The Dawn of Indian Music in the West

Peter Lavezzoli

Continuum International Publishing Group, Apr 24, 2006 - Music - 456 pages

A little more than 50 years ago, in 1955, Ali AkbarKhan issued an LP called Music of India: Morning and Evening Ragas, with spoken introduction by violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Until then, Indian music was terra incognita in the West. When the same album was reissued as a CD in 1995, under the title Then and Now,it was nominated for a Grammy.

In the last 50 years, there has been the explosive influence of Indian music and culture in the West. Words such as karma, yoga, raga, nirvana, all once unknown here, have entered the language. Most famously, the wonders of the Indian musical world were spread by George Harrison and the Beatles. The music also had a profound effect on Mickey Hart and the Grateful Dead, John McLaughlin (Mahavishnu Orchestra), the Byrds, John Coltrane, and many others. The annus mirabilis 1967 saw the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi spreading the wonders of transcendental meditation, Swami Prabhupada founding the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in New York City, and the growing influence of Ravi Shankar. Four years later, George Harrison organized the groundbreaking Concert for Bangladesh, the first charity event of rock. Shankar had already wowed audiences at the Monterey Pop Festival, and he achieved stardom at the Madison Square Garden event. (Where Westerners, new to the sounds they heard, applauded after the musicians had finished tuning their instruments!)

Peter Lavezzoli, a Buddhist and a musician, has a rare ability to articulate the personal feeling of music, and at the same time narrate a history. Lavezzoli has interviewed more than a score of musicians, such as Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, David Crosby, Philip Glass, Zakir Hussain, Mickey Hart, Zubin Mehta, and John McLaughlin.

What people are saying

User Review -

As books about Indian Music and "the West", this book is quite ground-breaking. Few authors look at the serious implications of Indian music for specifically the American Avante-Garde. This one hits it out of the park. It pushes into Rock as well as Techno (Bill Laswell, etc.), and gives a very complete picture of the influence of Indian music on mostly music in the U.S. An excellent (and fun!) read. 

Review: The Dawn of Indian Music in the West

User Review  - Brad - Goodreads

This book is tremendous in the level of detail it takes and the degree to which it explores every connection that Western Music has made with Indian Classical Music in the 20th century. And given that ...

Contents

• The Dawn of Indian Music in the West: 1
• The Way of Raga: 17
• Yehudi Menuhin Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan: 43
• Ali Akbar Khan: 65
• Mickey Hart: 80
• Alla Rakha and Zakir Hussain: 101
• Philip Glass: 124
• David Crosby and Roger McGuinn: 147
• George Harrison: 171
• Jim Keltner: 200
• Tanmoy Bose: 206
• Zubin Mehta: 220
• Terry Riley: 237
• John Coltrane and the Birth of Indojazz: 267
• The PostColtrane Indojazz Movement: 296
• John McLaughlin: 330
• Bill Laswell: 340
• Cheb i Sabbah: 356
• Vilayat and Shujaat Khan: 373
• The Ali Akbar College of Music: 388
• Shubhendra Rao and Saskia Raode Haas: 399
• Anoushka Shankar: 410
• Ravi Shankar: 417
• An Afterword: 434
• Glossary: 439
• Select Bibliography: 445
• Index of Names: 447

About the author

Peter Lavezzoli is the author of The King of All, Sir Duke: Ellington and the Artistic Revolution, which is also published by Continuum. As a percussionist and vocalist, Lavezzoli explores the connection between musical and spiritual expression. He lives in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Dawn of Indian Music in the West
• Author: Peter Lavezzoli
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2006
• ISBN: 0826418155, 9780826418159
• Length: 456 pages
• Subjects: Music / Genres & Styles / General