About Raga Darbari
Raga Darbari is a studio album by Indian classical sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. The label His Master’s Voice released the recording in 1975 on a 12\" vinyl LP format. The album captures a solo sarod performance in the Darbari Kanada raga, a prominent raga in the Hindustani classical tradition known for its deep, meditative character and association with the late evening or night.
Amjad Ali Khan structured the album into two extended tracks, each exploring distinct sections of the raga. The first track, titled Raga Darbari - Alap: Jor, Jhala, Gat: Madhyalaya Tritaal, begins with the alap, a slow, improvisational exposition of the raga’s melodic framework. The performance progresses through jor (a rhythmic development of the alap) and jhala (a fast, percussive climax), followed by a gat (fixed composition) set in madhyalaya tritaal, a medium-tempo 16-beat cycle. The second track, Raga Darbari - Gat: Ektaal, Drut Tritaal, presents compositions in ektaal (a 12-beat cycle) and drut tritaal (a fast 16-beat cycle), showcasing Khan’s technical virtuosity and command over rhythmic intricacy.
The recording session’s accompanying artists remain undocumented in available sources. The album’s production aligns with the era’s standard for classical Indian vinyl releases, emphasizing acoustic clarity and minimal post-processing to preserve the sarod’s tonal nuances. His Master’s Voice, a subsidiary of EMI India, distributed the record as part of its classical music catalog, which included works by leading Hindustani and Carnatic musicians of the time.
Raga Darbari exemplifies Amjad Ali Khan’s interpretive approach to the Senia-Bangash school of sarod playing, characterized by precise meend (glissando) techniques and a balance between melodic elaboration and rhythmic precision. The album’s release date coincides with Khan’s rising prominence in the 1970s, a period marked by his international tours and collaborations with Western classical musicians. No reissues or digital remasters of this specific recording are confirmed in public records as of the latest available data.