Raga Bhairavi: Alap And Dhamar, Kunjana Men Khelata Hey Phag : Dhamar

Ustad Nasir Aminuddin Dagar (1983) is a studio album of dhrupad vocal music performed by Ustad Nasir Aminuddin Dagar. The label His Master’s Voice released the recording on a 12\" vinyl format. The album captures Dagar’s rendition of Raga Bhairavi in the Dhamar tala, a compositional form associated with the spring season in Hindustani classical tradition.

The B-side of the vinyl features the track Raga Bhairavi: Alap And Dhamar, Kunjana Men Khelata Hey Phag as the second entry (B2). The performance begins with an alap, an unmetered improvisational section that explores the raga’s melodic contours. This transitions into a Dhamar composition with the lyric Kunjana Men Khelata Hey Phag, a text that evokes the playful themes of Holi and the arrival of spring. The composition adheres to the 14-beat cyclic structure characteristic of Dhamar.

Nasir Aminuddin Dagar represents the 18th generation of the Dagar bani, a lineage renowned for its rigorous adherence to traditional dhrupad techniques. His vocal delivery emphasizes sustained notes, intricate gamakas, and a deep resonance cultivated through the tanpura drone. The recording omits accompaniment details, but the pakhawaj typically supports Dhamar performances in this style. The album’s production reflects the era’s standard for classical vinyl releases, with minimal post-processing to preserve the acoustic integrity of the performance.

The release date of 1983 places the album within a period of renewed interest in archival and live recordings of Indian classical masters. His Master’s Voice, a subsidiary of EMI, distributed the vinyl primarily in the Indian market. No reissues or digital remasters of this specific recording are documented in available sources. The track’s duration and additional session musicians remain unverified in the provided context.