Raga Kaushi-Dhani

Bade Ghulam Ali Khan recorded Raga Kaushi-Dhani as the second track (labeled \"B\") on the 1961 vinyl release Raga - Darbari Kanada / Raga - Kaushi - Dhani. The album appeared under the His Master’s Voice label in a 12\" LP format. Khan rendered the composition in the Kaushi-Dhani raga, a rare and intricate melodic structure associated with the late-night or early-morning thumri and khayal traditions of Hindustani classical music.

The recording captures Khan’s signature vocal technique, marked by expansive taans, nuanced meend (glissando), and a deep emotional resonance. The accompaniment details remain undocumented in available sources, but the session likely featured standard tabla and tanpura support, consistent with classical recordings of the era. The vinyl’s production quality reflected His Master’s Voice’s engineering standards for classical music releases in the 1960s, prioritizing acoustic clarity for vocal intricacies.

The album paired Kaushi-Dhani with Raga Darbari Kanada on side A, positioning both ragas as complementary showcases of Khan’s interpretive range. While exact recording dates and session musicians are unverified, the release aligned with Khan’s peak period of studio activity, following his relocation to India post-Partition. The LP became a reference for students of the Patiala gharana, Khan’s affiliated school, though commercial distribution metrics from the 1960s remain unarchived.

Later reissues or digital remasters of this recording are not confirmed in public records. The original 1961 pressing exists as a collector’s item, with surviving copies held in private archives and institutional collections specializing in Indian classical vinyl. Khan’s rendition of Kaushi-Dhani endures as a benchmark for the raga’s expressive potential within the vilambit (slow) and drut (fast) tempo frameworks.