Leicester, UK - Hariprasad Chaurasia, the bamboo flute master, has a new 2-CD set on the Sense World Music label entitled Shikar. The concert performance was recorded on January 2003, at the Saptak Festival in Gujarat, India, where HariPrasad Chaurasia has been a regular performer since this annual musical celebration began some twenty five years ago.

He begins with Raga Jaijavanti, an evening melody which has been a great favorite of many vocal masters of the past, including Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. The performance begins with the traditional alap, a slow, meditative elaboration of the main phrases of the raga played in a free improvised style. In instrumental music and dhrupad, the alap is followed by jor and jhalla, with the introduction of a gentle tempo. For this part of the performance HariPrasad Chaurasia is accompanied by Bhavani Shankar on the pakhawaj, an ancient, majestic sounding barrel shaped drum.

The second half of the recital begins with the popular Raga Jog, an evening raga which has emerged as a favorite with both artists and listeners over the last fifty years. Hariprasad begins with a short alap, before playing a composition set to a nine beat rhythmic cycle (Matta taal) played by Vijay Ghate on the tabla.