The Dawn of Indian Music in the West

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CONTENTS i. Acknowledgments;
1. Bhairavi: An Introduction;
2. Nada Brahma: God Is Sound;
3. West Meets East: Yehudi Menuhin, Ravi Shankar, and Ali Akbar Khan;
4. Swara Samrat: Ali Akbar Khan;
5. Tal Mala: Mickey Hart;
6. Essence of Rhythm: Alla Rakha and Zakir Hussain;
7. Music in Motion: Philip Glass;
8. Mind Gardens: David Crosby and Roger McGuinn;
9. The Inner Light: George Harrison;
10. With a Little Help from My Friends: Jim Keltner;
11. Tal Tantra: Tanmoy Bose;
12. Mumbai Maestro: Zubin Mehta;
13. The Philosopher's Hand: Terry Riley;
14. Indo-Blue Impressions: John Coltrane and the Birth of Indo-Jazz.
15. Karuna Supreme: The Post-Coltrane Indo-Jazz Movement;
16. A Goal Beyond: John McLaughlin;
17. Sacred Channel: Bill Laswell;
18. Divine Pastime: Cheb i Sabbah;
19. Suns of Sitar: Vilayat and Shujaat Khan;
20. Jewels of Maihar: The Ali Akbar College of Music;
21. Jugalbandi: Shubhendra Rao and Saskia Rao-de Haas;
22. Ancient Love: Anoushka Shankar;
23. Full Circle: Ravi Shankar;
24. Sarang: An Afterword;
25. Glossary;
26. Bibliography Index.

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A little more than fifty years ago, in 1955, Ali Akbar Khan issued an LP called "Music of India: Morning and Evening Ragas", with spoken introduction by violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Until then, Indian music was terra incognita in the West. When the same album was reissued as a CD in 1995, under the title "Then and Now", it was nominated for a Grammy. Between "then and now" has been the explosive influence of Indian music and culture in the West. Words such as karma, yoga, raga, nirvana, all once unknown here, have entered the language. Most famously, the wonders of the Indian - musical world were spread by George Harrison and the Beatles. The music also had a profound effect on Mickey Hart and the Grateful Dead, John McLaughlin (Mahavishnu Orchestra), the Byrds, John Coltrane and many others. The annus mirabilis 1967 saw the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi spreading the wonders of transcendental meditation, Swami Prabhupada founding the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in New York City and the growing influence of Ravi Shankar. Four years later, George Harrison organized the groundbreaking Concert for Bangladesh, the first charity event of rock. Shankar had already wowed audiences at the Monterey Pop Festival, and he achieved stardom at the Madison Square Garden event (where Westerners, new to the sounds they heard, applauded after the musicians had finished tuning their instruments!). Peter Lavezzoli, a Buddhist and a musician, has a rare ability to articulate the personal feeling of music and at the same time narrate a history. In his discussion on Indian - music theory, he demystifies musical structures, foreign instruments, terminology and the Eastern - musical framework. Lavezzoli has interviewed more than a score of musicians, including Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, David Crosby, Philip Glass, Zakir Hussain, Mickey Hart, Zubin Mehta, and John McLaughlin. These interviews add an unforgettable immediacy and authority throughout the book. The chapters on the relationships between Indian music and jazz, rock and electronic music will be judged definitive. A glossary and rare photos further enhance a fascinating story.

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