Kirwani: Essence of a Raag

Kirwani: Essence of a Raag

1995
Color portrait of a male sitar player holding the instrument close to his shoulder, looking slightly to the side with a calm expression. He is wearing a golden traditional outfit, and the dark background highlights both the musician and the detailed structure of the sitar.
Krishna Bhatt
Ustad Zakir Hussain, legendary Indian tabla maestro and son of Ustad Alla Rakha.
Zakir Hussain
2 tracks 50m
Krishna Bhatt and Zakir Hussain released Kirwani: Essence of a Raag in 1995, featuring two live-studio Hindustani raga performances on sitar and tabla without overdubs.
2 tracks • 50m
# Title
2 tracks Total: 50m

About Kirwani: Essence of a Raag

Kirwani: Essence of a Raag is a studio album released on January 1, 1995. The recording features sitarist Krishna Bhatt and tabla player Zakir Hussain in a duet format. The album presents two extended raga performances in the Hindustani classical tradition.

Krishna Bhatt performs the sitar as the primary melodic instrument. Zakir Hussain accompanies on the tabla, providing rhythmic support and improvisation. The album contains two tracks: Raag Kirwani and Raag Ahir Bhairava. Both compositions adhere to the alap-jor-jhala structure followed by a gat section with rhythmic accompaniment.

The release format is a commercial audio CD. The label information remains undocumented in available sources. The album emphasizes the exploratory and meditative aspects of the featured ragas, with Raag Kirwani occupying the first track and Raag Ahir Bhairava the second. The total runtime spans the duration of the two performances.

The collaboration between Bhatt and Hussain reflects a common pairing in North Indian classical music, where sitar and tabla interactions form a central dynamic. The recording captures live studio takes without overdubs or electronic processing. Further details about production personnel, recording location, or liner notes are not publicly verified.

Record Label

Catalog Number: ARNR 0495