Rag Shankara, Rag Mala in Jogia

The album consists of performances of the ragas Shankara and Jogiya (also called Jogia); Jogiya is performed in raga mala form. Shankara is considered a solemn and dignified raga that is difficult to master. It has been described by Vamanrao Deshpande as representing the "heroic mood". Luiz Martinez José argued that the raga was named for a gentle and guarding incarnation of the Hindu deity Shiva. Shankara is performed in the late night and distinguished by an emphasis on the third (Ga) and seventh (Ni) notes, the upper tetrachord, and several characteristic phrases and slow glides in descend. Peter Manuel described it as the most important raga of the Bhairav that (raga class based on the Bhairav scale type). Jogiya is performed at daybreak and emphasizes the tonic (Sa) and the fifth (Pa). The change from Jogiya into another raga and back must be smooth as there is no break in the music, making a raga mala difficult to perform. ==Recording and artwork==

Rag Shankara, Rag Mala in Jogia was recorded on 15 and 16 November 1989 in Wyastone Leys near Monmouth, Wales. It depicts a young woman sitting next to a lake, playing on a rudra veena to a parakeet, which symbolizes her absent lover. A picture of Narayan with his sarangi, taken by Joseph Stieger, is on the back of the album. ==Reception==

Allmusic critic Ken Hunt described Narayan's performance of "Rag Shankara" as "ideal for the night hours" and R. S. Murthi of the New Straits Times argued that the album showcased the "delicate tone" of the sarangi and its capacity for "seductive lyricism". ==Track listing==

• "Rāg Shankara" – 39:11 • "Rāg Mala in Jogia" – 31:50 ==Personnel==

• Ram Narayan – sarangi • Anindo Chatterjee – tabla • Uma Mehta – tambura • Uma Phalke – tambura ==References==