VA - The Classical Indian Collection [2CD] (2003)

"A unique double CD exploring the many subtle connections that bridge Indian and Western classical music. Avoiding the more fashionable East-West fusion exemplified by the dance-floor Asian underground, it draws its downtempo, blissful power from strong arrangements (Talvin Singh), ethereal flutes (Hariprasad Chaurasia), hypnotic percussion (Zakir Hussain) and the languid, cascading notes of the sitar (Ravi Shankar). Sourced diversely from symphonic classical fusions, Indo-jazz projects, Hindi movie soundtracks and downtempo, more clubby fusions of the Asian diaspora, The Classical Indian Collection assembles the very best musicians and singers and the very best sounds. The recordings range across the decades, some dating from the 1960s (fusions involving Ravi Shankar and John Mayer); others from the most contemporary electronic hybrids (U Srinivas & Michael Brook, Tom Noble, Badmarsh And Shri). The familiar sounds of Indian classical music are here - from the sitar, tabla, the drone-like tampoura and the bowed sarangi - but also there are contributions from two instruments common to both Indian and European music - the violin (John Mayer, Yehudi Menuhin) and the flute (Rakesh Chaurasia and his father, the legendary Hariprasad). The Classical Indian Collection is a brilliant exposé of an organic musical tradition, whose roots date back thousands of years yet its practitioners sound absolutely contemporary."