The association immediately brought Shankar and Indian music unprecedented popularity in the West, while Harrison's introduction of the sitar into the Beatles' sound inspired a new genre known as raga rock.
Harrison later said that, for himself, the music was "like an excuse", and that in reality he was searching for a "spiritual connection" with the culture of India. In June 1966, while still a member of the Beatles, George Harrison met Indian classical musician Ravi Shankar in London and became a student of the sitarist. While Collaborations presents only a portion of Shankar and Harrison's work together, music critics have recognised it as a successful representation of the far-reaching cultural legacy of their partnership. An accompanying book contains a foreword by American composer Philip Glass, rare photographs documenting Shankar and Harrison's 35-year friendship, and commentary from both artists on the projects featured in the box set. Among the lavish packaging for the compilation, each disc appears inside enlarged, 8½-inch sleeves, and each copy of the set is individually numbered. Issued nine years after Harrison's death, the limited-edition release coincided with celebrations for Shankar's 90th birthday and was overseen by Harrison's widow, Olivia. An audio-only track on the DVD, prepared by Anoushka Shankar and Paul Hicks, provides a more complete record of the concert. Filmed by director Stuart Cooper, the footage required substantial restoration for its 2010 release. The fourth disc of Collaborations is a DVD containing previously unissued film of a performance by the Music Festival from India, recorded at London's Royal Albert Hall in September 1974.
Each of the collaborative projects represents a departure from Shankar's more typical work as a sitarist and performer of Hindustani classical ragas, with the box set showcasing his forays into, variously, jazz and rock, Indian folk and orchestral ensembles, and devotional music. Although all three albums were originally Shankar releases, for which Harrison served in the role of music producer and guest musician, both Shankar and Harrison are credited as artists on the box set. Released in October 2010 on Dark Horse Records, it compiles two studio albums originally issued on that label – the long-unavailable Shankar Family & Friends (1974) and Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India (1976) – and Chants of India, first issued on Angel Records in 1997. Indian classical music, jazz, world musicĬollaborations is a four-disc compilation box set by Indian classical musician Ravi Shankar and former Beatle George Harrison.
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