Review        CD Information        Tracks        Liner Notes        Listen to Teen Taal

Review

Sense World Music is a new addition to the growing number of labels dedicated to Indian classical music. Started in 2002 Sense World is based in UK, with a studio in Gujarat. Many of the albums are live concert recordings of the Saptak Music Festival held every year in Ahmedabad, Gujarat every year in winter.

This CD by Pt. Bhavani Shankar is a live recording of the pakhawaj solo Saptak Concert in 2001. Perhaps the most well known pakhawaj player,Bhavani Shankar, has employed pakhawaj to great effect outside the dhrupad circle. He has accompanied khayal instrumentalists like Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia and Pt. Shivkumar Sharma. He has also played in fusion groups Shakthi along with Ustad Zakir Hussain. The solo pakhawaj CD is perhaps a first in Indian music history (there is one more of Bhavani Shankar by BMG Crescendo).

This CD features teen taal, with the first track presenting slow teen taal and the second presents fast teentaal. Bhavani Shankar starts reciting bols. He then plays the bols even as he recites the bols, giving listeners an idea of the sounds that represent the bols and the otherway round. Then the lehara of sarangi and harmoium join him and improvisations on madhyama laya teen taal follows.

The second track starts off again with Pt Shankar reciting the bols and playing them. He plays various compositions by his father, Pt. Babulalji, and his grand father, Pt Sundar Prasandji. Some of the bols are basically written for Kathak dance. Bhavani Shankar is as good at reciting the bols as he is at playing them on pakhawaj. That makes this CD really worthwhile.

Overall 4.0 stars for the music and 4.0 stars for the recording. Recommended.

CD Information

Tracks

Nu.	Title	Time	Music
1	Teen Taal - slow	17:07
2	Teen Taal - fast	28:11

Liner Notes

Good liner notes with a profile of the artist and explanation of the music.