05 June 2013

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Catherine Potter: Duniya Project (2005)
Catherine Potter - bansuri flute, Subir Dev - tabla, Lubo Alexandrov - guitars, Nicolas Caloia - double bass, Thom Gossage - drums
Shadaj, SA 002-2
53'

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

2. Raga Malkauns
Barun Kumar Pal - slide guitar, Ray Spiegel - tabla, Ted Morano - tanpura
Ragas on Slide Guitar
Simla House, SIMLA-006
50:18

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

3. Raga Puriya Dhanashri
Alif Laila - sitar, Anindo Chatterjee - tabla, John Bell - tanpura
Devotion
Alif Laila, 783707 271323
60'

29 May 2013

How could I pass up the 100th anniversary of the premiere of the Rite of Spring?

Set #1 - 8:00am - 10:00am

1. Raga Shree
Nikhil Banerjee - sitar, Swapan Chaudhuri - tabla
Raga Records, RAGA-225
78:37

2. Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
Rex Lawson - pianola
Carlton Classics, 30366 00992
33:48

Set #2 - 10:00am - 11:00am

3. Raga Shree
Nayan Ghosh - sitar, Mallar Ghosh - tabla
Raga Records, RAGA-224
59:20

22 May 2013

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:15am

1. Raga Purvi
45:08

2. Raga Joyiga
28:26

Tracks 1-2
Asad Ali Khan - rudra vina, Mohan Shyam Sharma - pakhavaj, Zaki Haiper - tambura
Nimbus Records, NI 5633

Set #2 - 9:15am - 10:00am

3. Raga Malkauns
Netai Bose - sitar, Samir Chatterjee - tabla
India Archive Music, IAM-CD 1047
43:36

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

4. Raga Puriya Kalyan
Bahauddin Dagar - rudra vina, Manik Munde - pakhavaj
India Archive Music, IAM-CD 1077
76:33

15 May 2013

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Raga Malya Maruttam
17:58

2. Pahadi Dhun
8:35

3. Raga Bhimpalasi
29:27

4. Remembering Kabir (Raga Khamaj)
9:51

Tracks 1-4
Ronu Majumdar - bansuri flute, Durga Prasad Majumdar - pakhavaj [double-headed barrel drum], Arvind Azad - tabla, Pratab Rath - surmandal [autoharp] & manjira [small cup cymbals], Vilas D. Pednekar - tanpura, Kalpesh Sachla - tanpura
Master of the Indian Bansuri:  Pandit Ronu Majumdar
ARC Music, EUCD 2056

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

5. Raga Darbari Kannada
Amit Chatterjee - sitar, Polash Gomes - tabla
Empathy
Rageshree Music Institute, CD RMI 101
41:52

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

6. Raga Pilu
Amit Chatterjee - sitar & voice, Polash Gomes - tabla
Stories: Indian Classical Music
Rageshree Music Institute, CD RMI 104
55:42

08 May 2013

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Rupak Tal
14:08

2. Ektal
10:42

3. Teental (Slow & Medium) & Laggi
44:35

Ilmas Hussain Khan - tabla, unknown - harmonium lehara [repeating melodic framework]
Ancestors: Art of the Lucknow Gharana: Tabla Solo By Ustad Ilmas Hussain Khan
Rageshree Music Institute, CD RMI 102

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

4. Tintal
33:42

5. Rupak
21:18

6. Ektal
7:27

Sharda Sahai - tabla, Ramesh Mishra - sarangi lehara
Pandit Sharda Sahai: The Spirit of Benares
Audiorec Classics, 766032 1044-2

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

7. Tabla Solo: Teental
Sharda Sahai - tabla, Ramesh Mishra - sarangi lehara, Padma Sahai-Deen - tanpura
Pandit Sharda Sahai: Live in Miami
Pandit Ram Sahai Foundation, n.n.
47:19

01 May 2013

I will be live-tweeting track titles and interesting musical moments @vonwichert.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Raga Patdip
30:13

2. Raga Hemant
25:38

3. Raga Pilu
12:10

Tracks 1-3
Allyn Miner - sitar, Samir Chatterji - tabla
Virama (Repose)
Neelam Audio & Video, NICI 145

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

4. Raga Mohan Kauns
Prodyot Sen - bass tanpura, Sunil Kumar Banerjee - treble tanpura
24:06

5. Raga Gara
Mrs. Jiban & Mrs. Widya - tanpuras
17:46

Tracks 4-5
Ravi Shankar - sitar, Alla Rakha - tabla
Homage to Mahatma Gandhi
Deutsche Grammophon, 474 959-2

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

6. Raga Hament
32:12

7. Raga Nat Bhairav
24:28

Tracks 6-7
Tarun Bhattacharya - santur, Shib Shankar Roy - tabla
Magical Santoor
Biswas Records, BIS 58

24 April 2013

I will be live-tweeting track titles and interesting musical moments @vonwichert. Under construction.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Raga Puriya Dhanashri (rec. Chennai 2005)
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt - mohan veena, Salil V. Bhatt - sathvik veena, Ramkumar Mishra - tabla
Bharat Sangeet Utsav 2005
Carnatica, CAR CD 1087
66:29

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

2. Conversations (rec. 1984)
L. Subramaniam - violin, Stéphane Grappelli - violin et al.
Milestone, MCD-9130-2
40'
(Individually they sound great, but together, they're an exemplar of how not to do a fusion album.)

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

3. Disco Bhangra: Wedding Bands from Rajasthan (rec. Jaipur, India 1989)
Disk Union, AVAN 031
33:16
(Prakash Band, Choutou Band, Village Band, Babu Band, Gulab Panjab Band, and Temple Boy.)
33'

4. Beyond Boundaries
Kiran Ahluwalia et al.
Kiran Music, KM-2003

17 April 2013

I will be live-tweeting track titles and interesting musical moments @vonwichert.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Raga Kafi Kanara
23:47

2. Raga Kafi
26:24

Tracks 1-2
Rajeev Taranth - sarod, Uttam Chakraborty - tabla, Chad Hammill - tanpura
Raga Kafi: Some Facets
Underscore Records, 06HC020ACD

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

3. Raga Piloo
14:45

4. Raga Ananda Bhairava
15:37

5. Bela Bartok: Violin Sonata No.1 (1921)
33:13

Tracks 3-5
Ravi Shankar - sitar, Yehudi Menuhin - violin, Hephzibah Menuhin - piano
West Meets East Vol.2
Beat Goes On Records, BGOCD571

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

6. Raga Nayak ki Kanra
Buddhadev DasGupta - sarod, Anand Gopal Bandopadhyay - tabla
Raga Records, RAGA-210
68:41

10 April 2013

I will be live-tweeting track titles and interesting musical moments @vonwichert.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Raga Miya ki Todi
30:06

2. Raga Puriya-Kalyan
29:25

Tracks 1-2
Budhaditya Mukherjee - sitar, Anindo Chatterjee - tabla
Inner Voice
Audiorec Classics, 7660332 1014-2

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

3. Laya Vinyas: The South Indian Drumming of Trichy Sankaran
Trichy Sankaran - konnakkol [voice], mrdangam [double-sided drum] & kanjira [tambourine], Karaikkuddi Subramaniam - vina, Lalitha Sankaran - tanpura, Andrew Timar - finger cymbals
Music of the World, MOW120
42'

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

4 Raga Yaman
31:57

5 Bhatiali (Boatsong of Bengal)
8:22

6 Raga Durga
15:00

7. Raga Mishra Khamaj
8:12

Tracks 4-7
Kalyani Roy - sitar, Manick Das - tabla, Namita Chatterjee - tanpura
The Virtuoso of the Sitar
Denon, 32CG-1004

03 April 2013


I will be live-tweeting track titles and interesting musical moments @vonwichert.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:15am

1. Raga Bihag
43:12

2. Raga Jhinjhoti
28:51

Tracks 1-2
Amjad Ali Khan - sarod, Sukhvinder Singh Namdhari - tabla
Atma
Audiorec Classics, 766032 1004-2

Set #2 - 9:15am - 10:30am

3. Raga Gujari Todi
Daya Shankar - shehnai, Ajeet Kumar Pathak - tabla
10:20

4. Raga Bairagi
Debashish Bhattacharya - guitar, Subhasis Bhattacharjee - tabla
10:47

5. Raga Durga
Allyn Miner - sitar, Shyam Kane - tabla
9:16

6. Raga Hansadhwani
Snehasis Mazumdar - mandolin, Subhen Chatterjee - tabla
10:45

7. Raga Tappa-Khamaj
Arawind Thatte - harmonium, Ramdas Palsule - tabla
10:25

8. Raga Bageshree
Tarun Bhattacharya - santur, Abhijit Banerjee - tabla
10:11

9. Bhajan in Raga Bhairavi
Kala Ramnath - violin, Vijay Ghate - tabla
10:48

Tracks 3-9
Rainbow: Seven Colors of Seven Instruments
Neelam Audio & Video Inc., NICI 103

Set #3 - 10:30am - 11:00am

10. Raga Misra Kafi
Rajeev Taranath - sarod, Udayraj Karpur - tabla
Reflections around Noon
Audiorec Classics, 766032 1054-2
19:01

27 March 2013

I will be live-tweeting track titles and interesting musical moments @vonwichert.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Raga Miyan ki Todi
Imrat Khan - surbahar
38:14

2. Raga Bilashkani Todi
Imrat Khan - sitar, Shafaatullah Khan - tabla, Vajahat Khan - tanpura
24:06

Tracks 1-2
Nimbus Records, NI 5153

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

3. Sounds of Shiva: Raga Kedar
7:00

4. Sounds of Brahma: Raga Bihag
8:54

5. Sounds of Krishna: Raga Gorakh Kalyan
8:35

6. Sounds of Indra: Raga Jansamohini
7:21

7. Radha: Raga Rageshri
5:58

8. Sounds of Saraswati: Raga Charukeshi
7:44

9. Shyam: Raga Piloo
7:37

10. Sounds of Brij: Raga Kafi
7:30

11. Trinity: Raga Bhairavi
12:48

Tracks 3-11
Rakesh Chaurasia - flute, Zarin Daruwala Sharma - sarod, Sunil Das - sitar, Ulhas Bapat - santur, Rupak Kulkarni - flute, Madhu Dhumal - shehnai, Bhavani Shankar - pakhawaj & tabla, Ashit Desai - arranger & conductor
Trinity: Music of the Gods
Sona Rupa, SRCD040

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

12. Raga Basant Mukhari
Alak Dasgupta - sitar, Shashanka Bakshi - tabla
Soul of Raga: Sitar
Biswas Records, BIS-186
57:15

20 March 2013

I will be live-tweeting track titles and interesting musical moments @vonwichert.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Raga Jogeshwari (rec. 1979)
Ravi Shankar - sitar, Alla Rakha - tabla, Mrs. Jiban & Mrs. Widya - tanpuras
The Spirit of India: Ravi Shankar Plays Ragas
Deutsche Grammophon, 447 532-2
50:07
(Composed by Ravi Shankar, a combination of two ragas.... And as this goes on my permanent record, I want to be careful in what I say: This is a combination of ragas Durga [of Khammaj thaat] and Malkauns and/or Jog and Rageshri. Discussion to follow. You are welcome to post the first comment regarding this raga.)

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

2. Ravi Shankar: Inside the Kremlin (rec. Moscow 1988)
Ravi Shankar's Indian Ensemble, Ashit Desai - conductor; Russian Folk Ensemble "Boyan", A. Polietaev - conductor; Chamber Orchestra of the Moscow Philharmonie, Valentin Jhuk - conductor; Government Chorus of Ministry of Culture of USSR, V. Poliansky - conductor
Ravi Shankar: Inside the Kremlin
Private Music, 2044-2-P
69'
(Indian and Russian musicians, the "meeting of musical people from vastly different cultures." Mixed results, but overall worthwhile.)

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

3. Raga Desh Malhar
28:57
(Rainy season raga. If music can be onomatopoeic, this is.)

4. Raga Mian ki Malhar*
26:26
(Rainy season raga.)

Tracks 3-4
Aashish Khan - sarod, *Zakir Hussain - tabla, *Karuna Eff & Daniela Birschel - tanpuras
Rainy Season Ragas
Chhanda Dhara, SNCD 70394

13 March 2013

I will be live-tweeting track titles and interesting musical moments @vonwichert.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 8:45am

1. Raga Malkauns
24:43
(Scale: C Eb F Ab Bb. Emphasized note: F. Totally omitted note: G! Play time: Late night.

"It has been said that Malkauns is a raga for becoming a complete human being. Though simple in structure, it expresses the extraordinary state of being, particularly being human, an incarnation where the heavenly and earthly qualities converge" (sitarist Amit Chatterjee).

Malkauns is kinda spooky. We should play it in dry ice smoke. The Raga Guide says "superstitious musicians describe it as a raga with supernatural powers, and some believe that it can attract evil spirits". Who said that personal growth was a walk in the park?)

Kohlberg's stages of moral development, anyone? Psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg suggested individuals pass through six (maybe seven) stages of moral development, from "blind egoism" through to "morality of cosmic orientation". Can music be your guide through these levels of being?)

2. Raga Bhairavi/Raga Sagar
19:24
(Scale: C Db Eb F G Ab Bb aka the Phrygian mode. Raga traditionally performed in light classical style with lots of flexibility as concluding piece in concerts. This concludes the first set.)

Tracks 1-2
Zarin Daruwala - sarod, Vibhav Nageshkar - tabla, Sujan Salkar & Ram Pratham - tanpuras
Ornate Strings: Sarod
Gramophone Company of India, CD-PSLP 5370

Set #2 - 8:45am - 10:00am

3. Raga Jaijaivanti (rec. 1999)
Asad Ali Khan - rudra vina, Mohan Shyam Sharma - pakhavaj [double-sided drum], Zaki Haider - tanpura
Nimbus Records, NI 5601
76:50
(Now for something very serious, an old version of Jaijaivanti. Scale: major scale, with Bb in descending passages. Emphasized notes: D and G. Play time: Late night. The rudra vina is striking in its low register, resonating with the gonads to an extraordinary degree. You'll want to listen to this over loudspeakers, not earphones. This performance is the North Indian equivalent of a late Beethoven string quartet.)

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

4. Raga Piloo
Nikhil Banerjee - sitar, Anindo Chatterjee - tabla, Ratan Mukherjee - tanpura
Audiorec Classics, 766032 1048-2
54:45
(A light classical raga. Scale: "It is a difficult raga to describe in technical terms, because it defies reduction to a scale or a handful of 'rules': Piloo resembles more a collection of common phrases or motifs....")

27 February 2013

Raga Season continues. I will be live-tweeting track titles and interesting musical moments @vonwichert.

Set #1 - 8:30am - 10:00am

1. Raga Marwa (rec. 1997)
Vilayat Khan - sitar, Anindo Chatterjee - tabla
Navras Records, NRCD 0101
65:07
(Scale: C Db E F# A B. Emphasized notes: Db and A. Weak note: C. Entirely missing note: G. Many commentators talk about the disorientation inherent in this tonal regime. Wikipedia says: "For western listeners the tone material may feel strange. As the sixth is emphasised while the tonica is omitted it may feel like playing in A Major, while the base tone is C (not C sharp). If the musician turns back to Sa [C] at the end of a phrase it always comes like a surprise note." Playtime: Sunset, "the transition from light to dark, when the mind and body are in a state of unrest." It's always twilight somewhere in the world.)

Set #2 - 10:00am - 11:00am

2. Vallabha Nayaka et al.
55:42
(In four "movements", alternating between 7- and 8-beat time cycles. Each of the percussion instruments plays several solos before joining together for the finale.)

3. Visvesvara
15:10
(In 7, but maybe 6.)

Tracks 2-3
Karaikudi R. Mani's Sruthi Laya Carnatic Talavadya Ensemble: Karaikudi R. Mani - mrdangam [double-sided drum], C. N. Chandrashekar - violin, G. R. Harishankar - kanjira [tambourine], T. V. Vasan - ghatam [clay water jug], Srirangam S. Kannan - mursing [jaw harp]
Layapriya
Audiorec Classics, 766032 1028-2
(No tabla here; this is South Indian.)

20 February 2013

I will be live-tweeting track titles and interesting musical moments @vonwichert.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Raga Charukeshi
Rash Behari Datta - sitar, Mustafa Raza - vina, Sarvar Sabri - tabla
Raga Charu-Keshi for Sitar & Veena
ARC Music, EUCD 2197
64:09
(Jugalbandi, or duet, one idea realized through two pairs of hands. The scale is the Mixolydian mode with a flat 6th. C D E F G Ab Bb. "The raga displays a mood of love and separation.")

Set #2 - 9:00am - 9:45am

2. Raga Kalavati
20:45
(The scale is: C E G A Bb. Like the boogie-woogie bass line. Important notes are G and C. Playtime: Midnight.)

3. Raga Mishra Shivranjani
10:08
(Dorian pentatonic. C D Eb G A.)

Tracks 2-3 (rec. 2005)
Deepak Ram - bansuri flute, Anindo Chatterjee - tabla, Michel Lewis - tanpura
One Breath: North Indian Classical Music
Golden Horn Records, GHP 030-2

Set #3 - 9:45am - 11:00am

4. Raga Bihag
30:21
(Ascending: C E F G B. Descending: C B A G F# E F-natural E D C. Major/Lydian mixed. Important notes are E and B. Playtime: Late night.)

5. Raga Kalavati
29:15

6. Raga Chandrakauns
10:05
(C Eb F Ab B. Important notes are F and C. Playtime: Late night.)

Tracks 4-6
G. S. Sachdev - bansuri flute, Zakir Hussain - tabla
Spirit
Audiorec Classics, 766032 1029-2

06 February 2013

I will be live-tweeting track titles @vonwichert.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:30am

1. Steve Reich: Violin Phase (1967)
Shem Guibbory - violin
15:09

2. Steve Reich: Music for a Large Ensemble (1978)
Steve Reich & Musicians
15:28

3. Steve Reich: Octet (1979)
Steve Reich & Musicians
17:29

Tracks 1-3
ECM Records, ECM 1168

4. Steve Reich: Pendulum Music (I) (1968, rec. 1998)
4:38

5. Steve Reich: Pendulum Music (II) (1968, rec. 1998)
5:01

6. Steve Reich: Pendulum Music (III) (1968, rec. 1998)
4:38

Tracks 4-6
Ensemble Avantgarde: Steffen Schleiermacher & Martin Demmler - electronics
Wergo, WER 6630-2

7. Steve Reich: Clapping Music (1972)
Pierre-Laurent Aimard - clapping
3:27

8. Steve Reich: Music for Pieces of Wood (1973)
Pierre-Laurent Aimard - piano
7:58

Tracks 7-8
African Rhythms
Teldec, 8573 86584-2

Set #2 - 9:30am - 11:00am

9. Steve Reich: Drumming (1970-71)
Steve Reich & Musicians
Deutsche Grammophon, 474 323-2
85'

23 January 2013

I will be live-tweeting track titles @vonwichert. A special guest, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra's Composer-in-Residence Vincent Ho, visits in hour three.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Live in London 1990 (rec. London 11 June 1990)
Sun Ra & His Year 2000 Myth Science Arkestra
Blast First, BFFP60CD
64'

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

2. Somewhere Else (rec. NYC 1988-89)
Sun Ra Arkestra
Rounder Records, CD 3036
62'

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

3. Sun Ra: Nuclear War (rec. NYC Sep. 1982)
Sun Ra & His Outer Space Arkestra
Unheard Music Series, ALP222CD
7:48

4. Steve Reich: First movement: Fast from The Desert Music (1983)
Text by William Carlos Williams (1954-62)
Steve Reich & Musicians, Michael Tilson Thomas - conductor, Chorus & Members of Brooklyn Philharmonic
Nonesuch, 7559-79101-2
7:54

5. Vincent Ho: 3rd movement: Fire Dance from The Shaman: Concerto for Percussion & Orchestra (2011)
Alexander Mickelthwaite - conductor, Evelyn Glennie - percussion, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
http://vinceho.com/work/the-shaman-concerto-for-percussion-and-orchestra/

16 January 2013

I will be live-tweeting track titles and interesting musical moments @vonwichert starting at 8am Central Time.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 8:45am

1. Discipline 27-II (rec. 1972)
Sun Ra Arkestra
El Saturn Research, ES 538
47'

Set #2 - 8:45am - 10:15am

2. The Great Lost Sun Ra Albums: Cymbals & Crystal Spears (rec. NYC 1973)
Sun Ra Arkestra
Evidence Music, ECD 22217-2
84'

Set #3 - 10:15am - 11:00am

3. Auroral Chorus II: Music of the Magnetosphere (rec. 1996-98)
Rec. by Stephen P. McGreevy
S. P. McGreevy Productions, n.n.
http://archive.org/details/auroral_chorus_2_cd
52'
(Stephen P. McGreevy's site about natural VLF radio phenomena is worth a visit: http://www.auroralchorus.com.)

09 January 2013

Set #1 - 8:00am - 8:45am

1. Space Is the Place (rec. Chicago 19-20 Oct. 1972)
Sun Ra & His Astro Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra
Impulse!, IMPD-249
43'

Set #2 - 8:45am - 9:45am

2. Outer Space Employment Agency (rec. Ann Arbor, MI 9 Sep. 1973)
Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Arkestra
Total Energy Records, NER3021
52'

Set #1 - 9:45am - 11:00am

3. Strange Celestial Road (rec. NYC 1979? 1980?)
Sun Ra Arkestra
Rounder Records, CD 3035
35'

And now for something completely different...

4. Bach in Havana (rec. Miami & NYC Dec. 2008)
Tiempo Libre
Sony Classical, 88697-44701-2
30'