Song for Everyone (Times Music/ECM reissue, 2008)
What a lineup! Shankar on double violin and drum machine, Jan Garbarek on sax, Zakir Hussain on tabla and Trilok Gurtu on percussion. This album, with 7 tracks, was recorded way back in 1984 but is still worth a listen in this rather pricey re-issue.
Pieces which really stand out on this album are the middle ones, Watching You, Conversation, and the title track. The violin, sax and tablas blend together very well, but the drum machine surprisingly comes across as jarring and almost annoying.
The album is dedicated to the memory of Shankar’s late mother, but the liner notes reveal nothing more about the collaboration. What a missed opportunity.
Author: Madanmohan Rao
Madanmohan Rao is an author and media consultant from Bangalore, and global correspondent for world music and jazz for World Music Central and Jazzuality. He has written over 15 books on media, management and culture, and is research director for YourStory Media. Madan was formerly World Music Editor at Rave magazine and RJ at WorldSpace, and can be followed on Twitter at @MadanRao.
