Tanam

Tanam is a 13-minute-18-second instrumental composition and the opening track on Raga Aberi, a 1995 studio album by Indian classical musicians Shankar (double violin), Zakir Hussain (tabla), and Vikku Vinayakram (ghatam). The label Music of the World released the album on CD.

The track exemplifies the tanam section of Carnatic music, a rhythmic and melodic improvisational form that precedes the pallavi in a traditional raga performance. Shankar leads the melodic exploration on double violin, while Hussain and Vinayakram provide percussive accompaniment on tabla and ghatam, respectively. The recording captures the artists’ interplay in Raga Aberi, a pentatonic janya raga derived from the 29th melakarta raga, Dhīraśaṅkarābharaṇam.

Raga Aberi marked a collaboration between the three artists, blending Carnatic and Hindustani classical traditions. The album’s production details and additional session contributors remain undocumented in available sources. The track’s structure adheres to classical conventions, with gradual development of the raga’s phrases (sanchara) and rhythmic cycles (tāla).

The 1995 release followed earlier cross-genre work by Shankar, including his fusion projects with Western artists, while Hussain and Vinayakram contributed their expertise in North and South Indian percussion styles. The album received distribution in international markets, targeting audiences for world music and Indian classical forms. No commercial chart performance or certification records for Raga Aberi are publicly verified.