Shankar
Who's to Know
ECM Records/Trio Records (Japan) 1981
PAP-25513 (LP) gatefold jacket, obi, insert
sleeve : EX (light rubbing on some sides/corners)
media : EX+/EX+ (some slight surface noise in parts)
This is the 1981 debut album by Lakshminarayana Shankar, a musician from Madras, South India, active primarily in the United States, released on ECM. It is dedicated to guitarist John McLaughlin, a close friend with whom he has performed numerous times, including in groups like Shakti. Zakir Hussain also participates. Each side features one long track exceeding 20 minutes. Shankar showcases South Indian classical music with incredible tension on his self-designed double-neck 10-string violin. The intensely resonating double violin and Zakir Hussain's solid tabla fill the soundstage, and the super-complex beat, shifting from 51/2 to 41/2, intensifies as it approaches the latter half, finally entering a trance state. This is a masterpiece that allows you to feel the profound depth of Indian classical music. High-quality Japanese pressing.
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