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Artists:
Hariprasad Chaurasia (Bamboo Flutes)
Ronu Majumdar (Bamboo Flutes)
Tejendra Majumdar (Sarod)
Purbayan Chatterjee (Sitar)
CD 1
1. Raag Jhinjhoti - Ronu Majumdar
2. Raag Puriya - Purbayan Chatterjee
3. Raag Jaijavanti - Hariprasad Chaurasia
CD 2
1. Raag Kaunshi Kanada - Hariprasad Chaurasia
2. Raag Bageshri Kanada - Tejendra Majumdar
3. Raag Charukeshi - Ronu Majumdar
4. Raag Kedar - Ronu Majumdar
This new series of CDs from Sense World Music have been produced because of an overwhelming demand from professionals working in the area of yoga and relaxation for genuine music which comes from the heart.
People are tired of hearing pseudo spiritual music which in reality is made using modern synthesizers and samplers by producers who make a nice ethereal sound but create very little genuine musical substance.
The ancient sound of traditional Indian music comes from a different place it comes from lifetimes of dedication to the development of the music and links with the ancient spiritual culture of India, the birthplace of so many of the earth's deeper spiritual values.
The traditions of Indian classical music have links to the practices of nada yoga and are deeply interwoven with many aspects of spiritual life. It is said to have evolved from the ancient Vedas. One of the earliest musical forms, the thevarams which belong to the 7th Century, are religious lyrics, as are the divya prabandams which formed part of temple music. Temples were the earliest patrons of music along with royalty.
Temples were the hub of all cultural activity and artistic expression. Culture itself was rooted in religion. Music was considered one of the best forms of worship.
Nadopasana is considered a path to enlightenment and a method to serve the Supreme. The Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas all contain references to music.
The Musicians
The approach musicians take to their practice, to their instrument and even to the stage that they sit on, is one of devotion, humility, and a wish that the music they make touches the minds or souls of listeners in a special way. It is the intention of the musician to bring about more than a pleasant listening experience; the music can help us to link with a sense of inner space in which we can explore our positive potentialities and feelings.
This positive motivation by the musician helps in the creation of music which the listener has the potential to engage with on a deeper level, if they can let their mind become absorbed into the experience without distraction. This type of listening takes some patience at first, but if we take time out from our busy lives we gradually become more able to relax, let go and we find the benefits to our health and general mental state improve.
For some people the devotion used towards music was and still is considered to be a path to greater internal illumination, because the individual musician or devotee would dedicate all his or her creative expression to divine ends like an offering and a prayer so that he or she might attain spiritual wisdom and attainments.
It is true that for the development of more mental control at a deeper level we need to engage in correct, specific meditation practices so that this method may bring about a deeper spiritual experience and help the person attain even greater inner peace. This is achieved by learning to correctly identify and understand negative states of mind such as greed, miserliness, impatience and anger, attachment and ignorance. We consider their faults and then make determinations to abandon them. We then meditate on these determinations with single pointed concentration.
In a similar way we also learn to correctly identify the positive states of mind which produce good results such as love, compassion, patience, giving, non-attachment, and wisdom and then meditate on their benefits and hold the feeling or special understanding of these minds at our heart. In this way we gradually eradicate our negativities and cultivate our positive potentialities.
These types of meditation practices are usually taught extensively in Buddhist traditions, which again evolved in India, but can now be found worldwide.
So, we do not claim that listening to this music will guarantee deeper spiritual attainments and a calm mind filled with inner peace because that cannot be produced independently of your mind. That result will depend on your journey and how much you put in to exploring the path of the mind...the spiritual path.
In the meantime enjoy using this beautiful music as an aid to deeper relaxation and all the benefits that has on your health and general well-being.
May you find inner peace which is real happiness!
More about the music and musicians playing on this project
The music on this CD comes primarily from the development of ragas in what is known as the Alaap section of a traditional Indian classical music recital. We have chosen the ragas specifically to generate certain moods. Each Raga can take you on an emotional journey and they are usually linked to the seasons and time cycles of the day. The Alaap is a slow unfolding of the notes of the raga without using a specific time cycle or rhythm. It is this ambient approach which gives us the hypnotic timeless feel within the music.
The artists you will hear on the CDs are master musicians
Hariprasad Chaurasia
In Indian mythology, the flute is associated with Lord Krishna, whose divine music hypnotised his followers (gopis) into blind devotion. For almost half a century, Hariprasad Chaurasia has captured the hearts of his audiences, successfully transforming the flute from a marginalized folk instrument into an established part of the Indian Classical music scene.
He is universally regarded as the greatest living master of the Bansuri, the North Indian bamboo flute. Furthermore, he is the most prolific performer of Indian music today, in constant demand from fans and promoters for performances in all corners of the world.
Tejendra Narayan Majumdar
Tejendra Narayan Majumdar is one of the most influential and well-respected musicians in India today. He is one of the leading exponents of the Senia Maihar gharana, a musical 'family' which has produced giants such as Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan.
All great Indian musicians share a seemingly unlimited appetite for learning and self improvement, which continues throughout their career. After the death of his guru, although by then a popular performing artist in his own right, Tejendra has pursued musical training and guidance under the tutelage of the most revered Sarod legend, Ali Akbar Khan.
Through his own endeavours and practice and with the benefit of all these influences, Tejendra has successfully developed a unique style of playing incorporating the dynamic instrumental approach, tantrakari with the melodic, lyrical vocal style known as gayaki. His success in blending these two styles has made him one of the most sought after performing artists in India and abroad today.
Purbayan Chatterjee
Purbayan Chatterjee comes from a family steeped in the classical music tradition.
His father and guru Partha Chatterjee is a distinguished sitarist in his own right. In the tradition of the Senia Maihar gharana, founded by Baba Allaudin Khan, Purbayan's playing is an aesthetically satisfying combination of the best facets of "Dhrupad" and "Khayal", North India's two most established classical vocal forms.
In recent years Purbayan has had the benefit of guidance from Ustad Ali Akbar Khan,one of India's greatest sarod players, once described by Yehudi Menhuin as the finest musician of the twentieth century. At a young age he has already toured the world several times at the same time dazzling and delighting international music audiences. Through his fine releases with Sense World Music, he is now considered one of Indian's great sitarists.
Ronu Majumdar
Ronu Majumdar plays the bansuri or venu. It is the subcontinent's defining side-blown bamboo flute, an instrument of apparent simplicity yet of enormous sophistication. Ronu Majumdar plays bansuri in the Hindustani or Northern Indian style.
As a flautist, he is one of the very best India has to offer. His control of the breath is seamless and second to none and he has a remarkable ability to induce peacefulness into his music. He is respected as one of the greatest flute players of his generation.
Notes: Derek Roberts
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