Personnel include: Ravi Shankar (sitar).
As the most recognized Indian musician in the world, Ravi Shankar has influenced Western rock and pop, traveled and performed internationally, and broken the barriers between classic precepts and a pan-global approach to music-making. Interestingly, no matter how high his international profile, Shankar's music has always remained rooted in the Indian classical tradition; in this way, it is simultaneously progressive and true to its origins.
This paradox is at the heart of Shankar's music, and is fully evident on the two-disc set THE ESSENTIAL RAVI SHANKAR. Shankar's sitar playing, with his evocative ragas and dizzying runs, entrances the listener, and his level of interplay with his fellow musicians is at a consistently high caliber, achieving a supreme level of harmonic and rhythmic sophistication. There are several Shankar compilations on the market, but the ESSENTIAL ranks among the best.