(Music Talk) 114: Anoushka Shankar “Lasya” (2013)
[Doctor of the Heart]
Anoushka Shankar. To me, she is a presence that heals the heart, a doctor of the heart.
The Beatles had been using the sitar in songs like "Norwegian Wood," "Tomorrow Never Knows," and "Love You To" for some time, but around 1967, they became deeply devoted to Indian music, meditation, and the spiritual world. The guide for this was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation movement. They actually went to India to meet him and received meditation training, but after various troubles, they left the Maharishi's side early on. However, George Harrison was completely hooked on its charm and became particularly absorbed in mastering the sitar. His teacher for this was Ravi Shankar, Anoushka's father. George reportedly looked up to and adored Ravi as his teacher for his entire life, and Ravi and he built a good relationship as good friends, but George passed away in 2001 and Ravi in 2012. Perhaps in the world beyond, the two of them are still continuing their sitar lessons while drinking tea or something.
Ravi is said to be the greatest contributor to modern Indian music, and thanks to his wide-ranging musical activities and educational efforts, rock sounds featuring Indian instruments became particularly popular in the UK from the mid-60s onwards. This is what is known as raga rock. The role played by the sitar in particular was extremely significant, and even today, songs using its timbre are seen here and there. Anoushka, who has such a great father, also has a
sister, Norah Jones, who is famous for "Don't Know Why". Ravi's two daughters have grown up to be incredible, great musicians.
Born in London, England, in 1981 when Ravi was 61, Anoushka spent her teenage years in California, USA. Aiming to be a sitar player from a young age, she learned the sitar from Ravi's disciples and experienced her first stage performance at Ravi's 75th birthday party at the age of 13. Since her album debut in 1998, she went on to be nominated for a Grammy in 2003 (her sister Norah was also nominated at that same Grammy ceremony). Since then, she has continued to release albums regularly, performed energetically in live concerts, and made guest appearances on the songs of various musicians, and she is now renowned as one of the important figures in the Indian music world.
"Lasya" is a track from her 7th album, “Traces of You,” released in 2013. As you can see in the video, it is a live performance music video. The sitar is originally a traditional instrument from northern India, and it seems the basic version has as many as 19 strings. I'm not quite sure how many strings Anoushka's has, but the way her left hand moves so quickly using such a wide and long instrument... and the range of her string bending is also incredible, a technique that would make even virtuoso guitarists groan. Furthermore, the two types of percussion instruments and vocal percussion layered on top of that only increase the sense of exhilaration.
When I listen to this song, a landscape spreading out over a high hill with a good view comes to mind. It's like a pleasant headwind is blowing, and a few small birds are dancing in a pale blue, cloudless sky.
The "byaan" of the sitar, the "bowin" of the tabla-bayan, the "pokopuin" of the pakhawaj, the "puwan" of the matka... sorry, I don't know what I'm talking about, but I just love the sounds played by Indian instruments. They are very comfortable, and I would say they make me feel at ease and calm. They are truly soothing sounds.
“Music is a mirror of the listener's heart” is often said. When you are stressed and prickly, you might want hard rock or death metal; when you want to be melancholy and quiet, you might want ballads or jazz. Everyone must have music they want to listen to in various situations.
In my case, when I immerse myself in Anoushka, it must be when my mind and body are tired.
Especially when my heart is exhausted and I've become sick of everything. When I touch her sound, it seems as if she is delivering beautiful scenery that doesn't require difficult thinking—like the aforementioned landscape, a scene where you can only see the sound of water droplets falling on a water surface, or the moon thinly illuminating the night sky—carried on the sound.
In other words, Anoushka Shankar is, for me, a “doctor of the heart” who shows me healing scenery through soundscapes.
…So, it seems I am a little tired. I will be careful.
(The copyrights, portrait rights, etc., of all music introduced, as well as their images and videos, belong to their respective rights holders. The content posted on this note is intended solely for personal enjoyment and is not intended to infringe upon those rights.)