Side 1:
"Thamathamen" (Tamil) (22:58)
Raga: Todi, Tala: Adi
Composer: Sri Papanasam Sivan
Side 2:
"Sivakameshwarim" (Sanskrit) (18:20)
Raga: Kalyani, Tala: Adi
Composer: Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar
Thanks to Zwan and Arvind for sharing this LP.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Munir Sarhadi (1922-1980) - Sarinda - Music from Peshawar - Cassette from Pakistan
Recorded and published by National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, Islamabad, Pakistan. Originally published on LP as "Sarinda - Sound of Khyber Valley" by EMI Pakistan (LKDE-20009). Later republished as this cassette with two additional tracks (not mentioned in the list of tracks).
Side 1:
1. Dance Tune (5:37)
2. Sakhni (6:12)
3. Khyber Laugari (6:16)
4. Dance Tune (6:06)
5. extra track (5:01)
Side 2:
1. Khattak Dance on Sarinda (6:25)
2. Sandra (5:19)
3. Qizilbashi (5:35)
4. Nimkaee (5:03)
5. Loba (4:09)
6. extra track (4:04)
By Shaikh Aziz
A music concert is on, continuing till the wee hours of the morning. Many vocalists and instrumentalists are showing their skills. Every performer thinks that his was the best performance on the stage. One girl in the audience is overwhelmed by the performance of an instrumentalist and becomes such an admirer that she falls in love with him. Cupid’s arrow has done it’s work and one fine day they tie the nuptial knot.
Incidentally, this happened in Delhi, a little before Independence. The artist was Munir Sarhadi, the sarinda virtuoso who won laurels in the country and abroad, and the girl was Banu Begum, who attended a concert in Delhi, filled with a galaxy of vocalists and instrumentalists from all over the subcontinent. A young Munir had gone there with his illustrious father, Ustad Pazeer Khan, who was employed by the All India Radio at that time.
Munir Sarhadi, the Peshawar-born musician, later rose to fame not only in Pakistan but also won laurels abroad. A winner of the Pride of Performance, the legendary instrumentalist was perhaps the only artist after his father who achieved that recognition in playing the traditional instrument. Paradoxically, his death in 1980, was marked by utter poverty and neglect — an end most of our artists often meet.
Munir was born in 1922. His father was the great scion of sarinda players of Pushto music. In his childhood he showed no interest in learning the instrument which was not liked by some of his family elders. His father left for Delhi where he had gotten a job at the All India Radio. His uncle and custodian, Khushmir Khan tried to persuade him to learn the music but all in vain. One day, a dejected Munir left Peshawar and travelled to his father’s city. His father did not want to teach him and took him to Ustad Afzal Hussain, one of his colleagues at the radio. There Munir began learning vocal music.
It is then that the young boy developed interest in sarinda. When his father left for work everyday, he would pick up the sarinda and start practising it. This continued for quite some time. One day his father came a bit earlier than his scheduled time and was stunned to see that Munir was playing the instrument with great skill. Ustad Pazeer Khan was so overjoyed that he gave his own sarinda to Munir and then began teaching him the intricacies of music and sarinda playing. With the skill he saw in his son, Ustad Pazeer Khan knew what lay ahead for Munir.
Soon after, the father and son decided to visit Peshawar for a vacation. It was also a family reunion and obviously in a family of musicians there had to be music. Munir’s family was astonished to see him pick up the sarinda and play it. The masterly handling of the bow and strings produced such scintillating compositions that everybody was enthralled. To see the young lad, who was not interested in music, playing like a wizard, was no less than a miracle.
After a short stay at Peshawar, both the father and son went back to Delhi where they played the instruments and also sang thumries and ghazals at various concerts, to supplement the earning. At one concert when Munir began playing the sarinda everybody in the audience was taken over by its magic. One veiled girl was simply mesmerised. She began attending every concert of Munir and ultimately both tied the knot.
When Independence took place Delhi became a hotbed of violence, and with the help of a friend in the army the family managed to reach Pakistan safely and decided to settle in Lahore. Finding no place at Radio Pakistan, Lahore and roaming jobless for quite some time, they finally moved to Peshawar in very poor conditions.
Here the father and son were able to get jobs in Radio Pakistan. In 1949 Ustad Pazeer Khan died of respiratory disorder and it was now Munir Sarhadi who had to advance the tradition of sarinda playing. Munir, through his strenuous riyaz and able guidance of the father, had become a master of sarinda and was in great demand all over Pakistan. He attended almost all the concerts and music festivals that used to be held at various centres. The PIA Academy, which was established to promote art and culture of the country, took him to various parts of the world including China as member of the troupe where his performance was highly applauded.
Munir Sarhadi’s technique was very imaginative. He played every raga and folk composition with masterly ease. Sarinda, the fretless stringed instrument, is comparatively a difficult instrument in the string family as it has little space between the bridge and knobs, and requires extra ability to produce the three octaves. Munir, through his extra effort, easily acquired this skill and played classical taans to folk lehra as an accomplished performer. He had the ability to sing, play and also compose music. He was so engrossed in the music and sarinda that he hardly passed a day without playing it after he decided to learn it and make it a living. While his father excelled in folk tunes and classical music, Munir created a fusion of the two. This is evident from the films Dara-i-Khyber, Baghi and some other films of which he composed the music. He blended classical music with some variations from Pushto music and vice versa. For his services towards the promotion of music, he was awarded the Pride of Performance.
Personally he was a simple, hard working and dedicated person. He had no greed for money and worldly comforts. Throughout his life his main concern was music. He longed for the company of the learned. Perhaps this was the reason that in the last days of his life he lived a miserable life. As usual, our bureaucratic clique, societies and the so-called organizations meant for the promotion of art remained unmoved, while the maestro was on his deathbed. His only source of living, the radio salary was not enough to provide him the medicines and on May 23, 1980 he died in abject poverty, yet with honour and dignity, leaving behind an invaluable contribution towards music. After his death only one of his sons, Aijaz Sarhadi has kept up the family tradition of sarinda playing and is known well in the Pakistani music world.—DAWN
See about the instrument:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarinda (in German)
Monday, August 29, 2011
Al-Haj 'Abd al-Karim al-Rais - Vol. 3 - Classical Arabo-Andalusian Music from Fes, Morocco - Cassette (Fassi Disque) from Morrocco
Al-Haj 'Abd al-Karim al-Rais & the Brihi Ensemble from Fes, the most famous ensemble of Arabo-Andalusian music, which is the classical music of Morocco. Here you can read more about this tradition and 'Abd al-Karim al-Rais (in French).
Side 1:
Nouba 'Iraq Al-'Ajam, Inshad (Solo vocal improvisation) by Abdel Fattah Bennis (30:32)
Side 2:
Nouba Al-Isbihan, Mawwal (Solo vocal improvisation) by Abdel Majid Bouzwadah (?) (30:21)
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Ustad Amir Muhammad (1931-1997) - Vol. 1 - HMC 375 - Cassette from Afghanistan
Legendary Ghazal singer from Kabul
For more information about the singer see the excellent recent book with CD:
John Baily – Songs from Kabul: The Spiritual Music of Ustad Amir Mohammad,
SOAS Musicology Series
The book can be obtained from:
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Al-Moqri Al-Haj Muhammad al-Barraq - Amdah wa Ibtihalat min Inshad - Tichkaphone TCK 845 - Cassette from Morocco
Another cassette of religious/Sufi singing in Arabo-Andalusian style from the Munshid Muhammad al-Barraq.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Shamsuddin Faridi Desai (1938-2011) - Rudra Veena - Raga Bhupali & Raga Darbari Kanada - All India Radio - National Program 3.3.2001
As there are only very few recordings by the Ustad,
here a National Program from All India Radio, Delhi, broadcast on 3.3.2001
Shamsuddin Faridi Desai - Rudra Veena
Ramkishor Das - Pakhawaj
1. Raga Bhupali (28:32)
2. Raga Darbari Kanada (28:45)
Friday, August 19, 2011
Vilayat Khan - Sitar - Music of India - Vol. 3 - French edition of HMV EALP 1298 (1965)
Vilayat Khan - Sitar
Nizamuddin Khan - Tabla
Side 1:
Raga Barawa (19:07)
Side 2:
Raga Shankara (10:08)
Dhun in Gara (8:29)
Cover of the original Indian edition (EALP 1298):
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Rudra Veena Maestro Shamsuddin Faridi Desai (1938-2011) passes away - In his memory: Raag Hijaj Bhairav, All India Radio Delhi, July 1983
Miya Shamsuddin Faridi Desai passes away in Delhi
08/17/2011 13:49
Indian/Maldives
Miya Shamsuddin Faridi Desai, amongst the last surviving Beenkars, passed away in Delhi at 10:00 am IST on August 16, 2011 after a brief illness. He was the son and disciple of Ustad Mohammad Khan Faridi Desai, a prominent Beenkar of yesteryears, associated with several princely states of Gujarat.
Miya Shamsuddin served a major part of his life as a Been and Sitar player with the All India Radio Orchestra, and acquired an international following as a Beenkar after his retirement. His CDs of Been performances have been published by Makar Records, France, and India Archive Music Ltd., New York.
http://www.shadjamadhyam.com/miya_shamsuddin_faridi_desai
See about him:
In his memory:
Shamsuddin Faridi Desai (Rudra Veena)
Gopal Das (Pakhawaj)
Raag Hijaj Bhairav (27:41)
All India Radio Delhi, July 1983
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Ustad Faiyaz Khan Sahib (1886-1950) - Raga Desi & Raga Gour Malhar - An All India Radio Release - HMV STC 04B 7525 (1991) - Cassette from India
Side A:
Raga Desi: Alap (14:26)
Raga Desi: Dhamar (6:38)
Side B:
Raga Desi: Drut Khayal (6:37)
Raga Gour Malhar: Khayal (13:33)
Monday, August 15, 2011
Ahmed Şahin - Ezan Kamet Müezzinlik (Adhan Iqamat Muezzin) - Cassette from Turkey
Adhan (Ezan) is the call to prayer from the Minaret, Iqamat (Kamet) is the call to prayer in the Mosque immediately before the prayer. Here are performed both for the 5 daily prayers in different Maqams as well as some recitations connected to them. At the end some Sufi songs (Ilahis).
Ahmed Şahin is a well known Ney player and Sufi singer and the Imam of a Mosque in Istanbul.
We posted already another Adhan cassette by him:
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Sufiana Kalam - Classical Instrumental & Vocal Music from Kashmir - Concert Freiburg (Germany), 16th june 1984
Ustad Ghulam Muhammad Qalinbaf (Vocal & Setar)
Abdul Rahman Lohn (Vocal & Setar)
Mushtaq Ahmed (Santur)
Muhammad Yaqub (Tabla)
As this musical tradition, which is closer to Central Asian Maqam traditions than to India, is nearly extinct and recordings are extremely rare, we post here a radio broadcast of a concert.
For more information about this precious tradition see the excellent book:
Josef M. Pacholczyk - Sufyana Musiqi - The Classical Music of Kashmir, Intercultural Music Studies Vol.: 9, Book and Compact Disc, 216 p., 7 illustrations, 18 tab., 219 musical examples, index, bibliography, appendices, Hardcover, 13,5 x 21 cm, VWB Verlag, ISBN 3-86135-640-6
It can be obtained from:
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan (died 1949) - Raga Darbari Kanada - An All India Radio Release - HMV STC 850221 (1992) - Cassette from India
Raga Darbari Kanada
Side A (24:58) & Side B (24:36)
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Al-Haj Abd ar-Rahman ben Moussa - Al-Qur'an al-Karim - Tichkaphone TCK 677 - Cassette from Morocco
Quran recitation based on so-called "Andalusian" melodies,
a style which has almost completely disappeared.
Side 1:
Surat al-A'raf
Side 2:
Surat an-Nisa'
Friday, August 5, 2011
Al-Haj Abd ar-Rahman ben Moussa - Al-Qur'an al-Karim - Tichkaphone TCK 676 - Cassette from Morocco
Quran recitation based on so-called "Andalusian" melodies,
a style which has almost completely disappeared.
Side 1:
Surat al-Fatiha
Surat al-Baqara
Side 2:
Surat al-'Imran
Surat al-Jinn
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