About Maestro's Choice - Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Maestro’s Choice is a studio album by Indian slide guitarist and composer Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, released in 2004. The recording features Bhatt performing three raga-based compositions on the mohan veena, a modified arch-top guitar designed to accommodate Indian classical music techniques. The album was issued on compact disc, though the producing label remains undocumented in available sources.
Bhatt composed and performed all tracks, showcasing his adaptation of Hindustani classical raga structures to the slide guitar. The album opens with Raga Maru Bihag, a late-evening raga characterized by its use of komal re (flattened second) and komal dha (flattened sixth) in the descent. The second track repeats Raga Maru Bihag in an extended exploration, emphasizing alaap (unmetered introductory section) and jor (rhythmic development) phases. The closing piece, Raga Pahadi, employs a lighter, folk-inspired melodic framework often associated with the late-night or early-morning hours.
The recording captures Bhatt’s signature fusion of Indian classical phrasing with the resonant sustain of the mohan veena, an instrument he pioneered in the 1980s. The album’s production highlights the instrument’s sympathetic string resonance and the subtle interplay between melody and drone. While specific session details—including accompanying artists or recording locations—are not publicly confirmed, the release aligns with Bhatt’s broader discography of solo and collaborative works in the Hindustani tradition.
Maestro’s Choice reflects Bhatt’s role in globalizing Indian classical music through instrumental innovation. The 2004 release followed his Grammy Award-winning collaboration with Ry Cooder on A Meeting by the River (1993) and preceded later solo projects like Saltanah (2006). The album’s limited track count focuses on depth of improvisation within each raga, adhering to classical performance conventions.