The definitive biography of the Maestro, told with the cooperation of his estate, family, and friends.  Rigorously researched and lovingly presented, Oliver Craske offers a detailed and compelling account of the life of Ravi Shankar and the worlds he touched through his music and personal journey. More Info. “This first authorized biography is the product of 25 years’ research and interviews. For fans of Shankar and Indian classical, Oliver Craske’s mighty work will surely be a delight.” – The Guardian

On April 24th, we will be releasing two fantastic recordings from the Ravi Shankar Foundation’s archives. • Nine Decades Vol. 6: Dutch-India Airwaves On May 27, 1957 Ravi Shankar (sitar), Chatur Lal (tabla) and Nodu Mallick (tanpura) performed in Amsterdam at the Concertgebouw. It was Shankar’s first appearance as a solo artist in The Netherlands. Though there is no audio of that concert, we are lucky to have this music, recorded earlier in the day at the Radio Netherlands studios in Hilversum as well as an interview with Ravi Shankar, done in both Hindi and English, recorded at a museum in Leiden. As a rare glimpse…

In times when vice is treated as virtue, music can be a guide while navigating the rush of current events. To that end, on July 14th, 2017, EMWMusic will release Nine Decades Vol. 5 – Ravi Shankar’s Ghanashyam: A Broken Branch.  Originally commissioned as a music theater piece by the Birmingham Touring Opera Company and premiering in 1989, Ghanashyam explores the endless creation and destruction that can surround the artist in turbulent times. Created out of his deep concern over the youth culture’s preoccupation with drugs as an “easy escape from the sadhana found in disciplined hard work,” Ravi Shankar wrote this outstanding piece to illuminate…

New release from EMWMusic! Life according to the Hindu philosophy is an illusion. This world conceals the real spiritual world behind a veil. Maya is the veil that conceals this true character of spiritual reality. We strive and struggle through our lives to grasp the true nature of our existence. We travel from childhood to adulthood, through relationships, romance, sorrow and happiness, not realizing that the lives we experience are not our true nature at all. Therein lies the need for a spiritual quest that finally leads us to our destination. Maya is an ode to the beauty of this illusion, a force so strong that…

Earlier this year, the Ravi Shankar Foundation teamed up with Northern Spy Records to offer a special vinyl limited edition of the previously unreleased recording of the Maestro, Ravi Shankar In Hollywood,  1971. Now East Meets West Music and Northern Spy Records are happy to announce a wider release of In Hollywood on CD and digital formats on September 30, 2016.  Lovingly remastered, this recording holds beautiful performances of Raga Parameshwari, Dhun, and Raga Sindhi Bhairavi as well as representing the moment of origin for the Concert for Bangladesh, since it was at this morning concert that Ravi Shankar and George Harrison discussed the potential of a benefit concert for those in Bangladesh. The…