About Fond Memories - Sitar Vol. 5
Fond Memories – Sitar Vol. 5 is a studio album by Indian classical sitarist Nikhil Banerjee. The release features a single long-form performance and forms part of a series curated by All India Radio.
Banerjee recorded the album in an unspecified session prior to its release. All India Radio issued the work on CD in 1995 as an official publication under its label. The release event coincided with the same year, though specific venue or promotional details remain undocumented.
The album contains one track: a rendition of Raag Bilaskhani Todi. The composition exemplifies Banerjee’s approach to the Etawah-Binkar gharana, characterized by intricate taan patterns and measured alaap development. The recording captures a live-to-tape performance without overdubs, preserving the spontaneity of the recital. Accompaniment details, including tabla or tanpura artists, are not specified in available sources.
As the fifth volume in the Fond Memories series, the album complements earlier and subsequent releases dedicated to Banerjee’s sitar recitals. The series collectively documents his performances from the 1960s through the 1980s, though this volume’s exact recording date is unconfirmed. The All India Radio archive served as the primary source for the master tapes used in the CD production.
Critical reception and commercial performance of the album are not widely recorded. The release holds significance as a posthumous publication, issued four years after Banerjee’s death in 1991. The liner notes, if included, are not described in accessible references. The album remains in circulation through specialized retailers and digital reissues by secondary distributors.