''Traveller'' is a studio album by
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
sitarist
The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...
Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka Shankar (born 9 June 1981) is a British-American sitar player, producer, film composer and activist. She was the youngest and first woman to receive a British House of Commons Shield; she has had 7 Grammy Awards nominations and was the ...
, released in October 2011 through
Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...
. The album was produced by
Javier Limón
Javier Limón (born 1973) is a record producer, singer and songwriter born and raised in Madrid, Spain. Limón has worked with several artists, mainly from Spain, since he incorporates elements of flamenco rhythm to his work. Besides his work as ...
.
''Traveller'' received a nomination in the
Best World Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album is an honor presented to recording artists for influential music from around the globe at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors i ...
category at the
2013 Grammy Awards
The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. E ...
. However, the award went to Anoushka's late father
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North Ind ...
(for his album ''
The Living Room Sessions Part 1
''The Living Room Sessions Part 1'' is an album by Ravi Shankar released in 2012 through the record label East Meets West. The album earned Shankar the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album.
Accompanying musicians are tabla player Tanmoy Bose, ...
''), and was accepted by Anoushka on his behalf.
Background
Shankar first came across
flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
when she travelled to Spain as a teenager. During that trip, she visited a small flamenco bar and was electrified by different stage performances.
Her album ''Traveller'' was built around the idea that Spanish flamenco may have its origins in India.
"In Indian music, we call it 'spirituality,' and in Spanish music, it's 'passion'. It's really the same thing in both forms, that reaching at the deepest part of the human soul," said Shankar.
To record the album, Shankar travelled to Spain and enlisted the help of flamenco producer and guitarist
Javier Limón
Javier Limón (born 1973) is a record producer, singer and songwriter born and raised in Madrid, Spain. Limón has worked with several artists, mainly from Spain, since he incorporates elements of flamenco rhythm to his work. Besides his work as ...
. During the early studio sessions, they would sit across from each other with their instruments, exploring the musical conversation between them.
Critical reception
''Traveller'' has received generally favourable reviews. In a positive review for ''South Asian Diaspora'', Ashutosh Ravikrishnan cited "the dark masterpiece" as Shankar's best work, saying, "''Traveller'' is hard to ignore; its music captivates you and forces you to feel and think."
Track listing
Chart performance
''Traveller'' has sold 52,000 copies worldwide.
Weekly charts
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2011 albums
Anoushka Shankar albums
Deutsche Grammophon albums
Flamenco albums