Raga Hameer (1994)

Ustad Vilayat Khan was a sitar maestro who belonged to the Etawah gharana (school) of Hindustani classical music. If you have listened to other schools, you will recognize that there is a difference of style among all of them. It's not easy to describe in words all the qualities of this music. But all the same, it can be enjoyed by everybody alike. The tradition of this music goes back more than 2000 years, and we cannot be sure exactly how it shaped up, but even in the 20th century, what we hear is some masterful music created by a few devoted musicians. They are so few and far between that all these masters have become synonymous with their instruments. Performances are becoming more and more rare. This speaks for both the difficulty of becoming a master of this music, and for the unfortunately dwindling interest. I think we can safely say that Ustad Vilayat Khan is one of the towering masters of the sitar. A few listens to this CD can tell you that. (Rateyourmusic)