L. Shankar – Full Moon (X DOT 25 Music, 2024)
With Full Moon, legendary violinist and composer L. Shankar presents a fantastic mix of Carnatic, Hindustani, and world music traditions. The album highlights the otherworldly and profoundly mesmerizing sounds of his signature 10-string double violin along with emotive vocals, crafting a deeply immersive listening experience. Joined by tabla maestro Abhijit Banerjee, the duo achieves a memorable, boldly inventive and triumphant synthesis of structure and spontaneity through masterful improvisations and fluid interplay.
Recorded across studios in Los Angeles, Malaysia, and India, Full Moon is entirely composed, arranged, and produced by Shankar. Each track reveals his mastery of both form and feeling, underscoring his lifelong commitment to expanding the expressive capacity of Indian classical music.
L. Shankar (also known as Shenkar) is widely recognized as a trailblazing figure in Indian and world music. Born in Madras and raised in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, Shankar was a child prodigy who began vocal training at age two, violin at five, and mridangam at seven. His family, steeped in musical tradition, relocated to India in 1958, where he quickly rose to prominence as a performer and collaborator.
A founding member of the groundbreaking Indo-jazz group Shakti, Shankar co-wrote and toured extensively with John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain. His innovative Ragam Tanam Pallavi compositions and global collaborations—including work with Jan Garbarek, Don Cherry, Peter Gabriel, and Frank Zappa—cemented his reputation for technical brilliance and genre-defying creativity.
Notably, Shankar invented the 10-string double violin, covering the full orchestral range from bass to violin. His work spans classical, pop, electronic, and film scores, including contributions to The Passion of the Christ, Born into Brothels, and Heroes. His 2020 progressive rock release Chepleeri Dream featured Jonathan Davis (Korn) and Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson), among others.
Currently, Shankar is touring globally with a supergroup featuring percussionists TH Vikku Vinayakram, V. Selvaganesh, and Fazal Qureshi.
One of India’s foremost tabla players, Abhijit Banerjee is celebrated for his versatility across classical, jazz, and crossover genres. A disciple of Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh and a member of the Farukhabad gharana, Banerjee has performed with leading Indian maestros including Ravi Shankar, Shivkumar Sharma, and Parween Sultana.
In addition to solo performances and international tours, Banerjee leads the ensemble Tarang and collaborates with groups such as the Aarhus Jazz Orchestra and Copenhagen Radio Big Band. He has scored award-winning documentaries and established the Dhwani Academy of Percussion Music with branches in Kolkata, Los Angeles, and New York.
Currently, he serves as Head of the Tabla Department at Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth in Maharashtra and is an adjunct professor at The College of New Jersey.
Musicians: L. Shankar – Vocals, Double Violin, Keyboards; Abhijit Banerjee – Tabla
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Jeff Gross at Studio 144 (Los Angeles).
- Darlene’s Wish (L. Shankar) 9:30
- Dancing Beauty (L. Shankar) 3:41
- Aberi Fantasy, Pt. I (L. Shankar) 10:25
- Aberi Fantasy, Pt. II (L. Shankar) 5:07
- Aberi Fantasy, Pt. III (L. Shankar) 15:22
- Around the Corner, Pt. I (L. Shankar) 7:03
- Around the Corner, Pt. II (L. Shankar) 7:22
- Darlene’s Wish (Radio Edit) 2:29
Buy Full Moon.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
A very beautiful and comprehensive review of L. Shankar’s recent release Full Moon on our label, X DOT 25 Music. We appreciate World Music Central for this great review and thank our long time supporter Angel Romero, who has for decades dedicated his life supporting world music artists and labels.