The Orion Online

The young and old of Chico came together Tuesday night to watch the legendary sitarist Ravi Shankar perform in Laxson Auditorium as a part of his 85th birthday tour.

Shankar, who has been involved with the sitar for more than 75 years, is perhaps India's unofficial ambassador of music to the western world. His friendships and collaborations with the late George Harrison of The Beatles brought him fame in the United States during the 1960s, with performances at legendary concerts such as the 1967 Monterey Music Festival and Woodstock.

Since then, Shankar has won awards across the globe and became famous for his impassioned performances of Indian ragas, the ancient and melodic forms that are the heart of Indian music. In his performance on Tuesday, his daughter Anoushka Shankar joined him for a two-hour plus set in front of a near-capacity audience.

Shankar and Anoushka took the stage with two drone musicians and a percussionist, all seated cross legged on the raised platform. Not a minute after the first mournful notes oozed out of his sitar, technical problems brought the performance to a brief halt, somewhat of a buzz kill to the beginning of what could be Shankar's last visit to Chico.

The audience laughed sympathetically, and a moment later the horrid crackling of the speakers came to an end. Shankar resumed plucking the slow, haunting notes that bent and shook and seemed to seep out of the speakers. The drone instruments hummed on, providing an eerie backdrop to Shankar's already eerie playing.

This carried on to the point that those with shallow attention spans might have squirmed in their seats. To enjoy Shankar's performance, it had to be understood that there are no hooks or elements of catchiness that the average American is accustomed to. Rather, the songs meander through different moods. Minutes passed until the raga built up and climaxed with a darting and virtuous solo by Ravi or Anoushka. One couldn't help but smile as they laughed together during the more intense sections of the ragas.

An extended solo from Anoushka featured her fingers hammering and pulling-off on the strings of the towering instrument, drawing enthusiastic applause from the audience and a warm, wrinkly smile from her father. With such agility and speed, an ignorant, young American journalist had to wonder if Van Halen records were ever released in India.

The second half of the set was the most enjoyable of the performance. After a short intermission, Shankar announced the second half would allow for more freedom and improvisation. This opened the ragas up for more intense playing, including some furious percussion work.

Hardly visible from the balcony, but symbolic of the performance, were Shankar and his daughter's feet tapping in unison with the flow of the music. Only two musicians sharing the same blood could play with such harmony. Even though the music was largely improvisational, Anoushka effortlessly followed her father's lead, harmonizing and trading the immaculate note flourishes that characterized the performance.

While the deep and obvious connection between the legend and his daughter were touching, its effect on the music left some people in the audience chuckling with glee as they embarked on extended note flourishes with themselves and the percussionist, making for a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

But the performance ended in somewhat of a somber tone as Anoushka gingerly helped her father step down from the platform. It was then that his age and frailty was revealed, and one realized that this just might be his last visit to Chico. Those present for it should be grateful.

Nick Franklin can be reached at

nfranklin@orion-online.net

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