Nikhil Banerjee – From the Concert Hall – Raga Sindhura & Raga Adana – His Master's Voice – ECSD 2600, released 1979 (LP)
Nikhil Banerjee (1931–1986), a towering 20th-century sitar virtuoso and a leading exponent of the Maihar gharana, was born into a musical Bengali Hindu Brahmin family in Kolkata. He was introduced to the instrument at age five by his father and grandfather, both of whom were sitarists. He quickly emerged as a prodigy, winning the All-Bengal sitar competition at age nine and performing on All India Radio in Kolkata.
Around 1946–1947, the great vocalist Amir Khan (1912-1974) regularly visited the Banerjee household to teach his older sister. During these visits, the young Nikhil Banerjee absorbed the master’s vocal phrasing, style, and musical philosophy, sparking a lifelong reverence for the Hindustani vocal tradition that would deeply shape his own sitar playing.
Banerjee studied with several distinguished musicians, including Mushtaq Ali Khan (1911-1989) and Jnan Prakash Ghosh (1909-1997). The decisive turning point came in 1947 when he became a disciple of Baba Allauddin Khan (1881-1972), the legendary sarod maestro and founder of the Maihar gharana. The venerable guru’s son, the renowned sarod player Ali Akbar Khan (1922–2009), later continued Banerjee’s training.
This mellifluous From the Concert Hall live album released in 1979 (unspecified venue and recording date), featuring Kishen Maharaj (1923-2008) on tabla, exemplifies Banerjee's extraordinary mastery of melody and rhythm combined with free-flowing emotion, depth, nuance and vitality.
Nikhil Banerjee (1931-1986), virtuose du sitar hors pair du XXe siècle et figure de proue du Maihar gharana, est né à Kolkata au sein d’une famille hindoue brahmane amateur de musique. Il découvre le sitar à l’âge de cinq ans grâce à son père et à son grand-père, qui étaient tous deux sitaristes. Il se révéla rapidement être un enfant prodige, remportant le concours du All-Bengal sitar à l’âge de neuf ans, et se produisant sur les ondes d’All India Radio à Calcutta dès son plus jeune âge.
Vers 1946-1947, le grand chanteur Amir Khan (1912-1974) se rendait régulièrement chez les Banerjee pour donner des cours à sa sœur aînée. Au cours de ces visites, le jeune Nikhil Banerjee s’imprégna du phrasé vocal, du style et de la philosophie musicale du maître, ce qui suscita en lui une admiration durable pour la tradition vocale d’Inde du nord qui allait profondément influencer son propre jeu de sitar.
Après avoir étudié auprès de plusieurs musiciens de renom, notamment Mushtaq Ali Khan (1911-1989) et Jnan Prakash Ghosh (1909-1997), un tournant décisif survint en 1947 lorsque Banerjee devint le disciple de Baba Allauddin Khan (1881-1972), le légendaire maître du sarod et fondateur du Maihar gharana. Le fils de ce dernier, le célèbre joueur de sarod Ali Akbar Khan (1922-2009), poursuivit par la suite sa formation.
Cet excellent album live publié en 1979 (lieu et date d’enregistrement non précisés), avec Kishen Maharaj (1923-2008) aux tablas, illustre parfaitement son extraordinaire maîtrise de la mélodie et du rythme, alliée à une émotion fluide, une profondeur subtile et une remarquable vitalité.
My other sitar music posts:
Nikhil Banerjee – HMV EASD 1342, 1969 here
Nikhil Banerjee – HMV EASD 1377, 1972 here
Nikhil Banerjee – HMV EASD 1378, 1973 here
Vilayat Khan – HMV EALP 1259, 1961 here
Vilayat Khan – Capitol Records ST 10514, 1969 here
Enayat Khan – Megaphone EJNG, 45 RPM, 1930s here
Imrat Khan – HMV EASD 1345, 1969 here
Budhaditya Mukherjee – Melodiya C80-18043-4, 1979 here
The Great Tradition – Masters of Music – His Master's Voice – EALP 1453/1452, including Vilayat Khan and a Ravi Shankar–Ali Akbar Khan duet here
Mohammad Sharif Khan Poonch Wala – BM 30 L 2029 here
Photograph below is from Cleveland Museum of Art: www.clevelandart.org/art/collection/search:
Yoga Narashimha, Vishnu in his Man-Lion Avatar, c. 1250 South India, late Chola period (900–1200s).
“Narasimha means “man-lion” in Sanskrit, and is the name of one of the ten main avatars, or incarnations, of the Hindu god Vishnu. For devotees, the man-lion form recalls a myth that describes his superhuman defeat of a seemingly invincible demonic foe. This rare iconic form also embodies royal power and yogic discipline.”
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