Search - Various Artists :: Rough Guide to the Music of India

A good compilation

Anonymous | 07/07/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There's too much Indian music to represent on one album, but the rough guide does a good job. There are some suprises here, even for those familiar to Indian music - brass band, saxophone and guitar reworked into classical music, a "raga on drums," and a modern-sounding Baul folk song. An excellent and compelling duet on sarangi and sitar is the album's centerpiece. Recommended, but not if you don't already love traditional Indian music.



Ravi Shankarr, Ali Akbar Khan, Bismillah Khan, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ram Narayan, Alla Rakha, Ustad Vilayat Khan and other masters are all absent. But it seems to focus on younger artists, and those keeping the tradition alive. It even gives a reasonable introduction to Indian Bolywood film music style to someone like me who is new to it. So I recommend it, but it's limited, because Indian music is so vast, and varied."

Its a Survey.. so listen/google/learn

J. Klun | 05/09/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I probably would share the less than favorable opinion of some of the other reviewers if one day I had not listened to the CD while googling the artists and then the various forms. This album's intent is primarily to teach - not entertain - although learning is ideally a form of entertainment. I learned a lot and in learning came to appreciate the album more and more. Taking the time to find out about Asha Bhosle (She and her husband are Bollywood legends), Zakir Hussain and the fractal beauty of tabla, and all the rest of these artists is what this album is about. Do it... then dive into the pool of Indian music at the point that appeals."