Dr. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan — Sarod — One of the world’s greatest living musicians performs a Ragamala based on Rag Kirwani. Recorded in concert in 1984. Accompanied by Swapan Chaudhuri on tabla.

(WLA-ES-01)

Jose Neto — Mountains & the Sea — Brazilian guitarist Neto performs original compositions, accompanied by fellow countrymen Airto Moreira on percussion and Flora Purim, vocals.

(WLA-CS-02-CD)

Teddy Tierup — Franz Liszt — Teddy Tierup traces his line of tutelage, in direct succession back to Liszt himself. Here he performs the Master’s tour de force the Sonata in B minor as well as the introspectively beautiful Legends.

(WLA-CS-03)  

Dr. L. Subramaniam — Electric Modes, Volume I — Violin virtuoso Subramaniam unfolds original compositions for electric violin, based on Karnatak modes, moods and motifs.

Electric Modes, Volume II — Subramaniam explores Karnatak music on electric violin. Five pentatonic ragams are performed as violin solos, followed by a sixth ragam with mridangam and ghatam accompaniment. Ragams — Hamsadhwani, Hindolam, Rewati, Hamsanadam, Abhogi and Kapi.

(WLA-ES-4&5-CD) 2 CD Set  

Ruggiero Ricci, Brooks Smith — Paganiniana — A living legend of the violin, accompanied by Brooks Smith on piano, performs variations on Paganini’s themes by Liszt, Kochanski, Rachmaninoff, Kreisler, Milstein, Szymanowski and Lehar.

(WLA-CS-06)  

Arturo Delmoni — Bach, Kreisler, Ysaye — Delmoni performs some of the finest and most difficult works for unaccompanied violin; the Bach Partita No. 2 in D minor, the Kreisler Recitativo and Scherzo Op.6, and Ysaye’s Sonata.

(WLA-WS-07)  

Strunz & Farah — Misterio — Acoustic guitarists Jorge Stunz and Ardeshir Farah bring together musical elements from their native South America and the Middle East, respectively.

(WLA-CS-08)  

Hamza El Din — Lily of the Nile — Music for oud (lute), tar (drum), and voicals by the foremost musician and innovator of the Sudan. A blend of classical Arab and Nubian folk music.

(WLA-AS-11-CD)

E.L. Diemer, R. Thompson — Music of the Baroque — Baroque chamber music for organ and trumpet by Bach, Teleman, Buxtehude, Delalande, Homilius, Viviani, Zippoli, Campra, Scarlatti, Stanley, and Handel.
Ron Thompson — trumpet. Emma Lou Diemer — organ.

(WLA-WS-13)  

Woodward, Lebow, Gershon — The Six Sonatas for Flute — The complete Bach flute sonatas (BWV 1030-1035), performed by some of Los Angeles finest musicians.
Gary Woodward — flute. Grant Gershon — harpsicord. Roger Lebow — cello.

(WLA-WS-14)

Dom Um Romao — Saudades — Dom Um Romao is a master Brazilian percussionist, formerly of Weather Report. He is accompanied here by Alex Blake on bass, Chico Freeman on sax, and fellow Brazilian Izio Gross on piano, in an attempt to bridge the music of Bahia and Harlem.

(WLA-CS-16-CD)

Ustad Imrat Khan — Ajmer — The foremost exponent of the surbahar plays rag Alhaiya Bilaval on surbahar and rag Imratkauns on sitar. On rag Imratkauns, Ustad Imrat Khan is accompanied on tabla by his son, Shafaatullah Khan.

(WLA-ES-17-CD)

Ustad Salamat Ali Khan — Breath of the Rose — The subcontinent’s Nawwab of khyal and thumri, and former court musician of the Nizam of Hyderabad, sings breathtaking duets with his two sons, Sharafat and Shafkat. Rags — Rageshwari, Bhupali, and Mishra Khamaj.

(WLA-ES-18-CD)

Dr. L. Subramaniam — Kalyani — A master violinist of the Karnatak tradition delves into two ragams with the accompaniment of mridangam and ghatam. Puvalur Srinivasan on mridangam and T.H. Subashchandran on ghatam. Ragams — Varnam in Kalyani and Krti in Bilahari.

(WLA-ES-19-CD)

Dr. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan — Indian Architexture — The doyen of Hindustani music, and one of the world’s greatest musicians, creates four spellbinding rags that are destined to become part of the world’s musical heritage. Tabla accompaniment by the outstanding Swapan Chaudhuri. Rags — Alam Bhairav, Megh–Sarang, Durga, and Hemant.

(WLA-ES-20-SACD) 2 CD Set

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt — Gathering Rain Clouds — An outstanding Hindustani musician, Bhatt performs on a unique instrument of his own design, called the mohan vina. Based on the slide guitar, this instrument, with its sympathetic strings, has an exquisite sound. Tabla accompaniment by Sukhvindar Singh. Rags — Miya Ki Malhar and Gavati.

(WLA-ES-22-CD)

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt — Saradamani — Bhatt delivers six beautiful light classical compositions, derived from the folk melodies of the subcontinent. Tabla accompaniment by Sukhvindar Singh.

(WLA-ES-23-CD)

Dr. L. Subramaniam — Sarasvati — Tamilakam’s legendary violinist executes the complex and difficult modal arrangement of Ragam Tanam Pallavi on acoustic violin. He is accompanied on mridangam and ghatam by T.H. Subashchandran, who performs an outstanding Tani Avartanam (percussion solo). Ragam — Sarasvati Priya.

(WLA-ES-24-CD)

Papa Bunka Susso — A Gathering of Elders — Gambia’s most renowned jali is joined by two American gospel singers, in an attempt to reach the roots of Afro-American music, that has its beginnings in West Africa. Bishop Pat Patrick, contralto and Rev. Michelle Lawyer, soprano.

(WLA-AS-25-CD)

Ustad Imrat Khan — Lalita — Imrat Khan’s mastery of the surbahar coaxes all the subtlety, depth, and power from this noble instrument, in a solo performance of rag Lalit.

(WLA-ES-26-CD)

Ry Cooder, V.M. Bhatt — A Meeting by the River — American guitar legend Ry Cooder teams with Hindustani guitarist Vishwa Mohan Bhatt to create an exotic musical realm. Ry’s bottleneck guitar and Bhatt’s mohan vina evoke musical elements from many cultures and styles. Percussion by Sukhvindar Singh on tabla and Joachim Cooder on dumbek.

(WLA-CS-29-CD)

Grammy Winner 1993

Pandit Jasraj — Invocation — One of the great khyal singers, Pandit Jasraj sings two rags in a style that is closer to dhrupad, with no tabla accompaniment. The solemnity with which the master evokes the moods of these rags makes this performance truly an invocation of the Divine. Rags — Darbari and Bhairav.

(WLA-ES-31-CD)

The Court Musicians — At the Court of the Chera King — A young khyal singer from the subcontinent is accompanied by one Afghan and six American musicians, performing on instruments such as dobro, violin, cello, dulcimer, sarod, dumbek, and tar. An impressionistic tapestry, containing the textures of many musical traditions.

(WLA-CS-34-CD)

Béla Fleck, V. M. Bhatt, Jie-Bing Chen — Tabula Rasa — Foremost innovator on the banjo, Béla Fleck is joined by Hindustani master V. M. Bhatt and Chinese virtuoso Jie-Bing Chen in a collaboration that begins with a clean slate and culminates in a masterpiece of synthesis. Adding poignant but subtle coloring to this unique work are Hindustani flutist Ronu Majumdar and violinist Sangeeta Shankar, as well the Karnatak percussionist Puvalur Srinivasan on mridangam.

(WLA-CS-44-CD)

Also available in dual-layer SACD Format #WLA-CS-44-SACD

Grammy Nominee 1996

Taj Mahal, V.M. Bhatt, N. Ravikiran — Mumtaz Mahal — Taj Mahal, a repository of the musical traditions of the West African Diaspora in the New World, teams with Hindustani wizard of the mohan vina, V.M. Bhatt and Karnatak virtuoso of the chitra vina, N. Ravikiran. Their interpretation of popular Afro-American songs drawn from various genres is a unique musical synthesis.

(WLA-CS-46-CD)

Jerry Douglas, V.M. Bhatt, Edgar Meyer — Bourbon & Rosewater — Jerry Douglas (dobro) and Edgar Meyer (upright bass) are two of the finest musicians to come out of Nashville in recent years, with their roots in country/bluegrass and classical/jazz respectively. In this recording with V.M. Bhatt, they together explore commonalities and parallels between bluegrass and Hindustani music, proving that the High Lonesome ethos is universal.

(WLA-CS-47-CD)

Martin Simpson, Wu Man — Music for the Motherless Child — English guitarist Martin Simpson is known for having successfully synthesized a style that blends the best of the finger picking traditions of the British Isles and Appalachia. Wu Man is a virtuoso of the Pipa, a Chinese lute which, like the western guitar, is derived from the Middle Eastern oud.

(WLA-CS-49-CD)

Mevlevi Ensemble of Turkey — "Wherever You Turn Is the Face of GOD" — The 13th century Sufi master Mevlana Jelálúddín Rúmí founded the Mevlevi order of dervishes. The Mevlevi Ensemble of Turkey performs the music that accompanies the whirling ceremony initiated by Rúmí to enable the microcosm of man to transcend into the macrocosm of the Divine.

(WLA-ES-50-CD)

Simon Shaheen, V. M. Bhatt — Saltanah — Another historic recording of a virtuoso of the Arabian classical tradition, who here performs on both oud and violin with Hindustani master V.M. Bhatt. The maqam of the Arabic world and the rag of the subcontinent fuse into a music that is truly exalted, as the title suggests. The two masters are ably supported by Hindustani musicians Ronu Majumdar on flute and Sangeeta Shankar on violin. Rag/Maqam: Kirwani-Nahawand; Vasanth Mukhari-Hijaz; Bagashwari-'Ajam Mu’addal; Pahari-'Ajam; Bhairavi-Kurd.

(WLA-ES-51-CD)

James Newton, Kadri Golpalnath — Southern Brothers — The Karnatak ethos of the south of the subcontinent blends perfectly with that of the blues, jazz and gospel music rooted in the American south. Jazz legend of the flute Newton and Karnatak master of the saxophone Gopalnath touch the soul with this music. Mridangam accompaniment by Puvalur Srinivasan.

(WLA-CS-56-CD)

Dr. L. Subramaniam, Larry Coryell — From the Ashes — This is the first recording made by violinist Subramaniam since the passing of his beloved wife, Viji. The pain of separation that death brings into life is transcended only through love. This music, augmented by Coryell's introspective guitar playing, mirrors that process of transformation.

(WLA-CS-59-CD)

David Hidalgo, Martin Simpson, Viji Krishnan — Kambara Music in Native Tongues— Herein is an attempt to blend aspects of folk-rock with that of Karnatak music. Multi-instrumentalist Hidalgo performs on bajo sexto and accordion while Simpson plays steel and acoustic guitars to which Krishnan’s violin and Srinivasan’s mridangam add a distinct Karnatak hue.

(WLA-CS-63-CD)

The Philadelphia Orchestra — Nature's Realm — This is the first coincident-miked, all-tube analogue recording of a major symphony orchestra in over twenty years. One of the greatest orchestras in the world has been recorded with a naturalness and purity of timbre that is seldom heard today. Under the baton of Maestro Wolfgang Sawallisch, one of the great conductors of our time, the Philadelphia Orchestra delivers stirring performances of Franz Liszt's Les Préludes , and Antonín Dvorák's three concert overtures, In Nature's Realm, Carnival, and Othello.

(WLA-WS-66-CD)

Also available in dual-layer SACD & DVD Formats #WLA-WS-66-SACD / #WLA-WS-66-DVD

Jon Hassell, Ry Cooder, Jacky Terrasson, Ronu Majumdar — Fascinoma — Ry Cooder summons fourth world trumpeter Jon Hassell, jazz star pianist Jacky Terrasson, and classical Indian flutist Ronu Majumdar, to a big resonant church in Santa Barbara and creates "tone-magic" -- a bath in the sheer beauty of sound expressed in a kind of global, space-age Duke Ellington palette. Music without a price for an audience that can't be bought.

(WLA-CS-70-CD)

Also available in dual-layer SACD Format #WLA-CS-70-SACD

Ronu Majumdar, Ry Cooder, Jon Hassell, Abhijit Banarjee — Hollow Bamboo — Ronu is an outstanding flutist of the Hindustani tradition who has previously been featured on recordings with Jon Hassell (Fascinoma, #WLA-CS-70-CD), Simon Shaheen (Saltanah, #WLA-ES-51-CD) and Bela Fleck (Tabula Rasa, #WLA-CS-44-CD). Hollow Bamboo, a collaboration with Ry Cooder on electric guitar and Turkish oud, and Jon Hassell on trumpet, is a mesmerizing blend of Indian folk melodies and electric genre defying compositions.

(WLA-ES-71-CD)

Ronu Majumdar, Abhijit Banarjee — Lady Astride the Tiger — On this recording Ronu's mastery of his chosen idiom, that of Hindustani music, is laid bare while his command over his chosen instrument, the Bansuri, is equally obvious. Abhijit Banarjee performs admirably, providing rhythmic accompaniment on the tabla. Rags — Jainjhoti, Bhupali, Durga, and Kashmiri Dhun.

(WLA-ES-72-CD)