Indraneel Bhattacharya* – Music of India (Sitar Recital)

There are a good number of Indian classical players who got one album and then you never hear from them again. Indraneel seems to be one of those artists. He also did a few guest spots on other albums, but otherwise a virtual unknown today. From what I gathered from the liner notes of his first and presumably only studio album, he worked as a broadcaster in Mumbai and toured around India. It wasn't entirely uncommon for Indian musicians of that day who made good money in their field not feeling the need to record. (After all, India was obviously a saturated market for Indian records!) His first album may not have sold well, and so he probably lived his life out doing what he loves best and not relying on any recording for extra income or notoriety. Musically, he's a fine sitar player. These are lighter ragas, always moving forward but never into extremely vigorous territory. But Indraneel is obviously a solid, technical player, and the album fits perfectly into an atmosphere of sublime moods.

What's important to note is that the album features a 17-year-old Zakir Hussain, and from what I gather this was only his second credited recording. A good start for an artist that would eventually be renowned as one of the best tabla players of his generation.