Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan

Seminal recording (originally released in 1964) by the two men most responsible for opening the West to Indian music. Master of the sitar, Ravi Shankar (age 91) is, of course, famous for his legendary influence on the Beatles, but this recording was made for the American jazz label Prestige prior to their meeting. Perhaps lesser intertwined with the pop music world, Ali Akbar-Khan is nonetheless one of India’s greatest musicians, and the world’s best sarod player. Shankar and Khan play together on both ragas, backed by a tabla player and a tamboura player (Nodu C. Mullick on track 1, a highly respected highly respected instrument maker who made Shankar’s sitar).