''Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000'' is a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

by Indian musician and composer

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitar, sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known expert of Hin ...

, released in 2001 through the

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

Angel Records Angel Records was a record label founded by EMI in 1953. It specialised in European classical music, classical music, but included an occasional operetta or Broadway score. and one Peter Sellers comedy disc. The famous Recording Angel trademark ...

. Recorded at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

in October 2000 as part of a tour with Shankar's daughter Anoushka, the album contains five tracks and presents two ''

raga A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, fro ...

s''. The concert occurred sixty-two years after Shankar's first performance at Carnegie Hall and commemorated his eightieth birthday; the album was his first live recording in nearly twenty years. ''Full Circle'' was produced by

Hans Wendl Hans Wendl is a producer. He began his career in the music business with the record label ECM Records in his hometown of Munich in the mid-1970s and was associated with the German label for twelve years before moving to the United States in 1986. ...

, mastered by Scott Hull, and mixed and engineered by Tom Lazarus. Featured are performances by

Tanmoy Bose Tanmoy Bose, whose name is often preceded by the title Pandit (Master), is an Indian percussionist and tabla player, musical producer, film actor and composer. He has collaborated with Pandit Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar and Amjad Ali Khan, a ...

and

Bickram Ghosh Bickram Ghosh is an Indian classical tabla player. Early life Ghosh started learning tabla from his father, Pandit Shankar Ghosh. Career Ghosh has performed with Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar. Ghosh's band, Rhythmscape, which perf ...

on ''

tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

'', and Anoushka and Ravi on ''

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...

''. In 2001, the album peaked at ninth position on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Top World Music Albums chart and earned Shankar the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best World Music Album.

Background and composition

''Full Circle'' was recorded at

in New York City on October 6, 2000, as part of a tour of the same name in which Ravi introduced his nineteen-year-old daughter and student Anoushka Shankar. Note: Online version foun
here
Anoushka began studying at age nine and is the only musician in the world trained exclusively by Ravi. The concert commemorated Shankar's eightieth birthday and occurred sixty-two years after his first performance at the venue as a member of his brother

Uday Shankar Uday Shankar (born Uday Shankar Choudhary; 8 December 1900 – 26 September 1977) was an Indian dancer and choreographer, best known for creating a fusion style of dance, adapting European theatrical techniques to Indian classical dance, imbu ...

's Indian dance group. The album also marked Shankar's first live recording in nearly twenty years. The Carnegie Hall concert was held specifically for the purpose of recording a live album, despite Shankar's hesitations about using "traditional recording considerations" to capture improvisational music. ''Full Circle'' contains two ''ragas'' presented in five tracks totaling just over one hour in length. ''Kaushi Kanhara'' (a compound ''raga'' that combines ''

Malkauns Malkauns, known also as rag Malkosh, is a raga in Indian classical music. It is one of the oldest ragas of Indian classical music. The equivalent raga in Carnatic music is called Hindolam, not to be confused with the Hindustani Hindol. Accor ...

'' and ''

Darbari Kanada Darbari Kanada, or simply Raga Darbari (pronounced darbāri kānada), is a raga in Carnatic music. It is a janya ragam (derived scale) of 20th Melakarta raga Natabhairavi. It is believed to be borrowed into Hindustani classical music by M ...

'') is separated in an ''

alap The Alap (; ) is the opening section of a typical North Indian classical performance. It is a form of melodic improvisation that introduces and develops a raga. In dhrupad singing the alap is unmetered, improvised (within the raga) and unaccomp ...

'' portion (an unaccompanied introduction) which includes '' jor'' and ''

jhala Jhala (Hindi: झाला, ) is a term in Hindustani classical music which denotes the fast-paced conclusions of classical compositions or raga A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a mus ...

'' (playing with pulse and fast pulse), and a ''gat'' portion (composition with ''

'' accompaniment). ''Mishra Gara'' is introduced with an ''aochar'' (a short ''alap''), and features two ''gats'', in a single thirty-minute track.

worked as

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

and Scott Hull

mastered Mastering is a form of audio post production which is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device called a master recording, the source from which all copies will be ...

the album, which was mixed and engineered by Tom Lazarus and features performances by Tanmoy Bose and Bickram Ghosh on ''tabla'', and Anoushka and Ravi on ''sitar''. Shankar said he was successful in reaching his goal of presenting variety on the album by incorporating both "ancient" and "contemporary, semi-classical" styles and reaching a musical climax quickly. Gilbert Heatherwick, an Angel Records executive, said that the label sought to market the album as an "event record" and would position it "upfront in pop departments". Angel promoted the album through

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

stations and mainstream press outlets as a "human interest story", focusing on Shankar's career and how the album exemplifies its title. ''Full Circle'' was released in India through the

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

-owned label Virgin India. Anoushka Shankar's album ''Live at Carnegie Hall'' was recorded at Carnegie Hall the same evening. The album was released in December 2001 and earned her a nomination for Best World Music Album at the

45th Grammy Awards The 45th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 23, 2003, at Madison Square Garden in New York City honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2001, through September 30, 2002. Musicians' accomplishment ...

(2003), making her the youngest musician nominated in the category.

Reception

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Sean Westergaard awarded the album three of five stars and called it an "excellent recording". He complimented Ravi's musicianship and dexterity, particularly during the fast '' gat'' section of ''Mishra Gara'', but suggested that ''

'' and '' jor'' might be too long for some Western listeners. ''

Yoga Journal ''Yoga Journal'' is a website and digital journal, formerly a print magazine, on yoga as exercise founded in California in 1975 with the goal of combining the essence of traditional yoga with scientific understanding. It has produced live events ...

'' Derk Richardson wrote that Shankar's fast fingering and "ingenious note choices ... conspire to create a mesmerizing swirl". Richardson complimented all instrumental performers, as well as producer Hans Wendl, for recording the ensemble with "striking clarity", and called Shankar's playing "timeless". Bill Meyer wrote in his 2005 review for the ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'' that Shankar was not as fast as he used to be but that he was still a "thrilling improviser".

Chart performance and recognition

''Full Circle'' reached a peak position of nine on ''

'' Top World Music Albums chart the week of May 5, 2001. At the

44th Grammy Awards The 44th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 27, 2002, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The main recipient was Alicia Keys, winning five Grammys, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for " Fallin'". U2 won fo ...

in 2002, the album earned Shankar a

for Best World Music Album. This marked Shankar's third Grammy win, after he was previously recognized along with

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin (22 April 191612 March 1999), was an American-born British violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. ...

for the collaborative album ''

West Meets East ''West Meets East'' is an album by American violinist Yehudi Menuhin and Indian sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar,first released in the United Kingdom by His Master's Voice in January 1967. It was recorded following their successful duet in June 1966 ...

'', and with

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

, ''et al.'' at the

15th Grammy Awards The 15th Annual Grammy Awards were held on March 3, 1973, at the Tennessee Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee. The event was the first Grammy ceremony not to be held in either New York City or Los Angeles (the 64th Grammys, staged in Las Vegas in ...

in 1973 for ''The Concert for Bangladesh''. Following the 2002 Grammy win, ''tabla'' musician Bickram Ghosh said he enjoyed the recognition but insisted the "limelight" would not affect his future playing. When ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

'' questioned whether or not ''tanpura'' musicians received adequate praise for their contributions to the album, Ghosh responded that the ''tanpura'' is a "drawn instrument and not a performance art." Of his performances alongside Shankar, Ghosh rated the Carnegie Hall concert an eight on a ten-point scale, saving a nine rating for the Toronto Ford Centre concert in 1997. According to the Ravi Shankar Foundation, the album also won first place in the Traditional World category at the 5th Annual NAV Music Awards.

Track listing

All songs written by

. # "Introduction I" – 1:37 # "Raga Kaushi Kanhara: Alap-Jor-Jhala" – 19:02 # "Raga Kaushi Kanhara: Gat in Dhamar" – 10:04 # "Introduction II" – 1:37 # "Raga Mishra Gara: Aochar/Slow Gat and Fast Gat in Teental" – 30:14 Track listing adapted from Allmusic.

Personnel

– ''

'' *

– ''tabla'' * Caroline Greyshock – cover photo * Scott Hull – mastering * Tom Lazarus –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

, mixing * Jessica Novod – art direction, design *

Barry Phillips Barry Phillips is a musician, arranger and producer of many recordings of Celtic, world and American folk music on the Gourd Music label. Life and career Phillips received a Masters of Music degree in composition from the San Francisco Conservat ...

– ''

tanpura The tanpura (; also referred to as tambura, tanpuri, tamboura, or tanpoura) is a long-necked, plucked, four-stringed instrument originating in the Indian subcontinent, found in various forms in Indian music. Visually, the tanpura resembl ...

'' *

Anoushka Shankar Anoushka Hemangini Shankar (born 9 June 1981) is a British-American sitar player and musician of Indian descent, as well as occasional writer. She performs across multiple genres and styles—Indian classical, classical and contemporary, acoust ...

– ''

'' *

– ''sitar'' * Ajay Sharma – ''tanpura'' * Marc Stedman – assistant *

– producer * Timothy White –

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

Credits adapted from Allmusic.

References

External links

''Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000'' advertisement
in ''Yoga Journal'' (July–August 2001)
"Angel's Shankar Tours with Dad"
by Jim Bessman, ''Billboard'' (July 15, 2000) {{Ravi Shankar 2001 live albums Albums recorded at Carnegie Hall Angel Records live albums Grammy Award for Best World Music Album Live albums by Indian artists Ravi Shankar albums

Background and composition

Reception

Chart performance and recognition

Track listing

Personnel

See also

References

External links