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Title: Raga Mala by George Harrison, Ravi Shankar, Yehudi Menuhin ISBN: 1-56649-217-3 Publisher: Welcome Rain Pub. Date: 15 October, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (5 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Fascinating
Comment: This book is a fascinating account of the life of Ravi Shankar. I was a little reluctant to pick up this book at first- -I thought to myself, "Ravi Shankar- pop star, a musician who lives on hype - who wants to read a fan book? If George Harrison hadn't stumbled across him, he would have been just another sitar player." But after reading this book, I have a much greater understanding and respect for Shankar and all that he has accomplished.
Shankar's early life was simply amazing. His first tour of the US was in 1932, when he was all of 12 years old. With that in mind, it makes perfect sense for Shankar to be the leader in bringing Indian classical music to the West, since he spent so many of his formative years in Paris and on tour throughout Europe and the US. During this time, he became familiar with Western audiences and their expectations, as well as with Western music traditions. It is this familiarity that has enabled him to be so successful at explaining Indian music to Westerners. But as this book details, Shankar was not only popular in the West, but long before George Harrison met him, he had built a very successful career in India. For example, he was the one who did the music for film director Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy, among so many other projects.
Shankar's influences on music in both India and the West are enormous and far-reaching. He was one of the first musicians to gain a following in world music, and he fought strongly against the marginalization of world music as a field only fit for ethnomusicologists. As described in this book, in India, he helped change attitudes towards musical performance and performers by demanding full attention from audiences and formal venues, much like classical performers in the West expect.
Interspersed throughout Shankar's text are short interludes from friends such as Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison. The book includes hundreds of pictures that span Shankar's entire career, including the pre-World War II tours with his brother Uday. There is also a very informative glossary at the end, as well as a chronology and index.
Rating: 5
Summary: The Jewel of India
Comment: Raga Mala is destined to be a classic of literature.
It is a biography, history, diary, and a basic primer
of Hindustani (North Indian) music.
As a beginning Sitar student under a Guru myself.
I appreciate Raviji's journey from student to master.
The life covers so many memorable moments of history.
His triumphs and pain are an inspiration to all who
are open enough to see it. There is not enough that
can be said to fully explain the depth of this book.
It is fair to say that most will not fully understand
it in one reading.
In closing, Raga Mala will be the textbook to be used
by all interested in Pandit Ravi Shankar, Indian music,
and how it has gained popularity in America since the
1960's. I recommend this book as in the top 5 of my
all time favorite books.
Rating: 5
Summary: A colorful life story from a wonderful human being
Comment: Regardless of how you come into this book, as a Beatles fan, as an admirer of Indian classical music, or someone who studies the Indian culture, you will come out of it thinking of Ravi Shankar as someone very special, but who shares the same passion for life as many of us. "Raga Mala" is his story through his words, from his days as a dancer to traveling out of India for the first time, and eventually setting a goal to spread his music and culture around the world. With celebrity comes fame, and with fame comes admiration, and there were many women who admired him, only for he to admire them back. His love of women is at times overshadowed by his love of food, which is something I never knew before this.
But he talks about his music as his core (at point during the book he compared the sitar to his wife), and gets in-depth about his mission to enlighten people with his music. He loved the hippies but hated their lifestyle, and felt that he could make them high, and higher, with his music.
"Raga Mala" shows a well-traveled and cultured man with the utmost respect for his culture, his people, his music, and life in general. At 81 years old, he knows his "old junk of a body" can't do the things it did when he was 15, but he refuses to slow down for anyone, including himself.
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Title:Pandit Ravi Shankar - A Man and His Music (Includes Bonus CD) ASIN: B00007KK47 Publisher: Qualiton Imports Ltd Pub. Date: 05 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $22.48 |
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Title:Ravi Shankar in Portrait ASIN: B00007CVSJ Publisher: Opus Arte Pub. Date: 19 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $39.99 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $35.99 |
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Title:West Meets East: The Historic Shankar Menuhin Collection ASIN: B00002CF0J Publisher: Angel Records Pub. Date: 02 November, 1999 List Price(USD): $10.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $10.98 |
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Title:Wonderwall Music ASIN: B000008GEG Publisher: Capitol Pub. Date: 30 June, 1992 List Price(USD): $15.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $14.99 |
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Title:The Sounds of India ASIN: B0000024SZ Publisher: Sony Pub. Date: 20 July, 1989 List Price(USD): $9.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $9.98 |
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