Stand by Me

Mumtaz Mahal is a collaborative studio album released in 1995 under the label Water Lily Acoustics. The album features a fusion of Indian classical music with blues and world music elements. Artists Narasimhan Ravikiran, Taj Mahal and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt contributed as primary performers. The recording was issued in CD format.

The fifth track on the album, Stand by Me, spans a duration of 7 minutes and 2 seconds. This composition blends the traditional structure of the Ben E. King classic with improvisations rooted in Hindustani classical and blues styles. Narasimhan Ravikiran performs on the chitravina, Taj Mahal provides vocals and guitar, and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt plays the mohan veena. The arrangement retains the original melody while incorporating extended instrumental passages and rhythmic variations characteristic of the contributing artists’ styles.

The album title references the Mughal empress Mumtaz Mahal, though the thematic or conceptual link to the music remains undocumented in available sources. Water Lily Acoustics, known for high-fidelity recordings of world and classical music, produced the album with an emphasis on acoustic clarity. Additional details regarding the recording sessions, production personnel or alternate releases of the track are not widely published.