INDIA – INDE Ali Akbar Khan – Ragas of India – Raga Madhabi / Raga Khammaj – Connoisseur Society CS 2020

INDIA – INDE
Ali Akbar Khan – Ragas of India – Raga Madhabi / Raga Khammaj – Connoisseur Society CS 2020, released in 1970 (LP)

Sarod master of the Maihar Gharana Ali Akbar Khan (1922-2009), who originally came from East Bengal (now in Bangladesh), was highly revered for his prodigious virtuosity, depth, melodic inventiveness, emotion and uncompromising musicianship. 

 

He had the great privilege of learning his time-honored art from his father Baba Allauddin Khan (1881-1972), one of the greatest musical minds of the 20th century, who mastered well over 100 instruments! This rigorous teacher – who also taught superstar sitarists Ravi Shankar (1920-2012) and Nikhil Banerjee (1931-1986), and sarodist Sharan Rani (1929-2008) – subjected his son to 12 to 16 hours of grueling daily practice pushing him to constantly surpass himself and deepen his knowledge.

 

Along with other luminaries such as instrumentalists Ravi Shankar and Zakir Hussain (1951-2024) and vocalists M.S. Subbulakshmi (1916-2004), Lakshmi Shankar (1926-2013) and Bhimsen Joshi (1922-2001), Khan also played a pivotal role in popularizing Indian music in the West.

Khan first came to the United States in 1955 and settled in California in the early 1960s where he toured extensively and mentored many students. He also founded the Ali Akbar College of Music in Berkeley, California, in 1967, a center for the teaching and preservation of traditional Indian music, and released excellent LPs on American labels, such as Prestige and Connoisseur Society, including this gem with Mahapurush Misra, or Mishra, (1932-1987) on tabla. 

 

Originaire du Bengale oriental, dans l'actuel Bangladesh, le maître du sarod dans le Maihar Gharana Ali Akbar Khan était vénéré pour sa prodigieuse virtuosité, sa profondeur, son inventivité mélodique, son émotion et sa musicalité sans aucune compromission. 

Il a eu la grande chance d'apprendre son art séculaire auprès de son père, Baba Allauddin Khan (1862-1972), l'une des figures musicales les plus importantes du XXe siècle, qui maîtrisait parfaitement plus de 100 instruments ! Ce professeur sévère et intransigeant, qui a également formé les grands sitaristes Ravi Shankar (1920-2012) et de Nikhil Banerjee (1931-1986), astreignait son fils à pratiquer la musique entre 12 et 16 heures par jour jusqu'à l'épuisement, le poussant à se surpasser sans cesse et à approfondir ses connaissances.

En compagnie d’instrumentistes comme Ravi Shankar et Zakir Hussain (1951-2024), ainsi que de chanteurs tels que M.S. Subbulakshmi (1916-2004), Lakshmi Shankar (1926-2013) et Bhimsen Joshi (1922-2001), Khan joua également un rôle majeur dans la diffusion de la musique indienne en Occident. 

Khan s'est produit pour la première fois aux États-Unis en 1955, puis s'est installé en Californie au début des années 1960, où il a donné de nombreux récitals et formé de nombreux élèves. Il a également créé l'Ali Akbar College of Music à Berkeley, en Californie, en 1967, un centre d'enseignement et de préservation de la musique traditionnelle indienne. Il publia également d'excellents disques 33 tours sur des labels américains tels que Prestige et Connoisseur Society, dont ce bijou avec Mahapurush Misra, ou Mishra, (1932-1987) aux tablas.

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"Music is like a river or stream that has come down to us through time, bringing nurture to man's soul. From the past masters, this music flowed to my father [Baba Allauddin Khan] and through him to me. I want to keep this stream flowing. I don't want it to die. It must spread all over the world." 
Ali Akbar Khan

Our other Indian sarod posts:

Ali Akbar Khan – HMV EALP 1255 here

Ali Akbar Khan – Connoisseur Society CS 462 here

Allauddin Khan – Megaphone – JNLX 1008  here

Amjad Ali Khan – Raga Darbari – EASD 2824  here

Amjad Ali Khan – Live at Teen Murti House – ECLP 2887  here

Amjad Ali Khan – The Maestro's Musings – CBS IND 1149  here

Sharan Rani – HMV 7 EPE 1211 (45 RPM)  here

Sharan Rani – Disques Vogue – CLVLX 119  here

Photograph below is from Imperial Mughal Painting by Stuart Cary Welch (1928-2008), Chatto & Windus, 1978:

The wise crow perched atop a mountain addressing a 
gathering of animals, birds and mythical beasts; 

miniature attributed to Miskin, c. 1600:

As a tribute to the great tabla maestro Zakir Hussain (1953-2024), who passed away on December 15th, here's Zakir from the ECM LP “Making Music.” This outstanding 1987 album featuring Zakir Hussain on tabla, Hariprasad Chaurasia on flute, John McLaughlin on acoustic guitar and Jan Garbarek on tenor saxophone, is one of the most successful Indo-Jazz fusion experiences I know:

Please help me purchase important traditional records to 

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best finds with you on this blog here below:

INDONESIA – INDONÉSIE Bali – Musique et Théâtre – Ocora OCR 60

INDONESIA – INDONÉSIE
Bali – Musique et Théâtre – Ocora OCR 60, recorded by Gilles Fresnais in 1971 (LP)

Balinese gamelans produce a musical resonance that can be intense or haunting, bell-like or pulsing with an insistent, quasi-electronic sound. This exquisite album, released on the legendary first Ocora series, captures all the nuance and drama of ensembles that accompany the traditional performances of Wayang Kulit shadow puppet theater (A1), classical pantomime by masked dancers (A2), Gabor dances (A3), and Gambuh theater (Side B). The orchestras recorded here range from small four-man ensembles (A1) to larger ones (A2, A3, Side B) with multiple metallophones, gongs, cymbals, mallet-beaten drums, vocals, and, on Side B, six stunning, otherworldly, and incredibly modern-sounding suling flutes.

 

Les gamelans balinais produisent une résonance musicale intense ou lancinante, ainsi que des pulsations métalliques à la sonorité insistante, quasi électronique. Cet album, paru sur la légendaire première série Ocora, présente toutes les nuances et la théâtralité des ensembles qui accompagnent les spectacles traditionnels du théâtre d'ombres Wayang Kulit (A1), de la pantomime classique de danseurs masqués (A2), des danses Gabor (A3) et du théâtre Gambuh (face B). Les orchestres enregistrés ici vont de petits ensembles de quatre musiciens (A1) à des ensembles plus importants (A2, A3, face B) comprenant de multiples métallophones, gongs, cymbales, tambours à maillets, chants et, sur la face B, six étonnantes flûtes suling au son éthéré et incroyablement moderne.

A1 – Gender Wayang

Gamelan music used to accompany Wayang Kulit shadow puppet theater and certain religious ceremonies. Performed by the smallest gamelan ensemble of four musicians;

Recorded in Pliatan, Bali, July 1971;

 

A2 – Topeng Arsa Widjaja

Gamelan Gong Kebyar used to accompany classical pantomime performed by masked dancers; the ensemble includes metallophones, gongs, cymbals, mallet-beaten drums and a singer who narrates the story;

Recorded in Denpasar, Bali, August 1971;

 

A3 – Gabor

The Gabor dance was originally a ritual temple dance. Here, four young women dance; same ensemble as above;

Recorded in Denpasar, Bali, August 1971;

 

B1 – Gamelan Gambuh (opening scene)

B2 – Gamelan Gambuh (main scene)

B3 – Gamelan Gambuh (final scene)

The Gambuh Theater from Java was first introduced to Bali in the 14th century. Here, singers and actors tell legendary stories and adventures of the legendary Prince Panji in the 13th century;

The Orchestra of Batuan features six suling flutes, a rebab bowed lute, a hanging gong, two small kajar gongs, two drums and small rinchick cymbals and singers;

Recorded in Batuan, Bali, July 1971.

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More Balinese music:

Bali – Paradis des Iles de la Sonde – Disques Alvarès LD 113 here

Musik in Asien II – Südost- & Ostasien – BM 30 SL 5107 here

Javanese Wayang Kulit shadow puppet theatre music: 
Java – Glagah Wangi Gamelan – Une Nuit de Wayang Kulit / Légende de Wahju Tjakraningrat – CBS 65440 here

Vintage postcard of a Baris dancer, Bali:

Vintage postcard of a Legong dancer, Bali:

Vintage postcard of a Terompong dance, Bali:

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:

MALAWI – Musiker Aus Malawi / Südliches Malawi – Museum Collection Berlin MC15

MALAWI
Musiker Aus Malawi / Südliches Malawi – Museum Collection Berlin MC15 – recorded by Gerhard Kubik in 1967, 1983 and 1984 (2 LPs)

Malawi is a landlocked country in southeastern Africa bordered by Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique. This unique double album recorded by Gerhard Kubik in 1967 and 1983-1984 and published by the distinguished Museum Collection Berlin, is an anthology of traditional and folk music from three regions of southern Malawi: the lower Shire River area; the eastern shore of Lake Malawi and the Zomba Plateau; and the Shire Highlands and the mountain areas of Mwanza. 

 

The music showcased in this collection features a variety of instruments, including xylophones (A1, A2, A3, C1, C2, C3), malimba lamellophones (A5, A6, B5), idiophones (D3), zithers (A4, B4, B6, B7, B8, B9, C4, C5, D1, D2), vocal music (B1, B2, B3, D4), a mouth bow (D5), an accordion (C6, C7), and neo-traditional Kwela street music from southern Africa by the renowned Kachamba Brothers singing and playing pennywhistle flutes, guitars and shakers (D6, D7, D8).

 

Le Malawi est un pays enclavé du sud-est de l'Afrique, bordé par la Tanzanie, la Zambie et le Mozambique. Ce double album, enregistré par Gerhard Kubik en 1967 et 1983-1984, puis publié par la prestigieuse Museum Collection Berlin, est une anthologie de la musique traditionnelle et folklorique de trois régions du sud du Malawi : la région en amont de la rivière Shire; la rive orientale du lac Malawi et le plateau de Zomba; ainsi que les hauts plateaux de Shire et les zones montagneuses de Mwanza. 

 

La musique présentée dans cette collection fait appel à une grande variété d'instruments, notamment des xylophones (A1, A2, A3, C1, C2, C3), des lamellophones malimba (A5, A6, B5), des idiophones (D3), des cithares (A4, B4, B6, B7, B8, B9, C4, C5, D1, D2), de la musique vocale (B1, B2, B4, D4), un arc à bouche (D5), de l'accordéon (C6, C7) et de la musique de rue Kwela d'Afrique australe, jouée par les célèbres frères Kachamba avec des flûtes pennywhistle, des guitares et des shakers (D6, D7, D8).

THE LOWER SHIRE RIVER AREA 
The Sena musical style on Side A and Side B (1-5) and the Mang’anja style on Side B (6-9):

 

A1 – Kukapanda Mbale Kumaliza

A2 – Makang'ombe

Eric Edison, ulimba xylophone ensemble; recorded in Mpomba, Nsanje District, March 1967.

 

A3 – Panagona Diminga

Johnny Zuze, valimba xylophone ensemble; recorded in Ntoma Mbini, Nsanje District, May 1967.

 

A4 – Wachelera Mabasa

Luka Motokale, bangwe board zither; recorded in Nsanje, March 1967.

 

A5 – Ntalimba

A6 – Kwa Nthole

Dayi Masitine, malimba lamellophone; recorded in Ziwe-Ziwe, Nsanje District, May 1967.

 

B1 – Chigolingo vocal technique used during the pounding of maize

B2 – Chigolingo jodel song used during the pounding of maize

Fainesi; recorded in Ntoma Mbini, Nsanje District, May 1967.

 

B3 – Ntano polyphonic song

Mahomed Kawonza; recorded in Chipwembwe, near Nsanje, March 1967.

 

B4 – Bandera  

Chamboko Chinamulungu, bangwe board zither; recorded near the Mozambique border, Nsanje District, May 1967.

 

B5 – Kabutera

Dzingo Chiningamphale, malimba lamellophone; recorded in Chambuluka, Nsanje District, June 1967.

 

B6 – Ndanyani 

B7 – Kulankhula-Lankhula Kwanuku

B8 – Kugwira Mikanda Kwina Ntidya...

B9 – Kwa ChaGoma

Limited Mfundo, bangwe board zither; recorded at Hetherwick House, Presbyterian Mission, Blantyre, March 1967.

 

THE EASTERN SHORE OF LAKE MALAWI & THE ZOMBA PLATEAU

Yao (Wayao) musician-composers (Side C):

 

C1 – Maguluve Kumala Imanga...

C2 – Kung'anda Kwa Anyamata

C3 – Ulendo Wa Kumigunda

Waisoni Msusa, mangolongondo xylophone school; recorded in Nkopiti, Mangochi District, July 1983.

 

C4 – Najiwa

Finlat Yona, sese flat-bar zither; recorded in Chiluwe, Zomba District, February 1984.

 

C5 – Untitled

Yona Nnema, sese flat-bar zither; recorded in Malonge, Zomba District, March 1984.

 

C6 – Siombela

C7 – M'bwiza

Jonas Chapola, accordion, M’bwiza music; recorded in Malamya, Mangochi District, August 1983.

 

THE SHIRE HIGHLANDS AND THE MOUNTAINS AREAS OF MWANZA

Mainly inhabited by the Maravi people, including the Chewa and Nyanja (Side D):

 

D1 – Wafa Nintima, Katalika

D2 – Sabwerna Edina

Mulimanthewe, bango board zither; recorded in Chakhumbira, Mwanza District, April 1967.

 

D3 – Sansi Music

Mulimanthewe, sansi idiophone; recorded in Chakhumbira, Mwanza District, April 1967.

 

D4 – Kangalile Nkanyanga

Nasibeko J. Kachamba, Nthano story song; recorded in Singano, Blantyre District, March 1967.

 

D5 – Nkangala Music

Emery, nkangala mouth bow; recorded in Singano, Blantyre District, October 1967.

 

D6 – Vula Matambo

Daniel J. Kachamba, hauyani ‘slide’ guitar; recorded in Blantyre, March 1967.

 

D7 – Anifa Love Me

D8 – Anifa Waiting For Me

Daniel J. Kachamba & his Brothers, recorded in Blantyre, March 1967.

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Gerhard Kubik (born 1934) is an Austrian music ethnologist who studied ethnology, musicology, and African languages at the University of Vienna. Since 1958, he has regularly traveled to Africa to conduct fieldwork and research, and has published over 300 articles and books on Africa and African Americans, particularly in Venezuela and Brazil. He has amassed the world's largest collection of African traditional music, with over 25,000 recordings archived at the Phonogrammarchiv Wien in Vienna. He also plays clarinet with a kwela jazz ensemble that has performed in Europe and Brazil.

More great 1960's Kwela music by the Kachamba Brothers:

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: