Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India was an

Indian classical music Indian classical music is the art music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It is generally described using terms like ''Shastriya Sangeet'' and ''Marg Sangeet''. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as ...

revue led by

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...

ist and composer

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitar, sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known expert of Hin ...

intended for Western concert audiences and performed in 1974. Its presentation was the first project undertaken by the Material World Charitable Foundation, set up the previous year by ex-

Beatle The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the most influential band in Western popular ...

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

. Long a champion of Indian music, Harrison also produced an eponymous studio album by the Music Festival orchestra, which was released in 1976 on his

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person, team or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, that is unlikely to succeed but has a fighting chance, unlike the underdog who is exp ...

record label. Both the CD format of the ''Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India'' album and a DVD of their performance at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

in London were issued for the first time on the 2010 Shankar–Harrison box set '' Collaborations''. The sixteen members of Shankar's Music Festival from India included

Hariprasad Chaurasia Hariprasad Chaurasia (born 1 July 1938) is an Indian music director and classical flautist, who plays the bansuri, in the Hindustani classical tradition. Early life Chaurasia was born in Allahabad (1938) (present day Prayagraj) in the Indian ...

Shivkumar Sharma Shivkumar Sharma (13 January 1938 – 10 May 2022) was an Indian classical musician and santoor player who is credited with adapting the santoor for Indian classical music. As a music composer, he collaborated with Indian flautist Hariprasad ...

Alla Rakha Alla Rakha Qureshi (29 April 1919 – 3 February 2000) was an Indian tabla player who specialised in Hindustani classical music. Widely revered as one of history's most iconic players of the tabla, he was a frequent accompanist of sitar player ...

, T.V. Gopalkrishnan, L. Subramaniam, Sultan Khan and

Lakshmi Shankar Lakshmi Shankar (née Sastri, 16 June 1926 – 30 December 2013) was an Indian singer and a noted Hindustani classical music, Hindustani classical. Born into a south Indian Hindu family, she became an outstanding Hindustani music, Hindustani voc ...

. Several of the musicians began successful international careers as a result of their participation, and all are recognised as being among the late twentieth century's finest exponents of Indian classical music. The ensemble played in Europe in September and October 1974 before touring North America with Harrison and his band during the final two months of the year.

Background and concept

Although he had composed and performed orchestral works in India, as

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

's music director between 1949 and 1956,

's only similar project for Western audiences had been when he toured America with his Festival from India orchestra in 1968. The tour featured musicians such as

Jitendra Abhisheki Ganesh Balawant Nawathe (21 September 1929 – 7 November 1998), better known as Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki, was an Indian vocalist, composer and scholar of Indian classical, semi-classical, and devotional music. While he distinguished hims ...

and Palghat Raghu, with Shankar's regular

jugalbandi A jugalbandhi or jugalbandi is a performance in Indian classical music, especially in Hindustani classical music but also in Carnatic, that features a duet of two solo musicians. The word jugalbandi means, literally, "entwined twins." The duet c ...

partner,

sarod The sarod is a stringed instrument, used in Hindustani music on the Indian subcontinent. Along with the sitar, it is among the most popular and prominent instruments. It is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound, in contrast with the sweet ...

Ali Akbar Khan Ali Akbar Khan (14 April 192218 June 2009) was an Indian Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana, known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod. Trained as a classical musician and instrumentalist by his father, Allauddin Khan, ...

, joining the ensemble for their concerts in California.Stephen M.H. Braitman, "Pop Sounds from India Rock Greek: Ravi Shankar, Greek Theatre, Los Angeles", '' Van Nuys News'', 30 June 1968; available a
Rock's Backpages
(subscription required). The plan for the larger Music Festival from India took shape in January 1974, when his friend

visited Shankar in his home town of

Benares Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges, Ganges river in North India, northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hinduism, Hindu world.* * * * The city ...

. Harrison attended a religious ceremony in honour of Shankar's new home, Hemangana, beside the

River Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary riv ...

at Benares, after which he suggested that Shankar assemble an orchestra for concert tours of Europe and the United States. According to Harrison, the Music Festival was something that he himself had been wanting to stage "since about '67".''Collaborations'', p. 15. He was particularly inspired after hearing Shankar's orchestral piece ''Nava Rasa Ranga'' while in Bombay, where Harrison had recorded part of his 1968 solo album ''

Wonderwall Music ''Wonderwall Music'' is the debut solo album by the English musician George Harrison and the soundtrack to the 1968 film ''Wonderwall (film), Wonderwall'', directed by Joe Massot. Released in November 1968, it was the first solo album by a membe ...

''.Olivia Harrison, p. 302. Unlike the Harrison-produced ''

Shankar Family & Friends ''Shankar Family & Friends'' (stylised as ''Shankar Family Friends'' on the album cover) is an album by Indian musician Ravi Shankar, recorded primarily in Los Angeles during the spring of 1973, and released in late 1974. It was produced by Shan ...

'', a cross-cultural project recorded in 1973, the focus behind the new collaboration was to celebrate the traditional aspects of

, both in concerts performed by the sixteen-piece Music Festival orchestra and in the studio.Lavezzoli, p. 195. Shankar would act as composer and conductor, rather than musician, and only play sitar on his famed

ragas A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, from the perspec ...

during the live performances. The presentation of the Music Festival was the first project undertaken by Harrison under the auspices of his Material World Charitable Foundation, one of the aims of which was to "sponsor diverse forms of artistic expression and to encourage the exploration of alternative life views and philosophies".

Musicians

Shankar gathered an impressive array of contributors for the project, whom he would describe decades later as "these wonderful musicians who are now superstars". Many of the players he had a musical history with already. Almost all of them are among the finest exponents of Indian classical music – flautist

tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

legend

, the multi-talented T.V. Gopalkrishnan on

mridangam The ''mridangam'' is an ancient percussion instrument originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble. In Dhrupad, a modified version, the pakhawaj, is the primary percussion in ...

and vocals, South Indian violin virtuoso L. Subramaniam,

sarangi The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked three-stringed instrument played in traditional music from South Asia – Punjabi folk music, Rajasthani folk music, Sindhi folk music, Haryanvi folk music, Braj folk music, and Boro folk music (the ...

master Sultan Khan,

santoor The Indian santoor instrument is a trapezoid-shaped hammered dulcimer, and a variation of the Iranian santur. The instrument is generally made of walnut wood and has 25 bridges. Each bridge has 4 strings, making for a total of 100 strings. It ...

pioneer

, and

Gopal Krishan Pandit Gopal Krishan Sharma (1926–2004) was an exponent of Vichitra Veena, an ancient Indian musical instrument. Early life and Musical Training Gopal Krishan was given initial music lessons by his father, Pandit Nand Kishore, who was himse ...

, credited with the emergence of the

vichitra veena The ''vichitra veena'' () is a stick zither, a plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music. Similar to the Carnatic '' gottuvadhyam'' (chitra vina) it has no frets and is played with a slide. The structure The Vichitra Veena is the mode ...

in that musical genre. A sitarist and percussion player,

Harihar Rao Harihar Rao (January 21, 1927 – January 13, 2013) was an Indian-born American musician, noted for playing tabla and sitar. He was born into a prominent musical family in Mangalore, India. He moved to the United States in 1964, residing in Pasa ...

had been a student of Shankar's during the 1950s before winning a

Fulbright scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

and taking a position in the

ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the multidisciplinary study of music in its cultural context. The discipline investigates social, cognitive, biological, comparative, and other dimensions. Ethnomusicologists study music as a reflection of culture and investiga ...

department of the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

(UCLA).Lavezzoli, pp. 294–95. The featured singer was once more

, Shankar's sister-in-law and a noted Hindustani vocalist. Like Sharma, Rakha and Lakshmi had been among the members of Shankar's 1968 revue. For the first time in one of his projects, Shankar invited his niece

Viji Viji was an Indian actress, who appeared in Tamil films. She made her debut in '' Kozhi Koovuthu'' and acted in over 40 films. Biography Viji made her debut in Gangai Amaren's '' Kozhi Koovuthu''. During shooting for a song sequence in th ...

(Lakshmi's daughter), who joined her aunt, Kamala Chakravarty, as second vocalists to Lakshmi.

Rehearsals and recording

Shankar and Harrison met again during the summer of 1974, in England, where Harrison arranged a house in London's

Belgravia Belgravia () is a district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' during the Tudor Period, and became a dangerous pla ...

area for Shankar and the latter's partner, Chakravarty, while the other musicians were accommodated at the Imperial Hotel in

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Thames, in the South Oxfordshire district, in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, west of M ...

, west of London. Harrison had the orchestra personnel picked up from the hotel each day in a Mercedes stretch limousine previously owned by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

and

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

.Shankar, p. 224. He later recalled the amusing sight of Rakha and the other traditionally dressed Indian musicians as they exited the vehicle on arrival at his Henley home,

Friar Park Friar Park is a Victorian neo-Gothic mansion in Henley-on-Thames, England, construction began in 1889 and was completed in 1895. It was built for lawyer Sir Frank Crisp, and purchased in January 1970 by English rock musician and former Beatl ...

. Shankar composed new material specifically for the Music Festival and recorded it using Harrison's 16-track home studio facility, FPSHOT. Describing himself as "an improviser by nature", every day for three weeks Shankar would leave London and head west on the M4, during which he would write the music to be run through with the musicians that day in Friar Park's grand drawing room. Harrison remarked of the process: "It was amazing, because he'd sit there and say to one person, 'This is where you play,' and the next one, 'And you do this,' and 'You do that,' and they're all going, What? 'OK, one, two, three ...' And you'd think, 'This is going to be a catastrophe' – and it would be the most amazing thing." The principal sound engineer on the sessions, and Harrison's regular engineer at FPSHOT during this period, was Shankar's nephew Kumar, with

Phil McDonald Philip McDonald is an English recording studio audio engineer, best known as the engineer for EMI and later for Apple Records during the Beatles' studio years, along with Geoff Emerick and others. McDonald joined Apple as a senior balance engin ...

assisting on "Raga Jait" and "Naderdani".Sleeve credits, ''Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India'' LP (

Dark Horse Records Dark Horse Records is a record label founded by former Beatle George Harrison in 1974. The label's formation coincided with the winding down of the Beatles' Apple Records and allowed Harrison to continue supporting other artists' projects whi ...

, 1976; produced by George Harrison). Kumar Shankar joined the cast for publicity photos taken by

Clive Arrowsmith Clive Arrowsmith is a London-based photographer. Works He has worked for many fashion publications and is one of only a few photographers, including Brian Duffy who have twice been given the commission to shoot the Pirelli Calendar. He curren ...

in the house and grounds. The orchestra rehearsed for their upcoming live performances at Friar Park also.Madinger & Easter, p. 442. Midway through the proceedings, on 6 September, Harrison held a press conference in London and announced plans for the Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India tour of Europe, lasting through into October. A co-headlining North American tour would follow, for which Harrison, as the main attraction, was growing increasingly unprepared, such was his dedication to this project, and after having already lavished months of his time on ''

The Place I Love ''The Place I Love'' is the debut album by English vocal duo Splinter, released on Dark Horse Records in September 1974. It was the first album released by the Dark Horse label, which was owned by George Harrison, who also produced the album. R ...

'' by

Splinter A splinter (also known as a sliver) is a fragment of a larger object, or a foreign body that penetrates or is purposely injected into a body. The foreign body must be lodged inside tissue to be considered a splinter. Splinters may cause initia ...

, another Dark Horse act.

Performance history

The programme for the concert performances was divided into two distinct parts. Shankar explained at the time:

The first part is in the form of a panorama, depicting major stages in the evolution of classical and traditional Indian music, starting with the
Vedic hymns The oral tradition of the Vedas () consists of several pathas, "recitations" or ways of chanting the Vedic mantras. Such traditions of Vedic chant are often considered the oldest unbroken oral tradition in existence, the fixation of the Vedic text ...
and the music of the medieval period, and ending with the present day, touching briefly on all the intermediate forms such as
alap The Alap (; ) is the opening section of a typical North Indian classical performance. It is a form of melodic improvisation that introduces and develops a raga. In dhrupad singing the alap is unmetered, improvised (within the raga) and unaccomp ...
,
dhrupad Dhrupad is a genre in Hindustani classical music from the Indian subcontinent. It is the oldest known style of major vocal styles associated with Hindustani classical music (for example in the Haveli Sangeet of Pushtimarg Sampradaya), and is als ...
, dhamar,
khyal Khyal or Khayal (ख़याल / خیال) is a major form of Hindustani classical music in the Indian subcontinent. Its name comes from a Persian language, Persian/Arabic language, Arabic word meaning "imagination". Khyal is associated with rom ...
,
tappa Tappa is a form of Indian semi-classical vocal music. Its specialty is a rolling pace based on fast, subtle and knotty construction. Its tunes are melodious and sweet, and depict the emotional outbursts of a lover. Tappe (plural) were sung mostly ...
,
tarana ''Tarana'' is a type of composition in Hindustani classical music, Hindustani classical vocal music in which certain words (e.g. "odani", "todani", "tadeem" and "yalali") based on Persian language, Persian and Arabic language, Arabic phonemes are ...
and
chaturanga Chaturanga (, , ) is an Traditional games of India, ancient Indian Strategy game, strategy board game. It is first known from India around the seventh century AD. While there is some uncertainty, the prevailing view among chess historians is t ...
... The second part begins with the semi-classical forms such as the devotional
bhajan Bhajan is an Indian term for any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Dharmic religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root w ...
and the romantic and erotic
thumri Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dram ...
,
ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...
,
dadra Dadra is associated with the Hindustani classical music of the Indian subcontinent. Dadra tala This is a Hindustani classical '' tala'' (rhythmic cycle), consisting of six beats in two equal divisions of three. The most commonly accepted theka ...
, etc. and ends with the very lively and earthy folk style.''Collaborations'', p. 25.

True to the festival's title, the folk traditions of all the various regions of India were represented, in what was the first appearance by an Indian orchestra in Europe.Leng, p. 148. Similarly all-encompassing and educational were Naseem Khan's

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

for the ''Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India'' studio album, serving as an introductory guide to the wide variety of

Indian musical instruments Musical instruments of the Indian subcontinent can be broadly classified according to the Hornbostel–Sachs system into four categories: chordophones (string instruments), aerophones (wind instruments), membranophones (drums) and idiophones (no ...

on display. The album would be issued long after the European tour, however, due to the release of ''Shankar Family & Friends'' in September 1974. The

performance on 23 September was the Music Festival's opening night,Terry Staunton
"Ravi Shankar & George Harrison – Collaborations"
''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine focussing on rare and collectable records, and the bands who recorded them. It was founded in September 1979 and distributes worldwide. It is promoted as "the world’s leading authority o ...

'', December 2010, p. 82 (retrieved 16 August 2014). after which the tour moved on to Paris, Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich and Copenhagen. Harrison took to the stage in London and admitted to "feeling very nervous ... we're behind schedule", before introducing Shankar to the audience. The Royal Albert Hall concert was filmed by

Stuart Cooper Stuart W. Cooper (born 1942) is an American filmmaker, actor and writer. Career Cooper was a resident of the United Kingdom in the 1960s and 1970s where his most notable film appearance was as one of ''The Dirty Dozen'', Roscoe Lever, in 1967. ...

,Pieper, p. 171. who had recently directed Harrison's

Apple Films Apple Corps Limited is a British multimedia company that was established in London by the members of the Beatles in the 1960s to form a conglomerate. The company's name, pronounced "apple core", is a pun. Its chief division is Apple Records, ...

production ''

Little Malcolm ''Little Malcolm'' is a 1974 British comedy drama film directed by Stuart Cooper and starring John Hurt. It is based on David Halliwell's stage play '' Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs''.Clayson, p. 370. The play's full name ...

''. The brief European tour ended in October. The orchestra was then pared down to a sixteen-piece – omitting

shehnai The ''shehnai'' is a type of oboe from the Indian subcontinent. It is made of wood, with a double reed at one end and a metal or wooden flared bell at the other end. It was one of the nine instruments found in the royal court. The shehnai is sim ...

veteran

Anant Lal Anant Lal (1927 – 3 March 2011), often referred to by the title Pandit, was an Indian classical musician who played the shehnai. He worked for All India Radio and played with artists such as Ravi Shankar and Debu Chaudhuri in addition to recor ...

and Kamala Chakravarty – for Shankar and Harrison's high-profile tour of the United States and Canada, which began at

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

Pacific Coliseum Pacific Coliseum, locally known as The Coliseum or the Rink on Renfrew, is an indoor arena located at Hastings Park in Vancouver, British Columbia. Its main use has been for ice hockey and the arena has been the home for several ice hockey tea ...

on 2 November. Four days later, the tour played in San Francisco, where some of the Indian musicians were also invited to perform at the Stone House, a historic building in Fairfax in

Marin County Marin County ( ) is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is ac ...

.Liner notes, ''Sarangi: The Music of India'' CD (

Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record label ...

, 1988; produced by Mickey Hart & Zakir Hussain). Individual performances from this informal concert, by Sultan Khan and Hariprasad Chaurasia, were released on the albums ''Sarangi: The Music of India'' (1988) and ''Venu'' (1989). Shankar's ensemble faced some hostile audiences in North America, who were more interested in hearing Harrison's music during what was, in 1974, the first tour there by a former Beatle since the band's 1966 visit. Author Peter Lavezzoli views this outcome as "unfortunate", since Shankar "had assembled an outstanding group of musicians".Lavezzoli, p. 196. Harrison biographer Simon Leng describes the orchestra as "the greatest collection of Indian musicians ever to tour America". Although the focus of Shankar's set on this tour was to promote ''Shankar Family & Friends'', selections from the Music Festival programme such as "Naderdani" were adapted for American and Canadian audiences. Commenting on the lack of appreciation for the orchestra at some of the concerts, drummer

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Do ...

later said: "Those people saw something very special."

Album release

Dark Horse Records issued the album ''Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India'' in February 1976 (March in the UK), a year and a half after the recording sessions. The cover features a group photo of all the participants taken by Arrowsmith under a large cedar tree in the grounds of Friar Park. The back cover included a reproduction of the Music Festival tour poster designed by Jan Steward, who had created the cover for the 1968 ''Festival from India'' double album, among other works by Shankar. Dark Horse produced a promotional film for the album. The film included footage of Harrison with a voiceover by Shankar discussing his role, and a spinning LP sleeve accompanied by portions of music from the album. The release coincided with a concert by Shankar at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York – a dawn-to-dusk recital celebrating twenty years of performances in the West by the artist. Also in March 1976, the Californian television station

KCET KCET (channel 28) is a secondary PBS member television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by the Public Media Group of Southern California alongside the market's primary PBS member, Huntington Beach–licensed KOC ...

broadcast a 30-minute programme titled ''Ravi Shankar's Music Festival with George Harrison & Don Ellis''. Produced by

Taylor Hackford Taylor Edwin Hackford (born December 31, 1944) is an American film director and former president of the Directors Guild of America. He won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for '' Teenage Father'' (1979). Hackford went on to dire ...

and filmed in Los Angeles in 1975, the show was hosted by

Don Ellis Donald Johnson Ellis (July 25, 1934 – December 17, 1978) was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures. Later in his ...

, a pioneer in

Indo jazz Indo jazz is a musical genre consisting of jazz, classical and Indian influences. Its structure and patterns are based on Indian music with typical jazz improvisation overlaid. While the term itself may be comparatively recent, the concept dates ...

who had studied Indian music under Harihar Rao at UCLA. During the programme, Harrison discussed the Music Festival project and introduced film clips from the orchestra's Royal Albert Hall performance. Having already watched the film from the London concert in its entirety, Ellis described it as "one of the most extraordinary musical experiences that I've ever heard". Writing about the 1974-recorded album in his book ''The Dawn of Indian Music in the West'', Lavezzoli recognises the ten-minute "Raga Jait" as being among the highlights of the set. Speaking to ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine in 1979, Harrison named the album and ''Shankar Family & Friends'' among his favourites of all the releases on Dark Horse.

Reissue and legacy

With the album long out of print, selections from ''Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India'' appeared on the Harrison-compiled box set '' Ravi Shankar: In Celebration'' (1996),Heidi Waleson
"Angel set celebrates Ravi Shankar: Sitarist called 'Godfather of World Music'"
''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', 23 December 1995, pp. 17, 63 (retrieved 19 August 2014). issued by Dark Horse and

Angel Records Angel Records was a record label founded by EMI in 1953. It specialised in European classical music, classical music, but included an occasional operetta or Broadway score. and one Peter Sellers comedy disc. The famous Recording Angel trademark ...

. The box set also featured the previously unreleased "Ta Na Tom", another piece recorded with the Music Festival personnel at Friar Park. Alan Kozlowski, who helped compile the box set, viewed the inclusion of tracks from ''Music Festival from India'' among the "prizes" offered by the compilation. In his review of ''In Celebration'', Bruce Eder of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

reserved especial praise for the fourth disc, which contains several of Shankar's collaborations with Harrison, writing: "From the opening 'Vandana', it draws us into a realm of music that is so sublimely beautiful that it makes everything that has come before it, in all its bejeweled splendor, seem almost plain and pale by comparison."Bruce Eder
"Ravi Shankar ''Ravi Shankar: In Celebration''"

(retrieved 19 August 2014). In 2010, ''Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India'' was reissued on CD as part of the Shankar–Harrison box set '' Collaborations'', coinciding with celebrations for Shankar's 90th birthday.Evan Schlansky
"George Harrison and Ravi Shankar's Relationship Explored on ''Collaborations''"
''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'', 12 August 2010 (retrieved 15 August 2014).Sean Michaels
"George Harrison and Ravi Shankar collaborations to be reissued"

guardian.co.uk ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

, 18 August 2010 (retrieved 19 August 2014). Writing for AllMusic,

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' The Daily P ...

considers ''Collaborations'' to be a "bountiful gathering of some of Shankar's more accessible recordings" that has "value not just for Beatles completists hrough Harrison's involvement but also for more general appreciators of traditional Indian music". Unterberger describes the Music Festival from India studio album as offering "a more diverse group of arrangements than is heard on many Indian recordings" and " mood

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

is largely one of devout humility interspersed with some low-key, joyful boisterousness".Richie Unterberger
"George Harrison/Ravi Shankar ''Collaborations''"

(retrieved 18 August 2014). ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' contributing editor Sachyn Mital considers the album to be "lively and instrument focused", and writes of its music content: "'Bhajan' is a joyful chant to Krishna, Gopal and Govind, while 'Naderdani' has ... sitar evoking playfulness with masterful precision. 'Dehati' is a percussion showcase as the tabla players create two minutes of call and response near the end."Sachyn Mital
"Ravi Shankar and George Harrison: Collaborations"
''

'', 19 October 2010 (retrieved 19 August 2014). While noting the "great integrity" behind the 2010 box set, Joe Marchese of ''The Second Disc'' writes of ''Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India'': "The album's sounds are exotic, but immediately transporting. Much of the music is joyful, such as 'Naderdani,' described as 'a contemporary composition for voice and instruments.'"Joe Marchese
"Review: Ravi Shankar and George Harrison, 'Collaborations'"
''The Second Disc'', 8 November 2010 (retrieved 19 August 2014). Writing in ''

Goldmine Goldmine may refer to: * A location where gold mining takes place * ''Goldmine'' (magazine), a music collectibles magazine * ''Goldmine'' (album), by Gabby Barrett, 2020 * "Goldmine" (George Fox song), 1989 * "Goldmine" (Kimbra song), 2015 * ...

'' magazine, Gillian Gaar finds the album "mesmerizing", with "the female vocals having an uncanny ability to imitate the sitar (or vice versa)".Gillian G. Gaar
"Shankar/Harrison set succeeded on crossover appeal"
''

'', 31 January 2011 (retrieved 4 August 2015). ''Nari'', a 2015 multimedia project by singer and violinist

Gingger Shankar Gingger Shankar (born Niranjani Subramaniam; in Los Angeles) is an American singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. She has scored several films, including '' Circumstance''. Early life Shankar was born in Los Angeles, California and raised ...

(the daughter of Viji and L. Subramanium, and granddaughter of Lakshmi),Deepali Dhingra
"My mother helped bring Indian music to the West: Gingger Shankar"
''

Mid-Day ''Mid-Day'' (stylised as mid-day) is a morning daily Indian compact newspaper. Editions in various languages including Gujarati and English have been published out of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune so far. In 2011, the Delhi and Bangalore ...

'', 22 February 2015 (retrieved 6 August 2016). was partly inspired by the 1974 Music Festival and the North American tour with Harrison. She said she created the project out of the belief that Lakshmi and Viji deserved more recognition for their respective roles in helping to popularise Indian music in the West.Katie Booth
"You've heard of George Harrison and Ravi Shankar. Now hear the little known story of Lakshmi Shankar and her daughter, Viji"

Women in the World Women in the World was a live journalism platform that was founded by Tina Brown in 2010 to "discover and amplify the unheard voices of global women on the front lines of change." First held at New York’s Hudson Theater, and thereafter at ...

nytimes.com ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

, 20 May 2016 (retrieved 6 August 2016).

''Music Festival from India – Live at the Royal Albert Hall'' DVD

''Collaborations'' marked the first release for Stuart Cooper's concert film of the Music Festival from India, issued on DVD as disc four of the box set. The film was shot at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday, 23 September 1974.Back cover, '' Collaborations'' box set (

, 2010; produced by Olivia Harrison). Text at the start of the DVD's "concert film" section explains that much restoration was needed on both footage and audio,Concert Film, introductory text, ''Music Festival from India – Live at the Royal Albert Hall'' DVD (

, 2010; produced by Olivia Harrison; directed by Stuart Cooper). the latter being overseen by producer Paul Hicks and by Shankar's daughter

Anoushka Shankar Anoushka Hemangini Shankar (born 9 June 1981) is a British-American sitar player and musician of Indian descent, as well as occasional writer. She performs across multiple genres and styles—Indian classical, classical and contemporary, acoust ...

. Album credits">"Collaborations Box Set" > Album credits
georgeharrison.com (retrieved 18 August 2014). With some of Cooper's 35-year-old footage having been destroyed or mislaid, the remainder of the concert's sound is included in a separate, "concert audio" section.Olivia Harrison, , ''

Spinner Spinner may refer to: Technology * Spinner (aeronautics), the aerodynamic cone at the hub of an aircraft propeller * Spinner (cell culture), laboratory equipment for cultivating plant or mammalian cells * Spinner (computing), a graphical widget in ...

'', 18 October 2010 (archived version retrieved 19 August 2014). In her review for ''Goldmine'', Gaar writes that, together with the Music Festival's studio album, the concert DVD features both "the most traditional Indian music" and "the most powerful performances" on ''Collaborations''.

Film synopsis

The film opens with an image of a large red Om symbol on a yellow sheet, which provides a backdrop to the Albert Hall stage. George Harrison then walks on and gives a brief, warm introduction to Ravi Shankar, after which the Music Festival from India performance begins. The stage is set with two large risers; the first in the shape of a square, the second, slightly more raised than the first one, is curved around behind it like a half-moon. On the square riser, from left to right, sit singers Viji Shankar, Lakshmi Shankar and Kamala Chakravarty, with percussionist Harihar Rao and

bansuri A bansuri is an ancient side-blown bamboo flute originating from the Indian Subcontinent. It is an aerophone produced from bamboo and metal-like material, used in many Indian and Nepali Lok songs. A ''bansuri'' is traditionally made from a ...

player Hariprasad Chaurasia just behind them. Spread out along the crescent-shaped platform (from left to right) are three bowed string players, L. Subramaniam, Satyadev Pawar and Sultan Khan; Anant Lal, on shehnai; then the four drummers, T.V. Gopalkrishnan, Alla Rakha, Rijram Desad and Kamalesh Maitra, the last two partly surrounded by their ''tarangs'' (circles) of hand drums. Completing the ring of musicians along this curved riser is sitarist Kartick Kumar; Gopal Krishan, behind a raised vichitra veena; and finally Shivkumar Sharma, behind the large, harpsichord-like santoor. Shankar conducts the orchestra from just in front of the first riser, his back to the audience. Midway through the film, the stage is cleared of all musicians except for four members of the orchestra and Shankar, who now plays sitar on the ensuing raga. After the customary slow

alap The Alap (; ) is the opening section of a typical North Indian classical performance. It is a form of melodic improvisation that introduces and develops a raga. In dhrupad singing the alap is unmetered, improvised (within the raga) and unaccomp ...

section, Shankar's sitar trades musical phrases with Rakha's tabla, supported by Kumar and Rao, both on sitar, and Viji Shankar, playing the tambura. The whole ensemble then returns for further vocal and orchestral pieces, conducted by Shankar as before.

Bonus feature

The DVD's bonus feature, directed by David Kew,Bonus Feature, credits, ''Music Festival from India – Live at the Royal Albert Hall'' DVD (

, 2010; produced by Olivia Harrison; directed by Stuart Cooper). shows Hicks and Anoushka Shankar at work on the mix for pieces released in this concert film section. They are joined there at StudioWest, in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, by Shankar himself and Harrison's widow,

Olivia Olivia may refer to: People and fictional characters * Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Olivia (singer), American singer Olivia Longott (born 1981) * Olívia (basketball), Brazilian basketball playe ...

, allowing the 90-year-old Shankar to offer his input.Dan Forte
"Ravi Shankar and George Harrison ''Collaborations''"
'' Vintage Guitar'', February 2011 (retrieved 16 August 2014). At one point Anoushka covers her father's eyes playfully – in response, it seems, to his reaction at seeing himself on screen, performing some four decades before.

Track listing

Studio album

All songs by Ravi Shankar. Side one # "Vandana" – 2:44 # "Dhamar" – 5:23 # "Tarana / Chaturang" – 5:33 # "Raga Jait" – 9:48 Side two #

"Kajri" – 4:51 # "Bhajan" – 3:56 # "Naderdani" – 4:43 # "Dehati" – 10:09

DVD "Concert film"

# "Introduction by George Harrison" # "Hymns From the Vedas" # "Tappa (Raga Khamaj)" # "Tarana (Raga Kirwani)" # "Raga Jait" # "Vilambit Gat, Drut Gat and Jhala (Raga Yaman Kalyan)" # "Naderdani" # "Krishna Krishna Bhajan (based on Raga Pancham-se-gara)" # "Dehati"

DVD "Concert audio"

# "Musicians Introduction" # "Vandana" # "Alap / Noom / Toom Jor (Raga Abhogi)" # "Dhamar (Raga Vasanta in Tala Dhamar)" # "Khyal (Raga Kedara in Tala Teental)" # "Tarana (Raga Kirwani in Tala Ektal)" # "Chaturang (Raga Yaman Kalyan in Tala Teental)" # "Kajri" # "Pallavi (Thani Avarthanam / Raga Bilahari in Tala Aditala)" # "Thumri (Mishra Piloo in Tala Jat)" # "Raga Mala (Garland of Ragas, based on Raga Khamaj in Tala Teental)"

Personnel

– direction, arrangements;

(DVD only) *

– vocals,

swarmandal The ''swarmandal'' ( ), ''surmandal'', or Indian harp is a plucked box zither, originating from India, similar to the qanun that is today most commonly used as an accompanying instrument for vocal Indian classical music. It is part of the cult ...

–

* T.V. Gopalkrishnan – vocals,

, khanjira *

–

* Kartick Kumar – sitar * Sultan Khan –

–

, kanoon, backing vocals *

–

, backing vocals * L. Subramaniam – South Indian violin * Satyadev Pawar – North Indian violin * Rijram Desad – pakavaj, madal-tarang,

dholki ''dholak'' is a two-headed hand drum, a folk percussion instrument. The dholak is most commonly recognised in countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, but can also be found amongst the Indo-Diaspora in countries such ...

nagada Naqada ( Egyptian Arabic: ; Coptic language: ; Ancient Greek: , Ancient Egyptian: ''Nbyt'') is a town on the west bank of the Nile in Qena Governorate, Egypt, situated ca. 20 km north of Luxor. It includes the villages of Tukh, Khatara, ...

, huduk, duff * Kamalesh Maitra – tabla-tarang, duggi-tarang,

madal The madal () or maadal is a Nepalese folk musical instrument. The madal is used mainly for rhythm-keeping in Nepalese folk music. It is very popular and widely used as a hand drum in Nepal. The madal has a cylindrical body with a slight bulge at i ...

ektara The ''ektara'' (, , , , , ; literally 'one-string', also called ''actara'', ''iktar'', ''ektar'', , ''yaktaro'', ''gopichand'', ''gopichant'', ''golki'' , ''gopijiantra'', ''tun tuna'') is a one-stringed musical instrument used in the traditio ...

–

kartal Kartal () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 38 km2, and its population is 483,418 (2022). It is located on the Asian side of the city, on the coast of the Marmara Sea between Maltepe and Pendik. De ...

manjira The ''taal'' or ''manjira'' (also spelled ''manjīrā'' or ''manjeera''), ''jalra'', ''karatala'', ''kartal'' or ''gini'' is a pair of clash cymbals, originating in the Indian subcontinent, which make high-pitched percussion sounds. In its ...

dholak The ''dholak'' is a two-headed hand drum, a folk percussion instrument. The dholak is most commonly recognised in countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, but can also be found amongst the Indo-Diaspora in countries s ...

, gubgubbi, backing vocals; sitar (DVD only) * Kamala Chakravarty – tambura, backing vocals * Viji Shankar – tambura, backing vocals

Notes

References

Sources

* Keith Badman, ''The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970–2001'', Omnibus Press (London, 2001; ). * ''Collaborations'', book accompanying ''Collaborations'' box set (

, 2010; produced by Olivia Harrison; package design by Drew Lorimer & Olivia Harrison). * The Editors of ''Rolling Stone'', ''Harrison'', Rolling Stone Press/Simon & Schuster (New York, NY, 2002; ). * George Harrison, ''I Me Mine'', Chronicle Books (San Francisco, CA, 2002; ). * Olivia Harrison, ''George Harrison: Living in the Material World'', Abrams (New York, NY, 2011; ). * Peter Lavezzoli, ''The Dawn of Indian Music in the West'', Continuum (New York, NY, 2006; ). * Simon Leng, ''While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison'', Hal Leonard (Milwaukee, WI, 2006; ). * Chip Madinger & Mark Easter, ''Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium'', 44.1 Productions (Chesterfield, MO, 2000; ). * Jörg Pieper, ''The Solo Beatles Film & TV Chronicle 1971–1980'', Premium Förlag (Stockholm, 2012; ). * Robert Rodriguez, ''Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980'', Backbeat Books (Milwaukee, WI, 2010; ). * Ravi Shankar, ''Raga Mala: The Autobiography of Ravi Shankar'', Welcome Rain (New York, NY, 1999; ). * Oliver Trager, ''The American Book of the Dead: The Definitive Grateful Dead Encyclopedia'', Fireside (New York, NY, 1997; ). * ''World Music: The Rough Guide (Volume 2: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific)'', Rough Guides/Penguin (London, 2000; ). {{Authority control 1974 concert tours 1976 albums Ravi Shankar albums Dark Horse Records albums Albums produced by George Harrison Albums recorded at FPSHOT Indian classical music Indian mythology in music