On this album from the multinational
ARC records the great master of the sarangi,
Ustad Sabri Khan, performs two
ragas: the first being the Karnatic
"Raga Vachaspati" and the second being
"Raga Jog." "Raga Vachaspati" is an evening
raga, and
"Raga Jog" an early-night
raga. Accompanying on this album are
Sabri Khan's two sons --
Kamal Sabir on second sarangi and
Sarvar Sabri on tabla. The music has an ethereal quality to it, partially due to the instrumentation itself (sarangis are very good for such an effect, especially in combination with tanpuras), and partially due to the way in which the dual sarangis tend to hold melodic lines close to one another and give a sort of forced reverb to the sound. The skill on the album is incredible (
Ustad does signify a master of an art), and should be given at least one spin by any fan of
Indian classical. For those who aren't yet fans of the style, something a little less formal may be a better start though (say, some of
Ravi Shankar's works). ~ Adam Greenberg
