Ravi Shankar RIP

Very sad ... he was a giant.

I'm kind of surprised there aren't any more comments here ... one of the greatest musicians to have ever lived, and hugely influential.

I love this photo!

Fred, I share your surprise (I feel that lately these forums has orientated itself more towards equipments).

A few comments from other media:

Usually the cross references is not allowed but I hope that in this occasion they are accepted.

As a youngster I think I was one of the only one amongst my friends who enjoyed the sitar music Ravi and Co played in the Concert For Bangladesh album. Some of my favourite Beatles tracks are those by George Harrison influenced by him. 

He seemed a genuinely gentle man. May he rest in peace.

Steve

I have only seen this just now and didn't know. Very sad news indeed. I can't confess to knowing anything about sitar music, but his influence is undoubted on lots of music I play regularly. And he did indeed seem a genuine good guy.  

"The father dies. The son dies. The grandson dies."

92 - a good life.

I don't know his extensive recording legacy particularly well, but I would like to add two recommendations for any of you who have are interested in at least dipping your toes into the deep waters of his huge catalog.    The first is titled Ravi Shankar: The Master, and it is a three CD collection of all of his recordings on DG when he was on their fine label.   The music was recorded in the late 70's and includes two discs of Indian classical music , one an inspired meditation on the legacy of Mohatma Ganhhi, and the third was a rich and fertile meeting ground between his native Indian music and Japanese music that I found very affecting.    These recordings are superbly well engineered, which is not always the case with some of the Indian music I have heard.    

The other title is not really a Ravi Shankar recording in the strictest sense of the word, but it is perhaps the crown jewel in all of the recordings I have heard of traditional Indian devotional chanting.    This recording is titled "Chants of India and is credited to Ravi Shankar, with the producing credit being given to George Harrison.    This record is clearly a labor of love for both men, and if you have any interest in Indian spirituality, and have heard any of the countless recordings of Indians or westerners chanting Sanskrit mantras, which can also be very affecting, this is the gold standard that all such recordings need to aspire to.    Sublime music in service of the traditional Brahmanic chanting, which is not often the case.    It is also beautifully recorded.

Good listening,

Bruce

Some people may unwittingly own some of Ravi Shankar's music.  If you have the "Concert For George" CD, and are like me, disc two is the one you listen to with the rock music portion of the concert.  Disc one has Indian music featuring Ravi's beautiful daughter and includes the Arpan, written by Ravi.  Definitely worth a listen.

There's a wonderful double CD of a concert Ravi (sitar) and Ali Akbar Khan (sarod) did together. Their duetting (jugalbandi) was utterly electrifying.

It was interesting, and slightly saddening. to hear Ravi being rather bitter towards the way the west trivialised the sitar and Indian classical music as a whole towards the end of his life. Yes the pop use of the sitar was trivial compared to the artistry and dedication shown by classically trained Indian musicians, but it opened many ears to a sound world that would probably have remained far more obscure than it is today in the West. 

For example, over the years I've used Wonderwall as a gateway to investigating some of the more obscure byways of Indian Classical.

But that aside, Ravi did a wonderful job as an ambassador for his art and the incredible heritage of Indian music.

Thanks Gary, 

I'll search this out, as there are so many recordings by Ravi Shankar that it is hard to know where to start.   Hearing the recommendations of the sort of passionate music fans who seek out high end audio stores is one of the real perks of working in high end audio, I am sure most dealers feel the same.

Good Listening,

Bruce