Cal Performances presents Ravi Shankar & Anoushka Shankar
Zellerbach Hall Auditorium,
U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94305 USA
7 PM, Sunday, April 29, 2007

This is a 16bit 44.1khz file set

Recorded by Jean Lerond

#### Source Details

* DPA4023 cardioids (~90 degrees, 15.5 cm) >
* Sound Devices MP-2 Portable Stereo Microphone Preamplifier >
* Sony SBM-1 AD @ 16-bits, 44.1 kHz >
* Sonic Studios modified Sony PCM-M1 DAT @ 16-bits, 44.1 kHz (record)

#### Transfer Details 2017-03-30 DAT xfr to computer
* Fostex D5 DAT (playback of DAT Master) @ 16-bits, 44.1 kHz (S/PDIF optical out) >
* Sony Sound Forge 11.0e build 299 (record, trim, save MASTER) > FLAC
* Audacity tracking and minor cleanup as needed


## Performers

* Nick Able (http://nickablemusic.com/): treble tanpura;
* Tanmoy Bose (http://www.tanmoybose.com/): tabla;
* Ravichandra Kulur (https://www.facebook.com/ravichandra.kulur): bansuri flute;
* (unidentified #1): tanpura;
* (unidentified #2): tanpura;
* Barry Phillips (http://www.barryphillipsmusic.com/): treble tanpura;
Sri Sangini: bass tanpura
* Anoushka Shankar (http://www.anoushkashankar.com/): sitar;
* Ravi Shankar (http://ravishankar.org/): sitar.

Cal Performances: http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/


## Set One

01. announcements 02:43.07
02. Anoushka introduces 1st Piece - Rag Madhuvani 00:31.25
03. Alap and Jor 17:13.00
04. Gat in Rupak Tal (7 beats, 3-2-2) 19:27.66
05. Anoushka introduces 2nd Piece- Rag Charukeshi 00:39.15
06. Alap, Jor and Gat 11:31.64

## Set Two

07. set 2 tuning and Ravi introduction 3rd piece - Rag Bihari 04:00.24
08. Alap and Jor 19:04.13
09. Gat in Sardha Tal (10.5 beats, 4-4-2+1/2) 11:04.34
10. artist introduction 02:13.47
11. Ravi introduces 4th Piece- Rag Mishra Pilu, in semiclassical style 02:25.30
12. Alap, Jor and Gat 33:46.00

Total: 124:40.25



## Performance Notes

1. Help with Rag names appreciated
2. Recently recovered from double pneumonia, Ravi only performed during the second set tonight, and he played from a bench rather than sitting cross-legged on a dais like usual.

Monya De posted an ethusiastic (http://www.eastbayexpress.com/CultureSpyBlog/archives/2007/05/01/day-after-show-review-sick-shankar-serenades-berkeley-with-sitar) of the show in the East Bay Express.

"Legendary Indian musician beats back pneumonia to amaze Zellerbach with 18-stringed instruments and decades of experience. By Monya De That Ravi Shankar appeared at Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall Sunday night was a miracle.

After a luminous set by his 25-year-old daughter Anoushka, the revered sitarist who introduced the world to Indian music walked onstage to a standing ovation before he played a note. Taking the microphone, the star informed the audience that he had recently battled a double pneumonia that threatened to silence him forever. As Shankar soon demonstrated, it takes more than a virus to squash the sound that transformed no less than the Beatles.

The 87-year-old played an entrancing series of ragas, the Indian instrumental song style that is less rhythm and meter than emotion and spirituality. The sitar is an eighteen-stringed instrument that lets the player dance between and around the common Western twelve-toned scale, and Shankar interspersed technically demanding runs with full, yearning notes. In his hands, the instrument was like a young woman singing. It was easy to understand why legions of hippies made his music part of their psychedelic experiences in the '60s. His connection with young sitarist Anoushka was magical; their sitars spoke as one. His third raga in particular highlighted the complexity of the art form; dissonance and off-rhythms challenged even the most astute musicians, and the two displayed their improvisational abilities. The result was an exciting mix of new sounds and rhythms.

Tanmoy Bose provided virtuoso accompaniment on tabla, and shone when he drummed in the cloying call-and-response with both Shankars that built and built thrillingly. Ravichandra Kulur's solos on the bansuri flute were haunting, with notes so throaty and textured they could have been coming from a clarinet.

Anoushka Shankar has come into her own as a musician with identity. She contrasts her father's ethereal style (as well as the jazz stylings of half-sister Norah Jones) with assertive attacks on each note, tense pizzicatos and razor-sharp grace notes. The tension between artist and instrument was showcased; the message seemed to be "This sitar isn't going to play itself." She did great justice to one of Ravi's compositions, a raga she described as "very sweet." Radiant in a coral salwar kameez and huge gold earrings with her hair bobbed, her long fingers skipped up and down the sitar that looked bigger than her own body. When she reached to the top of the instrument to tune using the kunti, she evoked the powerful, many-handed Hindu goddess Durga. Her demeanor was serious initially, then her body began to undulate with the rhythms onstage as she traded musical cues with Bose and Kulur.

When the audience leaped to its feet on Shankar's final note, he immediately launched into a dhun or freeform piece that showcased his sensuality and musicianship once more. "We will play whatever comes to mind," Shankar said. The final notes sounded, and Ravi and Anoushka Shankar rose with ear-to-ear grins, beaming gratitude for life and for music, to the raucous cheers of Zellerbach."

Brandy Gamoning posted a (http://archive.dailycal.org/article.php?id=24930) of the show in the Daily Californian.

"Ravi Shankar Shows Zellerbach He’s Still the Master Thursday, May 3, 2007

Before making it even two steps out of the wings, Ravi Shankar was greeted by thunderous applause and a standing ovation in Zellerbach Hall on Sunday night. Barefoot and clad in richly-colored traditional garb, the man synonymous with the sitar received the admiration with humility and grace.

Shankar discussed his serious bout with pneumonia to apologize for not sitting on the floor in the traditional manner with the rest of the musicians, but no one minded as they honored him with two more standing ovations before the night was over.

The audience’s combined enthusiasm to see Shankar before he played one note illustrates his wide appeal and international reputation. With a sold-out show and many desperately trying to find tickets amongst the crowd, the scene outside Zellerbach before the curtain rose seemed less like a sitar recital as part of Cal Performance’s World Stage, and more like a rock concert in the Greek Theatre. Indeed, if there were a rock star of traditional Indian music, it would be Shankar, who inspired the Beatles and has had a prolific career making music for the film and stage.

For his two and a half hour performance, Shankar was joined by his daughter. No, not Norah Jones, but Anoushka Shankar, a world-class sitar player in her own right. Before the elder Shankar took the stage, Anoushka played a few compositions, including one written by her father for her 1998 self-titled debut album. Other than these short introductory tidbits, the night’s program was a mystery. Both Shankars attempted to explain the pieces’ names and musical characteristics, but they were not printed in the program, so most of these details were lost on anyone without a background in traditional Indian music.

While Anoushka may have inherited her father’s musical talent and appreciation for traditional instruments, she lacked his stage presence. However, her set was still enjoyable because of the obvious joy she took in performing. Despite her slow compositions, she nodded and swayed, clearly enjoying the solos and her accompanists. Such delight was contagious, and by the end of her set, the audience was having fun and itching to see Anoushka’s father.

After the first of many standing ovations, the elder Shankar began a marathon of songs. Each longer than the one before it, they were epic adventures made up of intricate strumming and precise rhythm. One must admire the stamina it took to churn out several songs longer than 20 minutes. Especially impressive was the elderly Shankar’s vigor, who tapped his foot and became increasingly animated as the show wore into its final hour. To see him perform, even now, is to catch a glimpse of what Shankar must have been when he inspired George Harrison and introduced the sitar to popular music.

Though the lack of chord progressions in traditional Indian music can sometimes lead to a droning experience, the show was filled with surprises. Shankar, known for his quick playing, could almost be described as shredding on her sitar, which perked up the audience late in the show. The last composition was the highlight, combining traditional music’s wandering quality with upbeat and eclectic elements.

Equally entrancing was the talented drummer Tommy Bose, who played the small hand drums called tables equally fast. Bose’s quick flicks and taps on the tables added complexity and layering to the sometimes monotonous sitar-playing. His solo in the closing number was such a high point and incited so much applause that if it were it not for Shankar’s star power, Bose would have stolen the show.

While Anoushka and Bose both learned from the best, Ravi proved the students will never surpass their teacher with his high levels of enthusiasm, showmanship and musical prowess. After Shankar finished the night with just as much, it is obvious why his merely stepping on stage could charm so many people into multiple standing ovations."



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length expanded size cdr WAVE problems fmt ratio filename
2:43.07 28769708 B --- -- ---xx flac 0.3963 01. announcements.flac
0:31.25 5527244 B --- -- ---xx flac 0.3960 02. Anoushka introduces 1st Piece - Rag Madhuvani.flac
17:13.00 182221244 B --- -- ---xx flac 0.4161 03. Alap and Jor.flac
19:27.66 206014076 B --- -- ---xx flac 0.4497 04. Gat in Rupak Tal (7 beats, 3-2-2).flac
0:39.15 6914924 B --- -- ---xx flac 0.3569 05. Anoushka introduces 2nd Piece- Rag Charukeshi.flac
11:31.64 122042972 B --- -- ---xx flac 0.3902 06. Alap, Jor and Gat.flac
4:00.24 42392492 B --- -- ---xx flac 0.3955 07. set 2 tuning and Ravi introduction 3rd piece - Rag Bihari.flac
19:04.13 201832220 B --- -- ---xx flac 0.3787 08. Alap and Jor.flac
11:04.34 117209612 B --- -- ---xx flac 0.4478 09. Gat in Sardha Tal (10.5 beats, 4-4-2+1:2).flac
2:13.47 23571788 B --- -- ---xx flac 0.3803 10. artist introduction.flac
2:25.30 25648604 B --- -- ---xx flac 0.2806 11. Ravi introduces 4th Piece- Rag Mishra Pilu, in semiclassical style.flac
33:46.00 357386444 B --- -- ---xx flac 0.3880 12. Alap, Jor and Ga.flac
124:40.25 1319531328 B 0.4037 (12 files)


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