Company Name - Audiorec Classics
Pandit Sharda Sahai comes from a long and respected lineage of legendary tabla players. Sharda Sahai was born in Benares, India in 1935. As the direct descendant of Pandit Ram Sahai, the founder of the Benares Baj, Sharda Sahai is the gharanedhar (head) of the Benares gharana (school) of tabla playing. Sharda Sahai's performance explores the technical and expressive possibilities of the tabla to its fullest. Since his performances are largely improvised, the pieces that he... Read More
Write an online REVIEW and share your thoughts with other shoppers. The Indian subcontinent's many styles of Tabla playing never fell for the blandishments of homogeneity. At many locations separate styles of playing based on regional characteristics and tastes evolved. Different ways of accenting standard rhythm cycles so as to make them peculiar to a particular Baj (style) developed - as did the use of melodic support (here demonstrated by Ramesh Mishra's sarangi). Sharda Sahai belongs to a school of playing based in Benares (or Varanasi). Born in 1935, he studied under, amongst others, Kanthe Maharaj (whose nephew Kishan Maharaj is another magnificent Tabla virtuoso). He has accompanied many of the Hindustani tradition's greatest exponents, including the vocalist Girija Devi, the violinist V G Jog, the sarodist Ali Akbar Khan and the sitarist Ravi Shankar. His three performances explore 16-beat, 7-beat and 12-beat cycles. Good booklet notes (marred by some sloppy proofing) enhance this exemplary rhythm recital. - Ken Hunt (Performance :****), Verdict: Rhythmically beyond the norm. Pandit Shard Sahai nedstarnrner fra en lang række af tablaspillere fra Benares. Han er overhovedet for Benares bag, som Benaresstilen kaldes. På denne Cd spiller han tabla solo og blivet akkompagneret af Ramesh Mishra på sarangi. Sharda Sahai spiller i den kraftfulde Benar viser alle aspekter af det traditionelle tabla spil. Der følger mange gode og nyttige informationer med i teksthæftet inden I Cden. Han spiller meget korrekt, men også noget kantet og måske for komplekst til en første gangslytter af tablaspil. - djembe nr 34 oct-dec 2000
Pandit Sharda Sahai comes from a long and respected lineage of legendary tabla players. Sharda Sahai was born in Benares, India in 1935. As the direct descendant of Pandit Ram Sahai, the founder of the Benares Baj, Sharda Sahai is the gharanedhar (head) of the Benares gharana (school) of tabla playing. Sharda Sahai's performance explores the technical and expressive possibilities of the tabla to its fullest. Since his performances are largely improvised, the pieces that he has chosen to play are a reflection of a particular mood on a particular day, representing only a small part of his expansive repertoire. He plays three items each in a different tal. The performances in Teental and Rupak tal follow the most common solo performance sequence said to have been laid down by Pt. Ram Sahai. In each section Sharda-jee explores a particular form providing more than one example in most instances. These forms are played in different speeds relative to the tal (time cycle) which starts with the tal Vilambit in laya, slowly increasing the tempo with the solo ending in Madhya laya. Each piece is separated by a short interlude of kisme in which he decorates the theka - the fixed pattern of bols that are used to mark a tal. The final item is in drut (fast) Ektal.