About Raag Sawani & Bahar
Raag Sawani & Bahar is a studio album by Indian classical vocalist Ulhas Kashalkar. Released in an unspecified year, the recording presents two khayal performances in the Hindustani classical tradition. The album features Kashalkar as the sole performing artist, accompanied by instrumentalists whose identities remain undocumented in available sources.
The album contains two tracks. Raag Sawani opens the recording with a detailed exploration of the eponymous raga, a rare and melodically intricate composition associated with the late evening or early night prahar. The second track, Raag Bahar, interprets the spring-season raga known for its joyful and expansive phrases. Both performances adhere to the khayal format, incorporating alaap, jor, and jhala sections followed by composed bandish and improvisational taan sequences.
The release format includes physical and digital distributions, though the original label remains unconfirmed in public records. The recordings emphasize Kashalkar’s mastery of the Gwalior and Jaipur-Atrauli gharanas, showcasing his control over layakari (rhythmic play) and meend (glissando techniques). No commercial chart performance or certification data is available for this release.
Notable aspects of the album include Kashalkar’s use of sargam patterns in Raag Bahar and the gradual unfolding of Raag Sawani with sparse tanpura and tabla accompaniment. The recording duration for each track exceeds twenty minutes, allowing for extended improvisation. Additional production details, such as recording location or engineering credits, are not publicly documented.