... LP, Vinyl record album

Nice stuff by Ravi Shankar – although we should hate the album for its patronizing liner notes, which refer to Shankar's work as "psychedelicacies", and which wonder aloud why people need to use hallucinogenic drugs if they've got Ravi! Titles include "Sitar Todi", "Raga Des", "Tabla Solo – Jhaptal", and "Thumri". LP, Vinyl record album

An early 60s live set from Ravi Shankar – recorded at UCLA, but with a clarity of sound that rivals his studio albums from the time! The album features 2 long tracks – the extended raga "Madhuvanti", and the vocal number "Dhun In Mishra Mand" – both with Kanai Dutta on tabla and Nodu Mullick on tamboura. Each number builds slow, with lots of solo sitar from Ravi – then grows into a bolder sort of sound! LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy batch of ragas from the soundtrack to this film about Ravi Shankar. We've never heard of the film, but given that the whole thing's very lovingly packaged by Apple – with a good booklet and everything – you almost don't need to see the movie. George Harrison headed up the whole project, and the record features a lot of shorter tracks and excerpts from longer performances – like "Frenzy & Distortion", "Bombay Studio", "United Nations", "Baba Teaching", and "Dawn To Dusk". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic 60s work by Shankar – working here with Alla Rhaka on tabla and Shyam But Nagar on tamboura. The album features 3 long tracks – "Raga Marawa", which takes up all of side two, plus "Raga Bairaga" and "Nata Bhariravi". LP, Vinyl record album

Three lengthy pieces from Shankar, accompanied by Alla Rakha on tabla: "Tabla Solo In Shikhar", "Dhun (Based On the Morning Raga In Sindhi-Bhairavi)" and "Raga Bhupal Todi". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy-duty 2LP set that documents Ravi's music festival in India – one that features work by him and other Indian musicians like Sabri Khan, Laskshmi Shankar, Sharad Kumar, and Jitendra Abhisheki. Titles include "Raga Kirwani", "Raga Mishra Gara, Teental", "Doh Bahar", "Dhun, Tala Karava", and "Thurmi In Manji Khumaj". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The title tells it all – as Ravi delivers three long ragas, with backing on tabla and tamboura. A nice one to plug in and drop out to – with the 28 minute-long "Raga Jog", plus "Raga Simhendra Madhyaman" and "Raga Ahir Bhairav". LP, Vinyl record album

A unique set by the great Ravi Shankar – one of his trippiest albums ever, and originally recorded as a soundtrack for the film Viola! There's plenty of elements that resonate with some of Shankar's other studio work of the 60s – but there's also a much darker feel overall – really heady sounds that are often abstracted or echoed a bit with the production, given a wild sort of light show feel that you'd never hear on any of Ravi's other records! There's some very raw tabla and tambura in the mix, and other odd instruments from Les Structures Sonores – who seem to bring in a bit of electro-acoustic energy to the record at points. Titles include "Madness", "Fantasy", "Anxiety", "Torment", "Submission", "Death", "Transmigration", "Retribution", and "Reflection". LP, Vinyl record album

Early work from sitar legend Ravi Shankar, with work from Alla Rakha on tablas – on the long tracks "Raga Jogiya","Dhun", "Raga Madhu Kauns", and "Rupak Tal". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Ravi's biggest-selling American albums – recorded in England, and issued here by World Pacific, who were just making the shift from a jazz label to a global one. The album features "Raga Charu Keshi", "Raga Puriya Dhanashri", "Dhun", and "Kafi Holi". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album from Gerald Wilson – one that features some of his most inventive writing and arranging to date! The album's a perfect balance between the two sides of LA jazz in the 60s – the soul jazz groove, and the growing modern scene – which often didn't get the larger exposure it needed, but would sometimes peek forth under the guidance of mainstream figures like Wilson. The set features very strong solo work by hip LA players like Jimmy Woods on alto, Jack Wilson on piano, Harold Land on tenor, and Joe Pass on guitar – and the tracks are all tributes to some of Wilson's biggest influences – so "Eric" is dedicated to Eric Dolphy, "Ravi" to Ravi Shankar, "Paco" to the great Spanish matador, and so on. The whole thing's quite hip, and another example of how Wilson could perfectly balance the modernist impulses of the LA underground with a tight sense of arrangement and presentation that helped him reach a very wide audience at the time. LP, Vinyl record album

A really beautiful collection of rare work pulled from a variety of different 78rpm singles – Indian classical music from the generation before Ravi Shankar and a few other artists gave it global exposure – with an especially strong focus on the use of the violin next to sitars and tablas! The violin is amazing – very stretched out and snakey – used maybe with some techniques of European heritage, but with a sonic result that's very very different – and a perfect fit for the rhythms and other instrumentation in the tracks! The collection is very well-done – similar to such projects on labels like Dust-To-Digital or Honest Jons – and titles include "Raga Thodi" by Gajanan Madhav Karnad, "Nagumomu Ganale (parts 1 & 2)" by Muthi & Masni, "Ragamalika Ragam Thanam (parts 1 & 2)" by Dwaram Venkatswamny Naidu, "Ikanaiana Raga Manirang" by Mysor Chowdiah, and the tracks "Raga Adana", "Thumri", "Raga Bageshree", "Raga Ahir Bhairi", and "Raga Sur Malha" by Paritosh Seal – clearly the star of the set! Also features a bonus 7" single – with two earlier, pre-classical tracks – "Thodi" and "Ragam Alapana" by Cunniah Naidu. LP, Vinyl record album