Misra Kafi: alap (sitar solo)

Misra Kafi: alap (sitar solo) is a solo instrumental track performed by sitarist Nikhil Banerjee. The composition serves as the opening piece on the album Misra Kafi 1982, released on CD by Raga Records in 1990. The track runs for 6 minutes and 54 seconds and features an alap—the unmetered, improvisational introduction characteristic of North Indian classical music—rendered in Misra Kafi, a raga derived from the Kafi thaat with added tivra Ma (sharp fourth).

Banerjee explores the raga’s melodic contours through gradual development, emphasizing the komal Ni (flattened seventh) and shuddha Dha (natural sixth) as defining swaras. The recording captures his signature gayaki ang (vocal-style phrasing) and precise meend (glissando) technique, typical of the Etah-Binkar gharana lineage he represented. The album title references the year of the live performance (1982), though the exact venue and accompanying artists (if any) remain undocumented in available sources. The release stands as one of Banerjee’s later studio or live-to-tape recordings before his death in 1986.

The Raga Records edition presents the track as part of a compilation or standalone release, though the full album’s tracklist and total duration are not specified in the provided context. No additional musicians, producers, or engineers are credited in the available data. The recording format and mastering details for the 1990 CD release are also unconfirmed.