Raag Bhairavi (Mar 28th)

This show featured Raag Bhairavi. Bhairavi is associated with the early morning and is quite pleasant to the ear. It is common practice to end a performance with Bhairavi.

Here's the playlist for the show:
1. Bade Ghulam Ali - Thumri Bhairavi (15:32)
2. Ravi Shankar - Raag Bhairavi (15:16)
3. Vilayat Khan - Malika in Bhairavi (20:09)
4. Rashid Khan - Raag Bhairavi (9:09)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org (+1)
404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Raag Todi (Mar 14th)

The second episode of our mini-series Raag, and we're listening to Raag Todi. Quite the opposite to Khamaj, Todi is like a minor scale. In fact, it has that melancholy feel to it and is used quite often in Hindustani music to portray sadness.

1. Rashid Khan - Raag Miyan ki Todi (17:10)
2. Bismillah Khan - Raag Todi (9:59)
3. Pandit Jasraj - Raag Bilaskhani Todi Vilambit (18:10)
4. Fateh Ali Khan - Raag Gujari Todi (14:29)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Raag Khamaj (Mar 7th)

This is the first episode of a mini-series called Raag which looks at some of the important raags of Hindustani music. A raag can be considered equivalent to a scale in western music. It sets the mood of the piece and defines what notes can and cannot be part of the composition. We'll start the series with Raag Khamaj.

Khamaj is associated with the late evening, with the sunset really, and is pretty much as close as you can expect to get to a major scale. As you can imagine, it is very pleasant to listen to, and generally conveys happiness.

Playlist:
1. Ali Akbar Khan - Raag Manjh Khamaj
2. Ulhas Kashalkar - Koyalia Kook Sunave
3. Vilayat Khan - Ragamalika in Khamaj
4. Ulhas Kashalkar - Raag Khamaj

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Playlist for Feb 21st

 Here's the playlist for Feb 21st:

1. Nikhil Banerjee - Raag Sohini (20:05)
2. Zakir Hussain & Sultan Khan - Raag Des (10:24)
3. Buddhadev Dasgupta - Raag Jaijaivanti Alap, Jor, Jhala (15:02)
4. Hariprasad Chaurasia - Raag Durgawati Drut Gat (14:15)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

Variety! (14th Feb)

 I happened to pick out a very diverse set of songs for this show, simply because a lot of the other shows so far work around a theme and have songs that sound more or less the same. There's something for everyone in this list - from the wonderful vocals of the Gundecha brothers to Anindo Chatterjee's amazing antics on the tabla! So here's to some variety in our lives!

1. Gundecha brothers - Raag Yaman (10:16)
2. Vilayat Khan - Raag Bhairavi Thumri (20:09)
3. Anindo Chatterjee - Nasruk taal (20:05)
4. Bismillah Khan - Purvi Dhun (10:24)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

RIP Bhimsen Joshi

As you would very well know by now, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi passed away on the 24th of January this year at the age of 89. His was cremated the following morning with full state honours - a 21 gun salute, fancy speeches and everything. His voice will be sorely missed by millions around the world. I decided to put up a tribute show, one last awesome Bhimsen Joshi special, so here it is:

1. Bhimsen Joshi - Raag Bhairavi
2. Bhimsen Joshi - Raag Brindavani Sarang
3. Bhimsen Joshi - Majhe Maher Pandhari
4. Bhimsen Joshi - Raag Tilak Kamod
5. Bhimsen Joshi - Ab Aayo Ghanashyam

May his soul rest in peace.

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com

From the archives of WREK

Very different show lined up for today, we'll start with some vinyl for the day. Lots of stuff back here in the vault at WREK, and this is just a little taste of what's inside. We start with Raag Mishra Maand - Pandit Nikhil Banerjee on the sitar, Ali Akbar Khan on the sarod and Mahapurush Mishra playing the tabla.

The next track is one of Zakir Hussain's many collaborations with John McLaughlin. As always the line-up is phenomenal - Zakir Hussain (percussion), Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute), John Mclaughlin (acoustic guitar) and Jan Garbarek (saxophone); this is a lovely track titled Anisa, of the album Making Music.

Our next track is on CD, and it features Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan on the Shehnai, titled Raag Jhinjoti from the album Serenity. The final track for the evening is by Zakir Hussain, Bela Fleck, and Edgar Meyer, with a title as unusual as the line-up. It's called Bubbles from the album Melody of Rhythm.

1. Raag Mishra Maand - Nikhil Banerjee, Ali Akbar Khan, Mahapurush Mishra (21:23)
2. Anisa - Zakir Hussain, John Mclaughlin, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Jan Garbarek (9:10)
3. Raag Jhinjoti - Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan (21:30)
4. Bubbles - Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Zakir Hussain (7:30)

Avinash Sastry
Gharana Music
WREK Atlanta, 91.1 FM
Mondays, 8-9 p.m.
www.wrek.org
(+1) 404-894-2468
Email: gharanamusicatlanta@gmail.com