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Ravi
Shankar, born in 1920, is India's most important musician of the twentieth
century.
His
career as a performing artist encompassed the majority of the last century,
beginning in 1930 when, as a boy of 10, he moved to Paris to join his
brother Uday Shankar's touring dance troupe as a musician and dancer.
After studying for seven years with the legendary Baba Allauddin Khan,
Ravi Shankar gained renown as a master of the sitar, becoming one of
his country's top classical musicians. He is the principal figure behind
the international growth of interest in Indian classical music, and
therefore one of the pioneers of world music. He still performs, composes
and records today.
His
two daughters, Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar, are both now successful
musicians in their respective fields.
At
the end of 1994, Brian Roylance, publisher of Genesis Publications,
provided me with a dream opportunity, working closely with Ravi Shankar
on the writing of his autobiography.
George Harrison agreed to provide the Introduction and oversee the
book as a whole.
Ravi Shankar liked the idea of the text being a dialogue and asked
me to add an 'Additional Narrative' that runs throughout, so my role
ended up as the combined one of editor/ ghostwriter/ additional narrator.
I also interviewed Sukanya Shankar, Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison
for the book. Raga Mala was first published in 1997.
Ravi Shankar is a natural teacher, and working with him was a wonderful
education. I began an association with him (and with Indian culture
in general) which continues today ten years later.
During
that time I have written occasional articles on Ravi Shankar, including
the sleeve notes for Mark Kidel's fine DVD documentary on him. A couple
of these pieces are now on this website.
I have also acted as consultant on a short documentary film on him,
A Thousand Moons (dir. Nick Roylance, 2003), given BBC radio interviews
on him, and have taken quite a few photographs, one of which appeared
on the front cover of Sweden's Musik magazine.
I
am now working again with Ravi Shankar, editing (for Genesis Publications)
a new collection of photography covering his career, and we are collaborating
on an updated edition of Raga Mala.
The
Autobiography
Raga
Mala by Ravi Shankar
(Genesis
Publications, 1997; Element/Welcome Rain 1999)
[read
more]
Sleeve
notes
Ravi
Shankar: The Roots Of A Legend
First
published as sleeve notes for the DVD
Ravi Shankar in Portrait (dir. Mark Kidel, 2002).
[read
article]
Biographical
Notes
Ravi
Shankar: Biographical Notes
Written
in 1996, used by EMI's press office (to support the launch of the Ravi
Shankar: In Celebration box set) and later published online by Eyeneer
Music Archives.
[read
article]
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