Who's to Know

Artist: Shankar
Label: Ecm Records
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD

UPC: 781182119529
EAN: 0781182119529
ASIN: B0000031RB

Release Date: 1994-05-10

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Tracks:

Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi
Ananda Nadamadum Tillai Sankara

Similar Items:

Pancha Nadai Pallavi
Eternal Light
Song for Everyone
Nobody Told Me
Raga Aberi

Customer Reviews:

A true Masterpiece and the finest musicianship I have ever heard ..........2006-04-18

I have been a professional musican for over 30 years and in that time have got to hear some seriously good musicianship.Shankar is one of the most accomplished players I have ever heard and on this particular CD,he really is in full stride.I believe that the albums he recorded around this time period,represent Shankar in his most exquisite form and "Who's to Know?" is the crowning glory of it all.It is absolutely mind shattering to hear what this guy can do with his custom built 10 string violin and both from a technical and a musical perspective,it is quite unbelievable..
Even at breathtaking speed and with technical articulation that would leave most musicians in the hands of a paramedic,the harmonics are in tune !...Try that at home folks !.. :)

I have an extensive CD library,with some very diverse styles and inflences and this CD "Who's to Know" would have to be my #1 in that collection.

I have all of Shankar's work in that library and I was lucky enough to hear him live in concert at the South Bank Festival Hall in London around the time that this CD was recorded...

Needless to say,that concert is still etched in my memory and it was absolutely xxxxing awesome ! It was mind blowing stuff...

So,do yourselves a really big favour and get a copy of this CD..

There is so much good energy in the music on this disc,that you will walk away from a listening session feeling like you have been plugged into a high voltage power socket.

This CD gets the highest rating that I could award to any album ever recorded.... :) aj washington

Shankar's best work.......2005-05-25

I've heard almost all of L. Shankar's work, solos as well as work with different styles of music. This cd is what got me completely hooked. Shankar has a tendency to experiment when playing traditional Carnatic ragas. It doesn't always work (espcecially when he sings). This recording is different. He demonstrates his mastery of the violin AND his mastery of Carnatic music. While many listeners have trouble understanding/appreciating Carnatic music, L. Shankar makes it accessible to all. He uses subtle outside influences in his melodies and rhythms that compliment his Carnatic base, making it fantastic for all. The second track in raga Savithri is exceptional. I am a Carnatic/fusion violinist in NYC and this track is hands down the best 25 minutes of music I've ever heard. I've never heard anyone play ragamalika swaras like this. It's something special. Get this album. Let L. Shankar take you for a ride...

A Masterpiece for the keeping.......2004-07-10

I chanced to hear this CD a few years ago, and I just have to say - this is a classic to behold. Nothing quite compares to it - it is rich, enveloping, intense, and powerful. I was already a fan of Shakti (L shankar dazzled crowds with his near-perfect control of his instrument), but this was the album that *really* introduced the double-violin to me; let's just say it would need someone at Shankar's level to make Ragam Thanam-Pallavi sound the way it does. And as for Rhythm, should one say anything at all ? To many , the name Umayalpuram Sivaraman may not be very familiar, but his Mridangam performances are legendary, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players ever. Zakir Hussain is stellar, blending seamlessly, almost effortlessly in a rather Carnatic setting... one wishes these performances would happen once, just once, LIVE, and it would lift you to the few untouched heights of indian classic music.
This isn't a CD you would have to think twice about.

Quite a ride.......2001-04-04

Shankar turns out gems as well as garbage. This is one of his best efforts. It blew me away when I heard it a decade ago, and it has aged it well. It is spiritual and intense, sonically superb, and compositionally dynamic. From a quiet beginning, it rages to a thunderous climax.

I'd have to agree with one of the reviewers that Shankar isn't a purist, although he draws his inspiration from the ancient Carnatic classical tradition. Like his brother L. Subramanium, Shankar has defined a brand new way of interpreting a centuries-old genre. And we need more of that.

For another Shankar gem, check out Song for Everyone. Of course, the Shakti recordings (especially Handful of Beauty) and some of his excursions with Bill Laswell are excellent too.

Beautiful and powerful.......2000-06-05

I bought this album because of Shankar's brilliant work with John McLaughlin in Shakti. This is very different from Shakti, especially with the introduction of the double violin, but just as beautiful. I have to admit I don't know much about South Indian music, but I recognize extraordinary mastery when I hear it, and I can recommend this recording without reservation.

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