Introducing Indian Music (Hindustani to be correct) to the West were Pandit Shiv Kumar on the santoor, Hariprasad Charasia playing the bansori (flute, bamboo) and Brij Bhusan Kabra on guitar. This album follows the journey of a Kashmiri shepherd through the day.

The music is whistful, peaceful you drift off into another time and other moments in your life.  In my case I recall my wanderings through Annapurna in Nepal a good twenty years ago now.

I’ve found this music totally rhythmic, engaging and energetic.  I’m listening, admittedly on a very high end pair of headphones (Oppo PM-2) through a large headphone amplifier (Oppo HA-1) that draws out the incredible detail in the recording and energises the music beyond the norm.

As an aside, the santoor shown below, is a one hundred string, originally, Persian instrument that defies learning unless from the earliest of ages, surely.

This is the sort of music that validates the reason why I’m doing this, the next album, White Light, White Heat, makes me question what I’m doing!!

Favourite Piece – Rag Des, I assume this is evening time based on the sleepier tone

Rating  – 7.5

Released – 1967