INDIA Chitti Babu – Columbia - 33ESX-6008 / 1967 (LP)

INDIA 
Chitti Babu – Columbia - 33ESX-6008, released in 1967 (LP)

Following posts featuring the Carnatic veena master Emani Sankara Sastry (1922-1987), I present this remarkable 1967 album by Chitti Babu (1936-1996), Sastry's most famous disciple. Born in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, Babu was born into a music-loving family and was a child prodigy on the veena. As a boy, he studied under Shri Pandravada Upmakaya and Shri Eyyuni Appalacharyulu before becoming Sankara Sastry's disciple in 1948.

Babu's extraordinary skill, and his popularization of the veena for a wider audience, made him one of the most celebrated 20th-century Carnatic seven-string Saraswati veena players. Deeply rooted in Carnatic tradition, Babu’s Bani style mimicked human vocal inflections and emotions. He displayed dazzling virtuosity and showmanship through his precise and lightning-fast fingerwork and seamless meend glides, spanning several notes with a single pluck. His expressive and soulful playing produced resonant notes that shimmered with a bell-like quality.

A consummately versatile musician, Babu was fearless in his experimentation and developed his own modern approach to music. His diverse output encompassed traditional ragas, Vedic hymns, folk songs, light classical pieces, his signature cuckoo mimicry (B4), and Western-based compositions.

Here, Babu is accompanied by Vellore Ramabhadran (1929-2012) on the mridangam double-sided drum.

Après plusieurs post consacrés au maître de la veena carnatic Emani Sankara Sastry (1922-1987), j’ai le plaisir de vous présenter cet album remarquable enregistré en 1967 par Chitti Babu (1936-1996), le disciple le plus célèbre de ce dernier. Né à Kakinada, dans l'Andhra Pradesh, Chitti Babu est issu d'une famille mélomane et était un enfant prodige de la veena. Il étudie dans son enfance sous la tutelle de Shri Pandravada Upmakaya et de Shri Eyyuni Appalacharyulu, puis devient le disciple d’Emani Sankara Sastry en 1948.
 
Son talent extraordinaire et sa popularisation de la veena auprès d'un public plus large en ont fait l'un des plus grands joueurs de veena Saraswati à sept cordes du XXè siècle. Profondément ancré dans la tradition Carnatic, il imitait les inflexions vocales et les émotions humaines dans son style Bani. Il faisait preuve d'une virtuosité et d'un sens du spectacle éblouissants grâce à son jeu précis et ultra-rapide, ainsi qu'à ses glissés meend fluides qui couvraient plusieurs notes d'un seul coup de plectre. Son jeu expressif et empreint d’émotion produisait des notes résonnantes qui scintillaient comme des cloches.
 
Musicien extrêmement polyvalent, Babu n'hésitait pas à expérimenter et a développé sa propre approche moderne de la musique. Sa production variée comprenait des ragas traditionnels, des hymnes védiques, sa célèbre imitation du coucou (B4), des chansons folkloriques, des pièces classiques légères, et des compositions occidentales.
 
Babu est accompagné ici par Vellore Ramabhadran (1929-2012) au mridangam.

A1 – Sri Ganapathini - Saurashtra

A2 – Manavyalakincha – Nalinakanti

A3 – Swara Raga Sudha - Sankarabharanam

B1 – Kowmari Gouri - Velavali

B2 – Ninnuvina - Navarasakannada

B3 – Nirupamana - Behag (Javali)

B4 – Kommalo Koila - Misra (Cuckoo Song)

B5 – Aadevu Paadevu - Sindhubhairavi

Download

Flac

MP3

My other Carnatic instrumental posts:

Emani Sankara Sastri – HMV 7 EPE 1603 here
Emani Shankara Sastry – L'Art du Vina – CBS 80213 here

Lalgudi Jayaraman / N. Ramani / R. Venkataraman – ECSD 2494 here

Lalgudi Jayaraman – HMV 7 EPE 1614 here

Lalgudi Jayaraman – Violin Solos of Carnatic Music – ECSD 2435 here

Lalgudi Jayaraman – Melodiya C80-27225-004 here
Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu – HMV EALP 1375 here

T. N. Krishnan – SEDE 3609 Columbia here
T.N. Krishnan & Kumari Viji Krishnan  Inreco 2401 here
N. Ramani – Flute – HMV – EASD 1390 here
Inde du Sud – Les Grands Classiques – Ducretet Thomson 2C 066-14324 / UNESCO here
The Great Tradition – Masters of Music EALP Part 2 Carnatic here

The photograph below is from World Geography and Customs Series (Vol.3), Published by Shinkosha, Japan, 1931 here

Ascetic (also known as a sadhu or yogi) on the banks of the Ganges:

Please help me purchase important traditional records to 

pursue my global curation project and share the 

best finds with you on this blog here below:

TANZANIA Magical Sounds from Lake Manyara – Heartbeat of Africa – Sapra Ltd CMIL 101

TANZANIA
Magical Sounds from Lake Manyara – Heartbeat of Africa – Sapra Ltd CMIL 101, recorded by David Fanshawe (7 in, 33 RPM)

Here's another rare, mellifluous Sapra album recorded around Lake Manyara, a 180-square-mile (470-square-kilometer) lake in northern Tanzania, by David Fanshawe (1942–2010) in the early 1970s.

The lake is the centerpiece of the Manyara National Park. The Manyara region is home to various ethnic/cultural groups, including the Iraqw, Maasai, Mbugwe, and Datoga peoples.

This album, featuring the fluid and sensuous African magic of old, includes voices, zithers (A1), a large irikano lyre (A2, A3), a litungu lyre (A4), a flute (A3), an ekegogo violin (B1), a nyatiti harp (B4), and horns (B3), accompanied by drums, percussion and rattles. 

Voici un autre album rare et mélodieux du catalogue Sapra, enregistré au début des années 1970 par David Fanshawe (1942-2010) autour du lac Manyara, un lac de 470 kilomètres carrés situé au nord de la Tanzanie.

 

Le lac est la pièce maîtresse du Parc national de Manyara. La région de Manyara abrite également divers groupes ethniques/culturels, notamment les Iraqw, les Masaï, les Mbugwe et les Datoga.

Empreint de la magie africaine fluide et sensuelle d'antan, cet album nous fait entendre des voix, des cithares (A1), une grande lyre irikano (A2, A3), une lyre litungu (A4), une flûte (A3), un violon ekegogo (B1), une harpe nyatiti (B4) et des cors (B3), accompagnés de tambours, de percussions et de hochets.

A1 – Music from the Southern Shores 
“Reflecting the full glory and color of Lake Manyara, an orchestra of traditional zithers sounds on the southern shores.”

 

A2 – Irikano lyre and voice 
“This strange boat-shaped instrument is very rare, and the effect is pure, musical delight.”

 

A3 – Flute and irikano lyre
“The irikano player was suddenly joined by a friend who played a simple flute, made from a tree branch.”

 

A4 – Litungu lyre and voices in the rains 
“A singer celled Nyamaronge had been playing his instrument at a beer party when rain suddenly came. Amidst darkening clouds over Lake Manyara and the patter of rain drops, the musician went on to praise his friends.”

 

B1 – Ekegogo violin and voice
“Played here by a wandering minstrel at the beer party and reminiscent of an Irish traditional melody, here is a song about Independence — a very rare and fine example.”

 

B2 – Virama Dance with voices, drums, percussion and rattles
“A triumphant dance of the Pare people to the east of Lake Manyara, as they celebrate the coming-of-age of a daughter.”

 

B3 – Wameru circumcision with voices, horns, drums, percussion and rattles
“A song, recorded during a boy's circumcision, in which relatives praise the bravery and wisdom of the youngster.”

 

B4 – Nyatiti harp solo
“Played by a popular young traveling performer named Apuot Ochiereg, in the traditions of his fathers, this brilliant recording keeps alive an art and skill which otherwise might be lost.”

Download:

Flac

MP3

My other East African music posts:

Fabulous Gogo Music from Tanzania – Heartbeat of Africa – Sapra Ltd CMIL 98 here
Musical Gems from Lake Victoria – Heartbeat of Africa – Sapra Ltd - CMIL 102 here

Sounds of Masailand – Heartbeat of Africa – Sapra Ltd CMIL 87 here
British East Africa – Columbia Masterworks Volume X – SL 213 here

David Fanshawe (1942-2010) was an English composer whose most famous work was the album African Sanctus (1972), which combines Western choral harmony with his recordings of traditional African music. Fanshawe passionately explored the great diversity of our dying global traditional musical heritage and painstakingly recorded thousands of hours of indigenous music in Europe, Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bahrain, and the Pacific islands.

Postcards of the Maasai people of Tanzania:

Please help me purchase important traditional records to 

pursue my global curation project and share the 

best finds with you on this blog here below:

EGYPT Taqasim and Layali - Cairo Tradition – Unesco Musical Sources – GREM - DSM 010

EGYPT – ÉGYPTE

Taqasim and Layali - Cairo Tradition – Unesco Musical Sources – GREM - DSM 010, 1984 reissue of a 1971 release, recorded by Jacques Cloarec in Cairo (LP)

This classic 1971 album from the essential UNESCO Musical Sources series showcases the art of taqâsîm melodic improvisation and layâlî vocal improvisation. It features prominent Egyptian musicians from the The Takht Ensemble of Cairo performing here in various formats: Ibrahim El-Haggar (1922-2000) on vocals (A1, A3), Sami Nussair on the qanun zither (A1, A3, B2), Gomâa Muhammad Ali (1924-1975) on the oud lute (A3, B1), Wahbi Labib on the ney flute (A2, A3) and Muhammad El-Arabi on the darbuka goblet drum and req tambourine (A2, A3, B2, B3).

Similar to Indian ragas, Arabic maqams are melodic systems that provide a framework for improvisations intended to evoke specific moods and emotions. The various forms of Egyptian maqam are closely related to Turkish makam, Azeri mugam, and Persian dastgah. These complex musical forms are traditionally passed down orally from teacher to student.

Cet album classique de 1971, issu de la série incontournable UNESCO Musical Sources, présente l'art de l'improvisation mélodique taqâsîm et de l'improvisation vocale layâlî. Il met en avant les éminents musiciens de l'ensemble Takht du Caire, qui jouent ici sous différents formats musicaux: Ibrahim El-Haggar (1922-2000) au chant (A1, A3), Sami Nussair au cithare qanûn (A1, A3, B2), Gomâa Muhammad Ali (1924-1975) au luth oud (A3, B1), Wahbi Labib à la flûte ney (A2, A3) et Muhammad El-Arabi au tambour darbouka et au tambourin req (A2, A3, B2, B3).

 

Semblables aux ragas indiens, les maqams arabes sont des systèmes mélodiques qui fournissent un cadre pour des improvisations destinées à évoquer des ambiances et des émotions spécifiques. Les différentes formes de maqam égyptien sont étroitement liées au makam turc, au mugam azéri et au dastgah perse. Ces formes musicales complexes sont traditionnellement transmises oralement, de maître à élève.

A1 – Layâlî and Mawwâl (Maqâm Bayâtî)

Qanun by Sami Nussair & vocals by Ibrahim El-Haggar;

 

A2 – Taqsîm Bayâtî

Ney flute by Wahbi Labib & req tambourine by Muhammad El-Arabi;

 

A3 – Samâ'î El-'Aryan

The Takht Ensemble of Cairo with vocals by Ibrahim El-Haggar, ud lute by Gomâa Muhammad Ali, qanun zither by Sami Nussair, ney flute by Wahbi Labib and req & darbuka by Muhammad El-Arabi;

 

B1 – Taqsîm Bayâtî

Ud lute by Gomâa Muhammad Ali; 

 

B2 – Taqsîm Farah-Faza

Qanun by Sami Nussair & req tambourine by Muhammad El-Arabi; 

 

B3 – Darbuka solo

Darbuka goblet drum by Muhammad El-Arabi.

Download:

Flac

MP3

My other Egyptian and Arabian, Turkish, Azeri, and Yemeni maqam posts:

Egypt – Music of the Arabian Orient & North Africa – Supraphon here

Arabian Music – Maqam – UNESCO Musical Sources here
Iraq – Music of the Arabian Orient & North Africa – Supraphon here
Music of Iraq – Seven seas GXC-5013 here
Jordan, Lebanon & Syria – Music of the Arabian Orient & North Africa – Supraphon here

Nuit Précieuse au Serail – ARION 30 U 097 here

Azerbaijan – A Musical Anthology of the Orient – BM 30 SL 2024 here

Jamil Ghanim – Luth au Yemen – Ud classique – Arabesques 6 here

Bahrain & U.A.E. – Pêcheurs de Perles et Musiciens du Golfe Persique

OCORA 42 here

Listen to the excellent 'Taqsim-e Nahavand' virtuoso oud solo by Riad el-Sunbati (1906–1981). This renowned Egyptian musician was highly influential during the 'Golden Age' of Egyptian music, composing 

many songs for legendary artists such as Umm Kulthum (1904–1975) 

and Abdel Halim Hafez (1929–1977):

Ibn Qalawun (1285–1341) and his courtly entourage. He ruled Egypt 

as the ninth Mamluk Sultan of the Bahri dynasty for over 40 years; 

frontispiece from a 1334 manuscript of the Maqamat of al-Hariri 

(The Assemblies of al-Hariri):

Wikimedia Commons

Please help me purchase important traditional records to 

pursue my global curation project and share the 

best finds with you on this blog here below:

INDIA – Rajab Ali Khan – Raga Jaunpuri / Raga Bageshree – EMI - ECLP 2618

INDIA
Rajab Ali Khan – Raga Jaunpuri & Raga Bageshree – EMI – ECLP 2618, recorded in 1954, released in 1980 (LP)

I am thrilled to present this rare LP showcasing the towering Hindustani vocalist Rajab Ali Khan (1874–1959). As mentioned in previous posts, this flamboyant 20th-century figure had a profound influence on the renowned Khayal vocalists Amir Khan (1912–1974) and Salamat Ali Khan (1934–2001). 

 

Born in Narsingarh, Madhya Pradesh, Khan received his initial training from his father, Manglu Khan, and later studied under the legendary rudra veena (or been) player Bande Ali Khan (1830–1896) (see photograph below), as well as with Bade Mohammad Khan. In addition to singing, he mastered the rudra veena, sitar, tabla and jaltarang —a set of struck ceramic or metal bowls filled with water.

Khan served as a court musician for the princely states of Dewas and Kolhapur. Known for his technical brilliance and uncompromising artistic standards, this musician’s musician created a sophisticated modern fusion of the Kirana, Jaipur and Gwalior gharanas. Khan was particularly famous for his vibrant, complex, and incredibly speedy taans (melodic phrases) delivered with precision, clarity and tonal purity.

Unfortunately, like many court musicians of that era, Khan left behind very few recordings. Apart from some 78 RPM shellac discs recorded in the 1930s and ‘40s, this precious historical All India Radio recording, featuring two side-long tracks, is the best way to experience Khan’s voice. Remarkably, the Ustad was 80 years old when these tracks were recorded, in 1954, underscoring his staggering command of speed and precision, demonstrating why he influenced artists like Amir Khan.

Je suis ravi de vous présenter ce disque rare du grand chanteur hindustani Rajab Ali Khan (1874-1959). Comme je l’ai mentionné dans des posts précédents, cette figure flamboyante du XXe siècle a profondément influencé les célèbres chanteurs khayal Amir Khan (1912-1974) et Salamat Ali Khan (1934-2001). 

 

Né à Narsingarh, dans l'État du Madhya Pradesh, il commence son apprentissage auprès de son père, Manglu Khan, puis devient le disciple du légendaire joueur de rudra veena (ou been), Bande Ali Khan (1830-1896) (voir photo ci-dessous), ainsi qu'auprès de Bade Mohammad Khan. Outre le chant, il maîtrisait la rudra veena, le sitar, le tabla et le jaltarang, un ensemble de bols en céramique ou en métal remplis d'eau et frappés.

 

Il était musicien à la cour des États princiers de Dewas et de Kolhapur. Reconnu pour son génie technique et ses exigences artistiques sans compromis, il était particulièrement célèbre pour ses taans (phrases mélodiques) pleines de vitalité, complexes et d'une rapidité incroyable, qu'il exécutait avec précision, clarté et pureté tonale.

 

Malheureusement, comme beaucoup de musiciens de cour de cette époque, il a laissé très peu d'enregistrements. Outre quelques disques 78 tours enregistrés dans les années 1930 et 1940, cet enregistrement historique de la All India Radio, qui comprend deux morceaux d'une face entière, est le meilleur moyen de découvrir sa voix. Il faut souligner que lors de l’enregistrement de ces morceaux en 1954, Rajab Ali Khan, qui fait étalage ici de sa remarquable maîtrise de la vélocité et de la précision, avait déjà 80 ans. Ces enregistrements montrent pourquoi il a tant influencé des chanteurs comme Amir Khan.

 

A1 – Raga Jaunpuri (Man Ki Lagan Kaun Jane) – Jhaptal

B1 – Raga Bageshree (Kaun Karata Tori Binati) – Trital

Download:

Flac

MP3

My other Khayal male vocalist posts:
Amir Khan – Memorable Evenings HMV STC here
Amir Khan – His Master's Voice – EASD 1331 here
Amir Khan – Rare Creations of Ustad Amir Khan – Inreco here
Nazakat & Salamat Ali Khan – HMV – 7 EPE 1356 here
Nazakat & Salamat Ali Khan – Hannibal Records – HNBL 1332 here
Faiyaz Khan – Hindusthan Record – LH 5 here
Faiyaz Khan – His Master’s Voice – EALP 1292 here
D. V. Paluskar – His Master’s Voice – EALP 1295 here
Bade Ghulam Ali Khan –  Odeon MOAE 5004 here

Bhimsen Joshi – HMV – 7 EPE 1246 here
Bhimsen Joshi – HMV– ECLP 2264 here
Mallikarjun Mansur – Sings Rare and Complex Ragas – Inreco here
Kumar Gandharva – HMV– ECLP 2360 here
Omkarnath Thakur – SEDE 3302 COLUMBIA here
The Great Tradition – Masters of Music – HMV– EALP 1453/1452 here
Raag Rang Berang – Thumriyan-Light Classical Vocal here

Ustad Bande Ali Khan (1830–1896) of the Kirana Gharana, trained Rajab Ali Khan and was one of the most famous bin (rudra veena) players of the 19th century. He adapted Khyal to the bin, which until then was primarily used with Dhrupad, a style characterized by its rigor, spiritual austerity, 

and a lack of intricate embellishments. Khan made the instrument "sing" like a Khyal vocalist, requiring greater technical dexterity because Khyal is 

more ornamental and fluid than Dhrupad. 

Please help me purchase important traditional records to 

pursue my global curation project and share the 

best finds with you on this blog here below: