About Evening Ragas Volume One
Evening Ragas Volume One is a studio album of North Indian classical music released under the Music Today label. The recording features three extended raga performances by vocalists Pandit Jasraj and Shruti Sadolikar alongside sitarist Shahid Parvez. The album appeared in CD format with a total of three tracks, each dedicated to a distinct evening raga.
Pandit Jasraj performs Raga Marwa, a raga traditionally associated with the late evening and characterized by its use of komal re (flattened second) and komal dha (flattened sixth). The composition adheres to the khayal style, a dominant vocal form in Hindustani classical music. Shruti Sadolikar contributes a rendition of Raga Shree, a raga of the Purvi thaat often performed during twilight. Her interpretation follows the vilambit (slow) and drut (fast) tempo structure typical of classical presentations. Shahid Parvez presents Raga Hamsadhwani on the sitar, a pentatonic raga derived from the Carnatic tradition but widely adopted in Hindustani instrumental repertoire. His performance incorporates alaap, jor, and jhala sections before progressing to a composed gat with rhythmic accompaniment.
The album emphasizes the evening raga tradition, where each selection aligns with the samay (time-theory) principle of Hindustani music. The accompanying artists for the recordings remain uncredited in the provided context, though standard practice for such releases includes tabla and tanpura support. The release year is not specified in available sources. Music Today, the label, specializes in classical and devotional music productions and has distributed works by prominent Indian artists since its inception.
The track sequence on the CD mirrors the progression of evening ragas: Raga Marwa opens the album, followed by Raga Shree and concluding with Raga Hamsadhwani. Each track spans approximately 20–30 minutes, consistent with the improvisational and expansive nature of classical raga performances. The album serves as a representative collection of evening raga interpretations by artists recognized in their respective vocal and instrumental disciplines.