An unsung hero of raga rock: Ananda Shankar
Words by Puja Nandi
Credit: Ananda Shankar Facebook page, photographer unknown
Overshadowed by the meteoric fame of his uncle Ravi Shankar, Ananda Shankar was a pioneer of Indo-funk rock. His unique style blended eastern and western guitars melded with the sound of sitars and ragas weaved into classic funk rhythms.
Ananda Shankar was born in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India in 1942 to two dancers (Uday and Amala Shankar) and dedicated his higher education to studying the sitar. He moved to America in the late 60s to stay with his uncle, a time when the Western world was all about yoga, flares, tree huggers and flower power. It was in the States where Ananda jammed with Jimi Hendrix, inevitably attracting the attention of Reprise Records. The label signed him on leading to the release of his self-titled LP in 1970. His debut featured stunning fusion covers of the Rolling Stones ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’ and The Doors’ ‘Light My Fire’, attracting an audience who were familiar with raga rock.
The meditative majesty of the track ‘Sagar’ from Ananda’s self-titled album is mind-blowing and is more aligned to Indian classical. True to its title, it is an immersive reflection of a dark, deep and brooding ocean. At approximately 7 minutes in, the faint sounds of the tabla begin churning the ocean from its menacing beginnings to a hope-filled vista. The slow strumming of a guitar softens the fast-playing sitar towards the end of the track, creating feelings of elation to have experienced this 13-minute sonic odyssey.
Ananda Shankar returned to India in the 70s to further his musical vision of Indo-Western fusion with jazz and funk. Some of Ananda’s most energetic work was produced around this time, including the 1975 album ’Ananda Shankar and His Music.’ The album had a re-release in 2005 and is widely considered his magnum opus.
A particularly impressive track on ‘Ananda Shankar and His Music’ is the ‘Streets of Calcutta’. The first 20 seconds opens with hypnotic drumming and the warbling psychedelic sounds of the 70s. It then moves up-tempo and straight into pure funky-sitar-drumming-bliss. Spotlights are given to the tabla and sitar solos and of course, the Indian flute. Listening to ‘Streets of Calcutta’ compels you to stop what you are doing to gape at the perfection of it all or to move every inch of your body to the beat. The greatest thing about this track is how its musicality is highly reflective of its title, reminding you exactly of the streets of Calcutta. The energy of the sprawling city is captured so perfectly in one song that even the Hooghly River would dance to it.
Although Ananda Shankar has been consigned to obscurity at times, especially in the shadow of his uncle, his popularity has seen peaks, nonetheless. In 1996, Blue Note Records belted out ‘Dancing Drums’ on their compilation album titled ‘Blue Juice Vol. 1’ and DJs in London took serious notice. An underground British DJ, going by the name of State of Bengal, took a particular liking to Ananda’s music and together they made the collaborative album ‘Walking On’ in 1999. This was 11, mostly high-octane, tracks experimenting with breakbeats, dub and sitar solos. ‘Walking On’ was arguably one of the first albums to unapologetically blend British underground and classical Indian, becoming a pure cathartic creative release for South Asian diaspora.
Sadly, Ananda Shankar died shortly before the release of ‘Walking On’ but his musical genius lives on, and his words still ring true to this day.
“My dream is to break barriers, any kind of barrier - through music, love, affection and compassion. I have this dream of musicians from all over the world playing for an audience all over the world. When we are all here we are one, and when we go out I am sure we will all be one."- Ananda Shankar from ‘Walking On’ liner notes
