Hariprasad Chaurasia (bansuri) and Shivkumar Sharma (santoor) were great friends and played some wonderful duets over the years....... Wonderful duets with Shivkumar (Santoor) https://youtu.be/htmEGHQ_98k?si=VBo0VDpRuQZedRn2 https://youtu.be/RfcpAjv_FN4?si=fcElciLuqlLecIGy https://youtu.be/IAU69jFtJtU?si=vOktarS4W2Hnmapf

This music was spontaneously improvised on the island of Naitauba ( 1 of 300 islands in Fiji), a spiritual Sanctuary island. just to get there is a 11 hour plane from LAX to Fiji then an inter-island small propeller plane for 1.5 hours, then a 5 hour boat ride !!

Here played on bansuri by John https://youtu.be/ev8vv1uUkg0?si=BsEN0pMB5SsX2NUL

Hariprasad Chaurasia: Breath, Silence, and the Living Spirit of Raga Few musicians have shaped the global understanding of Indian classical music as profoundly as Hariprasad Chaurasia. More than a virtuoso of the bansuri, Chaurasia is a master of breath as prayer—a musician whose tone seems to arise not from technique alone, but from deep listening, stillness, and devotion. His music reminds us that sound, at its highest level, is not merely performed; it is revealed. The Spiritual Weight of Tone What first strikes listeners encountering Hariprasad Chaurasia is the depth of his sound. The bansuri, a simple bamboo flute, becomes in his hands an instrument of astonishing gravity and warmth. Each note blooms slowly, carrying weight without force, presence without urgency. This tone is not accidental—it is the result of decades of disciplined breath control, inner focus, and a philosophy that places silence on equal footing with sound. Chaurasia often allows phrases to unfold patiently, giving space for resonance and reflection. In doing so, he invites the listener into a contemplative state, where music is not rushing toward resolution but circling meaningfully around it. Mastery of Raga as Living Expression Indian ragas are not scales in the Western sense; they are melodic personalities with emotional, spiritual, and temporal dimensions. Chaurasia’s genius lies in his ability to animate these personalities, allowing each raga to speak in its own voice. A powerful example of this mastery can be heard in his renditions of Raga Jaijaivanti. This raga carries a poignant duality—often described as a meeting of longing and serenity, introspection and grace. Under Chaurasia’s breath, Jaijaivanti becomes a meditation on emotional nuance. He navigates its delicate shifts with extraordinary sensitivity, letting phrases linger just long enough to touch the listener’s inner landscape. There is no excess, no display for its own sake. Ornamentation arises organically, guided by the raga’s mood rather than technical ambition. The result is music that feels inevitable, as though it could not have unfolded any other way.

Here bansuri maestro Hariprasad plays Raga "Malkauns" which consists of only 5 notes - the root ("SA" or 1/ flat 3 /perfect 4th /flat 6th/ and flat seventh) The drone is set to root and 4th (not the usual 5th because this Raga has no 5th). The mysterious and depthful mood makes "Malkauns" one of the most respected Ragas . After a half hour introduction (alap, jor and jhala secrtions) the tabla comes in (By the great Zakir Hussain) and plays time cycle of Rupak (7 beats) and Teentaal (16 beats). Turn down the lights , light a candle and get ready for a deep meditation with Raga Malkauns. https://youtu.be/FWQrGPpMgGE?si=7q5WHoCixSp9drOC