Raga: Shahana - Gat Jhap Taal, Ektaal & Tritaal

Late Night Ragas is a studio album released in 1999 under the RPG label. The recording features a collaboration of four prominent Indian classical musicians: violinist N. Rajam, shehnai player Ustad Bismillah Khan, sarod player Amjad Ali Khan, and santoor player Shivkumar Sharma. The album was issued in CD format.

The third track, titled Raga Shahana, presents a performance in three rhythmic cycles: Gat Jhap Taal, Ektaal, and Tritaal. The composition showcases the artists’ improvisational interplay within the Shahana raga framework, a late-night melody traditionally associated with contemplative and introspective moods. The track structure follows the gat (fixed composition) format, expanded through alaap, jor, and jhala sections, though specific performance durations and individual solo segments remain undocumented in available sources.

The album’s production context emphasizes ensemble synergy, with each artist contributing distinct instrumental textures. N. Rajam employs the violin’s sustained bowing techniques, while Ustad Bismillah Khan integrates the shehnai’s reed-based timbre. Amjad Ali Khan incorporates the sarod’s percussive plucking, and Shivkumar Sharma layers the santoor’s struck-string harmonics. The rhythmic accompaniment for the track includes tabla, though the percussionist’s name is not credited in the release notes.

Late Night Ragas aligns with RPG’s series of classical music compilations from the 1990s, targeting audiences for traditional Hindustani performances. The album’s liner notes or original packaging may contain additional details on recording sessions, raga interpretations, or artist contributions, but these are not widely archived in public sources. The 1999 release date positions the work within a period of cross-generational collaboration among the featured musicians, several of whom were already established as leading exponents of their respective instruments.