V.A. - The Rough Guide To The Music Of India (2010) 2xCD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist 1 :
1 Asha Bhosle– Katra Katra 6:02
2 Zoe Rahman And Idris Rahman– O, River (O Nodi Re) 3:54
3 Aruna Sairam– Saravanabhava 3:42
4 Seeta Doraiswamy– Vatapi Ganapatim 5:33
5 Ravi Shankar– Megh 6:41
6 T.H. Subashchandran– Moorsing Solo 1:04
7 Vishwa Mohan Bhatt & Musicians Of Rajasthan– Helo Mharo Suno 10:00
8 Wadali Brothers– Bulleya Ki Jaana Main Kaun 7:28
9 Sohan Nath 'Sapera'– Phagun Ka Lehra 5:04
10 Shivkumar Sharma & Zakir Hussain– Mishra Tilang In Keharwa Tãl 7:29
11 L. Subramaniam– Illalo Pranatarthi 8:36
12 Hemant Kumar And Lata Mangeshkar– Man Dole Mera Tan Dole 4:10
Tracklist 2 :
Debashish Bhattacharya : Live In Calcutta    1:03:44
1 – Raga Maru Bihag Aslaap 13:37
2 – Mahu Bihag Jod-Jhala 9:26
3 – Mar Bihag Gat In Madhyala Rupak Tala 12:18
4 – Mar Bihag Gat And Jhala In Drut Tintala 13:16
5 – Raga Khamaj Aslaap 7:38
6 – Anandam In Anandi 7:07

USTAD MOHAMMAD OMAR - Virtuoso from Afghanistan (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The late Ustad Mohammad Omar was, perhaps, Afghanistan's greatest musician, a virtuoso on the rabab (a plucked lute that's the ancestor of India's sarod) who was largely responsible for making the folk instrument into something classical. This album -- from the only concert he played in the U.S. while teaching at the University of Washington in 1974 -- is a remarkable endeavor. Not only does it showcase his superb playing on a selection of Afghani classical pieces, but it teams him with Indian percussion master Zakir Hussain, the pair playing together with virtually no rehearsal, although it's impossible to tell that much of this was moved by spirit rather than practice (and most will never even notice that Omar breaks a sympathetic string on the rabab during the first track). The five pieces are extended, wonderful meditations that follow a standard formula of improvisation followed by the composition in a fixed melodic mode and rhythmic cycle. It's Omar's improvisations that truly startle, even more than the beauty of the compositions themselves. His fingers are fleet and the complex patterns he makes are entrancing -- to try and follow them becomes an almost impossible task. To be fair, the album's far from easy listening; it demands a great deal of concentration, but rewards it magnificently (and kudos to Hussain, who inserts himself into the music as if born to it). Things do lighten up with the relatively short final cut, "Keliwali," a popular Pashtun folk melody, exquisitely performed. As a reminder that Afghanistan is a country with a proud cultural heritage -- and its own wonderful musicians -- this is vital. by Chris Nickson
Tracklist:
1    Emen / Tintal    21:40
2    Bopali / Jhaptal    10:14
3    Tabla Solo    7:56
4    Pelo / Tintal    16:02
5    Keliwali    6:57
Credits:
Rabab – Ustad Mohammad Omar (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5)
Tabla – Zakir Hussain

YO-YO MA & THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE - Silk Road Journeys : When Strangers Meet (2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless)

 Recorded as part of the ongoing Silkroad Project, Silk Road Journeys brings together composers from the elusive, ancient Silk Road that crosses from China to the Middle East with musicians from both West and East. It's both ambitious and daring, two qualities that have been trademarks of Yo-Yo Ma's career. For its modernity and mix of Asian and Western instruments, though, it hews close to tradition (and not merely on Mongolian Traditional Long Song), although the departure into the Italian Renaissance for Chi Passa Per'sta Strada makes for an interesting, more formal and graceful aid in the whole. But the multicultural Silk Road itself makes for a good metaphor for this album, with the sheng, an ancient form of mouth organ, alongside the cello on the traditional Blue Little Flower, for example. While it might seem strange to find Michio Mamiya's Five Finnish Folksongs here, it makes sense; the Saami people of Finland were nomadic, and traveled as far as the Silk Road. But the instruments, from Wu Man's pipa to Joel Fan's piano, work together, whether on traditional or commissioned material, to create something that's challenging to both listeners and performers and offers a strong impression of the journeys of the past. by Chris Nickson  
Tracklist:
1    Mongolian Traditional Long Song 1:28
Vocals – Ganbaatar Khongorzul
Written-By – Mongolian Traditional
2    Legend Of Herlen 11:17
Morinhoor [Morin Khuur] – Yo-Yo Ma
Percussion – Joseph Gramley, Mark Suter, Shane Shanahan
Piano – Joel Fan
Trombone – James Pugh, John Rutherford, Stephen Dunkel
Vocals – Ganbaatar Khongorzul
Written-By – Byambasuren Sharav
3    Blue Little Flower 4:22
Arranged By – Li Cang Sang, Wu Tong
Bass – Edgar Meyer
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Erhu – Xu Ke
Percussion – Joel Fan, Joseph Gramley, Mark Suter, Shane Shanahan
Pipa – Wu Man
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Written-By – Chinese Traditional
4    Mido Mountain 3:51
Arranged By – Li Cang Sang, Wu Tong
Bass – Edgar Meyer
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Erhu – Xu Ke
Percussion – Joel Fan, Joseph Gramley, Mark Suter, Shane Shanahan
Pipa – Wu Man
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Written-By – Chinese Traditional
5    Moon Over Guan Mountains 11:48
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Pipa – Yang Wei
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Shane Shanahan
Written-By – Zhao Jiping
Five Finnish Folksongs
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Piano – Joel Fan
Written-By – Michio Mamiya
6    No. 3. Miero Vuotti Uutta Kuuta    1:58
7    No. 5. Joiku    2:26
8    Avaz-e Dashti 6:01
Lute [Setar] – Kayhan Kalhor
Ney – Siamak Jahangiri
Santoor [Santur] – Siamak Aghaei
Written-By – Persian Traditional
9    Habil-Sayagy = In Habil's Style 13:23
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Piano [Prepared] – Joel Fan
Written-By – Franghiz Ali-Zadeh
10    Blue As The Turquoise Night Of Neyshabur 15:33
Bass – Edgar Meyer
Cello – Edward Arron
Cello, Soloist – Yo-Yo Ma
Kemenche [Kemancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Ney – Siamak Jahangiri
Santoor [Santur] – Siamak Aghaei
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Viola [1] – Nicholas Cords
Viola [2] – Leo Suzuki
Violin [1] – Colin Jacobsen
Violin [2] – Todd Reynolds
Written-By – Kayhan Kalhor
11    Chi Passa Per'sta Strada 4:43
Bass – Edgar Meyer
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Erhu – Xu Ke
Percussion – Joel Fan, Joseph Gramley, Mark Suter, Shane Shanahan
Pipa – Wu Man, Yang Wei
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Todd Reynolds
Written-By – Filippo Azzaiolo
Bonus Track
12    Desert Capriccio 1:35
Bells [Cymbal Bells] – Joel Fan
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Erhu – Xu Ke
Percussion – Joseph Gramley, Shane Shanahan
Pipa – Yang Wei
Sheng – Wu Tong
Written-By – Tan Dun
Notas
The bonus track is music from the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Recorded August 1–8, 2001, at the Hit Factory, Studio 1, New York City.
Total time 78:54

 

YO-YO MA & THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE - A Playlist Without Borders (2013) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Yo-Yo Ma's Silkroad Ensemble has continued to develop its intercultural ways, exploring those along the trade routes (maritime as well as land-based) that stretched for centuries from the Mediterranean world to China and even beyond. (The Silk Road brought Indian culture and later the Islamic faith to Indonesia, and one hopes that the group might someday take up that musically fascinating one, so well suited to its syncretic way of thinking.) Ma has had the pleasure of seeing his creation gradually become more independent; he appears on several pieces but takes a starring role only once or twice. Generally, he leaves the spotlight to the young players of the Silkroad Ensemble, whose trademark combination of enthusiasm and precision is on full display throughout. Sample the incredible intensity in the final "Briel," taken from John Zorn's Caym: Book of Angels XVII, originally performed by Cyro Baptista & Banquest of the Spirits, and further arranged by the ensemble itself. The program includes a general mix that typifies the group's genre- and border-crossing ways, with highlights including a suite by MacArthur "Genius Grant" winner Vijay Iyer and the Central Asian gypsy jazz of David Bruce's "Cut the Rug." by James Manheim
Tracklist:
    Playlist For An Extreme Occasion
Cello – Mike Block
Composed By – Vijay Iyer
Percussion – Joseph Gramley, Shane Shanahan
Piano, Bagpipes [Gaita] – Cristina Pato
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Johnny Gandelsman
1    Part Zero    1:33
2    Part One    1:53
3    Part Two    3:38
4    Part Three    2:06
5    Part Four    2:30
6    Part Five    3:02
7    Cristina's Interlude    0:37
8    Part Six    2:42
9    Night Thoughts 6:14
Arranged By – Dong-Won Kim, Kojiro Umezaki, Wu Man
Composed By – Wu Man
Janggu [Jang-Go] – Dong-Won Kim
Pipa – Wu Man
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
10    Saidi Swing 7:30
Composed By – Shane Shanahan
Percussion – Joseph Gramley, Mark Suter, Shane Shanahan
Tabla – Sandeep Das
11    Allegretto From Partita, Op. 31, For Cello Solo 3:34
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Composed By – Ahmed Adnan Saygun
12    Atashgah 14:01
Bass – Jeffrey Beecher
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Composed By – Colin Jacobsen
Percussion – Shane Shanahan
Performer [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandelsman
Cut The Rug
Accordion – Patrick Farrell
Bass – Jeffrey Beecher
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Clarinet – Kinan Azmeh
Composed By – David Bruce
Percussion – Joseph Gramley, Mark Suter, Shane Shanahan
Performer [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Pipa – Wu Man
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandelsman
13    Drag The Goat    5:13
14    Bury The Hatchet    5:35
15    Move The Earth    9:31
16    Wake The Dead    3:04
17    Briel 3:57
Bagpipes [Gaita] – Cristina Pato
Bass – Jeffrey Beecher
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Composed By – John Zorn
Ney – Siamak Jahangiry
Oud, Guimbri [Gimbri], Castanets [Qarqaba] – Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz
Percussion – Mark Suter, Shane Shanahan
Pipa – Wu Man
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandelsman
Vocals, Sheng – Wu Tong

YO-YO MA & THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE - Sing Me Home (2016) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The potential buyer encountering this release by Yo-Yo Ma and the Silkroad Ensemble is apt to form several mistaken impressions of its contents. From the track list and accompanying description you will learn that it is "the companion album to the Morgan Neville documentary The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble." And the long list of "featured" artists suggests the type of lazy, all-star album famous artists tend to phone in during the later stages of their careers. Neither of these impressions corresponds with the considerable riches here. The music is entirely effective independently of the little-publicized film. And, more importantly, the real "featured artists" here are not the named stars (who skew toward younger members of the new acoustic scene like bluegrasser Sarah Jarosz), but the members of the Silkroad Ensemble themselves. The structure of the album, as with so many of the creations of these remarkable artists, is unique. The Silkroad members, and a few visitors, select music of personal significance to them, many of them related in a general way to the theme of home. Then, a guest musician with skills appropriate to the music was added. With a range of source material running from Heart and Soul to Mali to the Balkans to East Asia, the resulting fusions are never less than interesting and are often marvelous. Sample the much-recorded St. James Infirmary Blues (track 11) in its unique realization here with accordionist Michael Ward Bergeman (one of the guest Silkroaders), Chinese yangqin player Reylon Yount, and the wonderful blues-country vocalist Rhiannon Giddens, a border crosser herself. The album gives insights into the histories of the Silkroad players, and indeed into the musical and personal depth that has made this ensemble one for the ages, and its leader a true musical exemplar of our time. by James Manheim  
Tracklist:
1    Green (Vincent's Tune)
Arranged By – Johnny Gandelsman, Ljova
Bass – Shawn Conley
Bass Drum, Caxixi – Shane Shanahan
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Drum [Flower Pot] – Joseph Gramley
Featuring, Vocals – Roomful Of Teeth
Gong [Beijing Opera, Wind] – Haruka Fujii
Kamancha [Kamancheh, Shah-Kaman] – Kayhan Kalhor
Pipa – Wu Man
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Sheng, Suona, Flute [Bawu], Vocals – Wu Tong
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandelsman
Written-By – Wu Man
2    O'Neill's Cavalry March
Arranged By – Colin Jacobsen
Bass – Shawn Conley
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Featuring, Fiddle [Irish] – Martin Hayes
Kamancha [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Pipa – Wu Man
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Traditional Irish
3    Little Birdie
Arranged By – Colin Jacobsen
Bass – Shawn Conley
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Featuring, Vocals – Sarah Jarosz
Pipa – Wu Man
Sheng – Wu Tong
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandelsman
Written-By – Traditional American
4    Ichichila
Arranged By – Shane Shanahan
Bass – Shawn Conley
Caixa, Rattle, Scraper – Mark Suter
Calabash, Caxixi, Rattle, Scraper – Shane Shanahan
Featuring, Balafon – Balla Kouyate
Featuring, Kora – Toumani Diabaté
Kamancha [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Marimba – Joseph Gramley
Shaker – Haruka Fujii
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Johnny Gandelsman
Written-By – Traditional Malian
5    Sadila Jana
Arranged By [Instrumental] – Kyle Sanna
Arranged By [Vocal] – Sarah Small
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Featuring, Vocals – Black Sea Hotel
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Traditional Macedonian
6    Shingashi Song
Arranged By – Haruka Fujii
Bass – Shawn Conley
Bass Drum, Caxixi – Shane Shanahan
Bells, Cymbal [Chinese], Shaker, Congas, Drum [Shime-Daiko], Cymbal [Chappa] – Haruka Fujii
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Crotales, Bongos, Tom Tom – Joseph Gramley
Featuring, Taiko – Kaoru Watanabe
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Traditional Japanese
7    Madhoushi
Cello – Mike Block
Featuring, Sitar, Vocals, Arranged By – Shujaat Khan
Kamancha [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Ustad Vilayat Khan
8    Wedding
Bass – Jeffrey Beecher
Cajón – Mark Suter
Cello – Eric Jacobsen
Clarinet – Kinan Azmeh
Drum [Arabic Rig, Turkish Tef], Percussion [Darbuka], Davul, Drum [Frame] – Shane Shanahan
Featuring, Vocals – Dima Orsho
Percussion [Darbuka] – Joseph Gramley
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen, Jessie Montgomery
Vocals – Wu Tong
Written-By – Kinan Azmeh
9    Going Home
Arranged By – Jeremy Kittel
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Clarinet – Kinan Azmeh
Featuring, Cello, Banjo, Vocals – Abigail Washburn
Lyrics By – William Arms Fisher
Music By – Antonín Dvořák
Sheng, Vocals – Wu Tong
Translated By – Keith Lipson
Translated By [With] – Wu Tong
Viola – Nicholas Cords
10    Cabaliño
Arranged By – Evan Ziporyn
Bagpipes [Gaita] – Cristina Pato
Bass – Shawn Conley
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Drum [Doira] – Shane Shanahan
Featuring, Accordion – Roberto Camesaña
Featuring, Hurdy Gurdy [Zanfona], Arranged By – Anxo Pintos
Featuring, Tambourine – Davíde Salvado
Kamancha [Kamancheh] – Kayhan Kalhor
Written-By – Traditional Galician
11    St. James Infirmary Blues
Bass – Jeffrey Beecher
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Clarinet – Kinan Azmeh
Featuring, Accordion, Arranged By – Michael Ward-Bergeman
Featuring, Vocals – Rhiannon Giddens
Featuring, Yangqin – Reylon Yount
Marimba – Joseph Gramley
Shakuhachi [Shakulute] – Kojiro Umezaki
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Traditional American
12    If You Shall Return...
Bass – Shawn Conley
Bass Drum – Shane Shanahan
Cymbal – Haruka Fujii
Featuring, Guitar – Bill Frisell
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Sheng – Wu Tong
Tabla – Sandeep Das
Vibraphone – Joseph Gramley
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Hu Jianbing, Kojiro Umezaki, Sandeep Das
13    Heart And Soul
Arranged By – Rob Mathes
Bass – Jeffrey Beecher
Cajón – Mark Suter
Cello – Yo-Yo Ma
Clarinet – Kinan Azmeh
Cymbal, Tambourine – Joseph Gramley
Drum [Rig], Snare – Shane Shanahan
Featuring, Vocals – Gregory Porter, Lisa Fischer
Piano – Cristina Pato
Pipa – Wu Man
Shakuhachi – Kojiro Umezaki
Sheng – Wu Tong
Viola – Nicholas Cords
Violin – Colin Jacobsen
Written-By – Frank Loesser, Hoagy Carmichael