Maya: Bickram Ghosh’s Dedication to Ravi Shankar

One oft-cited example of the musicianship of sitar legend Ravi Shankar, who died in 2012, is that he was the first North Indian musician of his generation to display enough confidence and humility to actually put his sitar aside for a while, so that his accompanying percussionist(s) got a clear space in which to display their own virtuosity. So perhaps it is appropriate that one of the first tribute albums of original compositions dedicated to Shankar and his artistry should come from a tabla player – in this case Bickram Ghosh, who became Shankar’s regular accompanist from 1990 when Shankar heard him play in Brussels.

The multiple award-winning Ghosh became Shankar’s disciple, joining hundreds around the world who were either fully-fledged pupils or those who cited Shankar as their main source of influence and musical inspiration. Many of those musicians, on a jaw-dropping array of instruments (in fact, almost every single Indian and Western instrument) are featured here. With Ghosh himself as composer, tabla and percussion player, every single track is, in some gently-nuanced and intensely elegant way, hauntingly reminiscent of Shankar’s vast compositional repertoire. The maestro’s legendary uniqueness in making every instrument– whether Eastern or Western – sing with an Indian voice is beautifully executed by Ghosh. It’s an enticing musical journey, beginning with a track called ‘Maya Sutra’ (maya being the veil of illusion) with vocals in the traditional Vedic three-note pattern to ‘The Veil of Kaya’ (kaya being the body) and the ultra-romantic ‘Shringara’. Absolutely sublime.