Ananda Shankar: From covering The Rolling Stones to jamming with Hendrix: Meet The Man Who Invented ‘World Music’ and ‘Global Sounds’
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Ananda Shankar, a virtuoso sitarist and one of the pioneers of the now fashionable ‘global music’, was one of the biggest names in the Indian Classical scene and who also had global recognition.
Born in a family with a rich lineage (with Ravi Shankar as his uncle) he very quickly mastered the sitar and by the time Ravi was blowing George and the rest of the Beatles’ mind, Ananda was also preparing for his journey to the United States, where he was bestowed with the responsibility of teaching the great Jimi Hendrix a thing or two about this classic instrument.
Once he reached there they would jam on for weeks at a time, with Shankar playing his sitar while Hendrix, completely mesmerized and awestruck with his highly sophisticated instrument and the complex ragas that he chose to play on it, tries to play along on his famous electric guitar.
And even though Ananda would initially reject the offer to cut an album, unsure about the nature of music that might result from this collaboration, within the next year he would release his first album (self-titled) under an American record label thus starting his lifelong journey with experimental and fusion music.
Since then he has always tried to find new sounds and push the boundaries of conventional music.
He is the one who truly showcased the range and beauty of Indian classical music, choosing always to keep the spotlight on it. His illustrious discography also includes sitar covers of The Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and The Doors' "Light My Fire".
Coming back to the county, he would expand his experimental style of songwriting with evocative sound designs for Mrinal Sen’s films and form his orchestral fusion band.
And now… Behold! The quirky Sa-Re-Ga Machan (1981) emerged from their performance at the high-profile launch of the Taj Mansingh (and its safari-themed restaurant Machan) in Delhi.
Ananda's cheesy tribute to the animal kingdom. All his years of 'classical training' are tossed in the bin, and his Led Zeppelin influence has long been forsaken favoring the James Last Orchestra.
He has a style that has riveted together all the various aspects of eastern and western culture that results in a mixture not quite as good as either, but in a way is far more entertaining!
Click here to checkout 'Sa Re Ga Machan' record!
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