.org. The show is also archived for 14 days after it is played, allowing you to access recordings of the show in case you miss it.

This is Karan Mehra, the new host of the show. Those of you who have been following the show would know Dr. Parag Chordia (an Assistant Professor at the Dept. of Music Technology at Georgia Tech), who began this show a couple of years ago. Unfortunately he will not be continuing on the show, but we're going to try and get hold of him whenever we can, either in the studio, or to write something on this blog.

Please feel free to comment on this blog with your thoughts or questions about the music, artistes or the show itself. You can also call in at 404-894-2468 during the show. The list of songs played every Monday night will be put up here, so you can always come back and check what you heard in case you missed the name. Do not hesitate to use this space to inform us and others about Indian Classical concerts happening in and around Atlanta, so that we can spread the word.

Here's the list for today's show:
Ustad Amir Khan - Raag Hansadhwani
Ustad Amir Khan - Raag Malkauns
Pandit Ram Narayan - Raag Darbari

That's it for today, hope you'll tune in next Monday at 8 p.m. as well. Have a good week.

Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com