Album Notes

Srivani Jade is acknowledged as a promising new talent in the field of North Indian classical music. Born in 1975, in India, she grew up in a musical atmosphere, and first learned vocal music from her father Jade Bhavani Prasad and uncle Raghu Tilwalli. She gave her first stage performance at the age of five. Later, she was introduced to Khayal music by Dr. Sharad Gadre of Seattle. Since 2006, she has been studying with Kirana Gharana maestro Pt. Parameshwar Hegde, a disciple of Padmabhushan Pt. Basavaraj Rajguru. Srivani has performed both in North America and India, and has received several grants and awards for original work in classical music.

The Music

In India, voice has been considered the principal instrument since ancient times. Khayal, meaning "imagination," is an improvisational art form that originated in the Mughal courts in the 18th century, and is the predominant classical genre of vocal music today. It involves a slow and gradual unfolding of a raga through one or more compositions, over several movements of increasing melodic range and complexity, moving from a relaxed pace to faster rhythmic cycles.

The first raga Salagvarali is of recent vintage, and is a creation of Pt. S.N. Ratanjankar. It is a slow and deep morning raga that starts off with a short introductory alap, and a leisurely Khayal in a slow rhythmic cycle of 12 beats (vilambit ektal). It slowly gathers momentum and works its way towards a climax with a drut bandish in teental (16 beat cycle) as the sun rises fully in the sky.

The next raga Audav Bageshree is a lighter, more romantic, night raga that is a counter-point to the first. It starts in a languid but medium-paced 10 beat cycle (jhaptal) and describes how the birds and animals, and even the moon in the sky, are charmed by the sound of Krishna's flute in the night air. The second bandish in a fast tempo 12 beat cycle (drut ektal), describes the plight of a young woman pleading with her beloved to end their quarrel and come home, presumably to enjoy the moonlight together.