Raag Bageshri Alaap - Jod - Jhala

Icons Of Indian Music – Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Tarun Bhattacharya (Hindustani Classical) is a studio album released on April 13, 1991, under the TIPS label. The recording features a collaboration between Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on the mohan veena and Tarun Bhattacharya on the santoor. The album presents a rendition of Raag Bageshri in the Hindustani classical tradition.

The opening track, Raag Bageshri Alaap – Jod – Jhala, spans 28 minutes and 14 seconds. The composition follows the conventional structure of a khayal-based performance, beginning with an alaap that explores the raga’s melodic contours. The jod section introduces rhythmic development, while the jhala concludes with rapid, percussive strokes characteristic of instrumental virtuosity. The track exemplifies the artists’ command over meend (glissando) and gamak (ornamentation) techniques.

The album was originally issued in physical formats and later made available as digital media. No additional tracks or session details are documented in the provided context. The recording captures a live-studio aesthetic, emphasizing improvisational interplay between the mohan veena and santoor without accompaniment from percussion or vocal support.

Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, a Grammy Award winner for his 1993 collaboration A Meeting by the River with Ry Cooder, adapted the Hawaiian slide guitar to create the mohan veena. Tarun Bhattacharya, a disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar, expanded the santoor’s role in Hindustani classical music through technical refinements. Their partnership on this album reflects the cross-instrumental dialogue central to North Indian classical traditions.