Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a city in Southern California and the second-most populous urban area in the United States. The city serves as a global hub for entertainment, culture and media production. Within Indian classical music, Los Angeles emerged as a secondary center for performance and recording from the late 20th century onward, hosting touring artists and diasporic practitioners.

Ravi Shankar performed at the Hollywood Bowl in 1971 during his collaboration with Western musicians. The concert featured sitar and tabla alongside orchestral arrangements. Columbia Records released a live recording titled Ravi Shankar at the Monterey Pop Festival (1967), though the Hollywood Bowl performance remained undocumented on commercial formats. Shankar’s association with Los Angeles continued through his work with George Harrison and the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971.

Ali Akbar Khan founded the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael in 1967 but maintained ties to Los Angeles through student workshops and occasional performances. His 1985 album Journey, recorded in the city, paired sarod with Western instrumentation. The label Celestial Harmonies issued the release on LP and later CD. The track \"Raga Chandranandan\" exemplified his fusion approach.

Local institutions such as the Ford Theatres and the Getty Center periodically hosted Indian classical concerts. Anoushka Shankar performed at the Ford Theatres in 2006 as part of her Rise tour. Angel Records released the studio album Rise earlier that year, featuring collaborations with Sting and Karsh Kale. The live performance included compositions from the album alongside traditional ragas.

The Southland’s recording studios became sites for experimental projects. In 1996, tabla player Zakir Hussain recorded The Rhythm Experience at Mad Hatter Studios in Los Angeles. Moments Notice issued the album on CD, blending konnakol with jazz percussion. The track \"Meeting of the Minds\" paired Hussain with drummer Steve Smith.

Limited documentation exists for pre-1960s Indian classical activity in Los Angeles. Later archives indicate informal gatherings in private residences and temples, though no commercial recordings from these events are verified. The city’s role expanded with the growth of the South Asian diaspora and cross-cultural collaborations in the 1970s and 1980s.