The Dawn of Indian Music in the West

"The Dawn of Indian Music in the West," by Peter Lavezzoli. Foreword by Ravi Shankar. In the 1960s, the wonders of Indian music, and its unique message of peace, were spread in the West by Ravi Shankar, George Harrison and the Beatles, John Coltrane, Yehudi Menuhin, and others. In 1971, Harrison and Shankar organized the Concert for Bangladesh, the first superstar charity event, in hopes of stopping a war and feeding the hungry. But Indian music also had a profound impact on the work of Mickey Hart and the Grateful Dead, Philip Glass, John McLaughlin, and many others. At the dawn of the 21st century, Indian music's spiritual message is more timely than ever before. Here is the story of the musical merging of East and West, from the Beatles and John Coltrane to the Asian Underground. Peter Lavezzoli has a rare ability to articulate the personal feeling of music, while also narrating a comprehensive history. In his refreshingly accessible discussion on Indian music theory, he clarifies Eastern musical structures and terminology for Western readers. For this book, Lavezzoli conducted historic in-depth interviews with: Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Zakir Hussain, Mickey Hart, David Crosby & Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, Philip Glass, Jim Keltner, Zubin Mehta, John McLaughlin, Terry Riley, Bill Laswell, Cheb i Sabbah, Anoushka Shankar, Tanmoy Bose, Shujaat Khan, Shubhendra Rao, Saskia Rao de Haas, Mary Johnson Khan, and George Ruckert. These interviews bring an additional immediacy and authority to the book through the personal insights of the musicians themselves. The chapters on Indian music's relationships with jazz, rock, and electronic music are definitive. Includes a glossary and rare photos.