review

Ram Narayan (Hindi: ररम नरररयण) (born 25 December 1927), often referred to by the title
Pandit,
is an Indian musician who popularized the bowed instrument sarangi as a concert
solo instrument in
Hindustani classical music and became the first internationally successful sarangi
player.

Narayan
was born in Udaipur, in the Indian state of Rajasthan, and learned to play the
sarangi at an early age.
He studied under sarangi players and singers and worked as a music teacher and
traveling musician as
a teenager. Narayan was hired as an accompanist for vocalists at All India Radio,
Lahore, in 1944. He
moved to Delhi following the partition of India in 1947 and became interested in
going beyond
accompaniment. Frustrated with his supporting role, Narayan moved to Mumbai to work
in Indian cinema
in 1949.

After an unsuccessful attempt in 1954, Narayan became a concert solo artist in 1956
and later
gave up accompaniment. He started to record solo albums and began to tour America
and Europe in the
1960s. Narayan taught Indian and foreign students and performed, frequently outside
of India, into
the 2000s. He was awarded India's second highest civilian honor, the Padma
Vibhushan, in 2005.

Not a sitar musician; Ram Narayan plays the sarangi a rather mourful bowed
instrument and the music is
also mournful. It conjures up images of long days with crushing heat somewhere on
a plain with dust on t
he air and a longing for something to do.

The atmosphere created is very relaxing if only a little sad. If

your own mood matches the music you will find it a good meditative place to be.
Ram Narayan is a modern
day master of the genre.

track list
1. Rag Shankara
2. Rag Mala in Jogia

http://ramnarayansarangi.com