Ragas on Slide Guitar

Barun Pal, a disciple of sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, presents two classical Indian compositions (ragas) accompanied by Ray Speigel on the tabla. Its plenty obvious that the guy can play the heck out of his instrument, and the ragas he has picked on this album allow him to showcase his own prowess as a musician, as well as the range of his instrument. Highly recommended.

Track 1,2,3: Pal performs Raga Malkauns in the first 3 tracks. This is a night raga associated with pathos and devotion, and Pal performs it with panache. Track 1 is the alaap (slow, grave introduction with gradually increasing tempo). Track 2 is the madhya gat (mid tempo) version which is recorded as a duet between Tabla and slide guitar. Track 3 is the drut (fast tempo) version with lots of cool improv and dramatization. Delicious stuff.

Track 4: A short rendition of Raga Piloo, an all-day raga associated with romance and joy. Ray plays the tabla set in the right channel and a nakara drum in the left. The rhythm is "Sitarkhani tal", a cycle of sixteen beats with a syncopated lilt. Beautiful and evocative.