The Dawn of Indian Music in the West - Softcover

Lavezzoli, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0826428193 ISBN 13: 9780826428196

Publisher: Continuum, 2007

Synopsis

"The Dawn of Indian Music in the West," by Peter Lavezzoli. Foreword by Ravi Shankar. In the 1960s, the wonders of Indian music, and its unique message of peace, were spread in the West by Ravi Shankar, George Harrison and the Beatles, John Coltrane, Yehudi Menuhin, and others. In 1971, Harrison and Shankar organized the Concert for Bangladesh, the first superstar charity event, in hopes of stopping a war and feeding the hungry. But Indian music also had a profound impact on the work of Mickey Hart and the Grateful Dead, Philip Glass, John McLaughlin, and many others. At the dawn of the 21st century, Indian music's spiritual message is more timely than ever before. Here is the story of the musical merging of East and West, from the Beatles and John Coltrane to the Asian Underground. Peter Lavezzoli has a rare ability to articulate the personal feeling of music, while also narrating a comprehensive history. In his refreshingly accessible discussion on Indian music theory, he clarifies Eastern musical structures and terminology for Western readers. For this book, Lavezzoli conducted historic in-depth interviews with: Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Zakir Hussain, Mickey Hart, David Crosby & Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, Philip Glass, Jim Keltner, Zubin Mehta, John McLaughlin, Terry Riley, Bill Laswell, Cheb i Sabbah, Anoushka Shankar, Tanmoy Bose, Shujaat Khan, Shubhendra Rao, Saskia Rao de Haas, Mary Johnson Khan, and George Ruckert. These interviews bring an additional immediacy and authority to the book through the personal insights of the musicians themselves. The chapters on Indian music's relationships with jazz, rock, and electronic music are definitive. Includes a glossary and rare photos.

About this title

About the Author

Peter Lavezzoli is the author of "The King of All, Sir Duke: Ellington and the Artistic Revolution," and "The Dawn of Indian Music in the West" (foreword by Ravi Shankar), both published by Continuum Books of New York & London. A revised edition of the latter book was published in India by Harper Collins as "Bhairavi: The Global Impact of Indian Music." Lavezzoli is a professional drummer and vocalist, and a Library of Congress narrator of Talking Books for the Blind. Lavezzoli holds a Honors Religious Studies BA from Florida International University, specializing in Chinese Buddhist History.

Review

The trajectory traced by Peter Lavezzoli is of absolute importance in the development of the best music of the last half-century. He deserves the gratitude of anyone interested in Indian classical, jazz, and contemporary electronica. --Geoff Dyer

It is amazing to see the dedication and amount of hard work Peter Lavezzoli has gone through in creating this book. Readers will be rewarded with much information, hitherto unknown. --From the Foreword by Ravi Shankar

Unparalleled insights into the personal side of the story--how the musicians interacted with each other, both musically and socially, in creating this phenomenon. Highly recommended. --Roderic Knight

Edition details

• Publisher: Continuum
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0826428193
• ISBN 13: 9780826428196
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 472