Rag Behag, Part 2

Rag Behag, Part 2 is an 11-minute, 49-second live recording of a Hindustani classical performance released on the 1996 album In Concert: Volume 1: Vancouver B.C: August 10: 1996. The track features Pandit Jasraj on vocals, Hariprasad Chaurasia on bansuri, Zakir Hussain on tabla and Kala Ramnath on violin. The concert took place on August 10, 1996 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and the recording was issued the same year in CD format.

The composition explores Rag Behag, a late-night raga in the Kafi thaat, characterized by its use of komal gandhar and komal nishad. The performance follows the traditional khayal style, with Jasraj leading the vocal improvisation. Chaurasia’s bansuri accompaniment and Ramnath’s violin responses interweave with the vocal line, while Hussain’s tabla provides rhythmic support in teental and other cyclic patterns. The recording captures the interactive dynamics of a jugalbandi-style collaboration, though the album does not specify whether the track includes a formal jugalbandi section or remains within the khayal framework.

The album In Concert: Volume 1: Vancouver B.C: August 10: 1996 documents a single evening’s performance, with Rag Behag, Part 2 appearing as the second track. The release contains no label attribution in the available context, and further details about production, engineering or additional session musicians remain unverified. The recording stands as an example of cross-instrumental Hindustani classical interpretation from the late 20th century, featuring artists recognized for their contributions to vocal, wind, string and percussive traditions.