A Banerjee CDography
February 1999


New: LP Album Cover Gallery
(Note...LPs are out of print and not available anywhere).

CDs:

Raga Records

201: Radio KPFA Berkeley, live to air, 1967. Chandrakaush alap, Khamaj rupak. Tabla: Mahapurush Misra
202 Raga Monomanjari-1968 (Mahapurush Misra, tabla)
204: Concert, Berkeley, 1982 (Part 2). Misra Kafi alap, rupak, medium and fast tintal. Tabla: Swapan Chaudhuri
207: Concert, Berkeley, 1982 (Part 1). Purabi Kalyan alap, medium and fast tintal. Tabla: Swapan Chaudhuri (2 CDs)
211: Nikhil Banerjee sitar, Kanai Dutta tabla: Bhimpalasri, Multani
212: Nikhil Banerjee sitar, Zamir Ahmed Khan tabla: Manomanjari (rupak), S. Khamaj
214: Nikhil Banerjee sitar, Kanai Dutta tabla: Hemant
216: Nikhil Banerjee sitar, Nikhil Ghosh tabla: Bilaskhani Todi, Jogiya Kalingra, Bhairavi (2-CD: $28
217: Nikhil Banerjee sitar, Anindo Chatterjee tabla: Malgunji ($14)
218: Nikhil Banerjee sitar, Abhijit Banerjee tabla: Gawoti ($14)

AMMP

AMMPCD 9405: Duet with Ali Akbar Khan: Manj Khamaj 21:28, Misra Mand 21:30 (Mahapurush Misra). From the original 30ips, 1/2" Connoisseur Society master (1973). AMMP is reissuing all the Ali Akbar Khan CS masters, perhaps the finest recordings of Indian music ever made.

Sonodisc

ESPCD 8402: Jogiya Kalingada alap 19:12, japtal and tintal 22:30. Tabla: Anindo Chatterjee (from LP). In an extraordinary lapse for a company with an excellent product line, the labels and stampers are reversed: that is, the gat is on side A. Incredibly, this mistake is repeated on the CD reissue: track 1 is the gat, and track 2 the alap.
ESPCD 8414: Patdeep alap19:35, slow and fast tintal 23:46. Tabla: Anindo Chatterjee (from LP)
ESPCD 0000: Monomanjari 23:15, Manj Khamaj alap, sitarkhani 15:15, Bengali folk tune 9:00 (Anindo Chatterjee) (from LP)

EMI India

PSLP 5072: Megh alap, jhaptal, Sohini tintal (tabla Swapan Chaudhuri); Malkauns slow and fast tintal, Misra Gara sitarkhani (tabla Kanai Dutt) (From LPs EAST 1305, EAST 1318, EASD 1377.)
PSLP 5301: Komal Rishab Asavari alap, jor, gat in tintal, dhun (tabla Kanai Dutt); Jaunpuri slow and fast tintal, Mand sitarkhani (tabla Swapan Chaudhuri) (from LPs)

Chhanda Dhara

SNCD 71294: Shyam Kedar. (Zakir Hussain). I believe this to be Mr. Banerjee's only digital live recording. The packaging states "Recorded live from a concert in Canada." Actually Festival from India, San Francisco October 6, 1985
SNCD 70595: Shree. (Anindo Chatterjee) "Recorded live from a concert in London."
SNCD 8886: Purabi Kalyan, Zila Kafi, Kirwani. Tabla: Anindo Chatterjee (from LPs)
SNCD 70391: Nat Bhairav, Misra Khamaj, Baul melody. Tabla: Anindo Chatterjee (from LPs)
SNCD 70296 Rageshree. (Anindo Chatterjee) "Recorded live from a concert in London."
SNCD 71096: Kalashree, Abhogi. (Anindo Chatterjee) "Recorded live from a concert in Stockholm."
SNCD 70198: Puria Dhanashree. (Abhijit Banerjee) "Recorded live from a concert in London."
SNCD 71198: Malkauns. (Samir Chatterjee) "Recorded live from a concert in Bath, Somerset."
SNCD 70499: live, vol.2 with a 59-minute Hemant. .

Audiorec

ARCD 2005: Concert, Stockholm, 1978. Piloo alap, rupak, ektal and tintal. Tabla: Anindo Chatterjee
ARCD 0000: new release Concert, Stockholm, 197?. Desh. Tabla: Anindo Chatterjee (from Amigo Musik LPs. Both these pieces also showed up on French Sonodisc LPs)

T-Series

SICCD 027: (AIR) Des 34:29, Misra Gara 14:21 (Samta Prasad); Thumri 10:54 (Chaturlal); Khamaj Thumri 11:37 (Premballabh)
From what I've heard so far, the just-released five (individual, inexpensive) CDs from All-India Radio is a total knockout, even if it bears some of the scars of its AIR provenance (missing alaps; chop edits leaving out goodness-knows-what).--J.W:

SICCD 064: Rageshree 29:20 (8 May 62), Miyan Ki Todi 25:50 (24 October 65) (Karamatullah Khan); Nat Bhairav 17:00 (24 Dec. 66) (Gyan Prakash Ghosh)
SICCD 065: Thumri Pilu 28:15, Bhatiyar 28:50 (28/03/67) (Shyamal Bose)
SICCD 066: Maru Bihag 19:00 (10/05/65) (Shyamal Bose); Deshi 43:15 (28/02/65) (Karamatullah Khan)
SICCD 067: Chandrakauns 28:30 (10/04/70), Hem Bihag (09/02/60) (Shyamal Bose)
SICCD068: Bilaskhani Todi 57:20 (10/04/70) (Shyamal Bose)

Atlantis Music

D3H10631: Chandrakauns 28:31 (*Shyamal Bose); Ahir Bhairav 29:00 (*Keramatulla Khan)(date unknown)
DSAV 1039: Khambaz 14:27, Yaman Bilaval 19:08, Miyan Ki Todi 22:33 (date, tabla unknown)
* Tabla player not given on CD. Attribution by Swapankumar Bandopadhyaya

Miscellaneous

An extraordinarily tasteless production from Melody in Bombay, these two skimpy, expensive CDs feature advertising for Basmati rice on the printed matter, and (gasp) the music on both discs is followed by a mood-shattering Basmati Rice singing commercial. Both the music and sound quality are good, however.
Live Concert in Calcutta (undated). Tabla: Kumar Bose:
MCD-207: Shuddh Basant alap 24:20, slow tintal 23:22
MCD-208: Shuddh Basant fast tintal 20:35; Bhairavi alap, rupak, tintal 21:20


LPs:

The Gramophone Company of India, Ltd.

EAST 1305 Ragas Komal Rishabh Asawari, Maluha Kalyan, Mishra Gara (Kanai Dutta, tabla) 1966 (See EMI CD above)
EAST 1318 Ragas Malkauns, Hem-Lalit (Kanai Dutta, tabla) also released by Capitol International Series, ST 10502 The Sitar Genius of Nikhil Banerjee 1967
EASD 1342 Ragas Hemant, Bhatiyar (leramatullah Khan, tabla) 1969
EAST 1355 Ragas Lalit, Sindhu Bhairavi, Puriya Kalyan (Kanai Dutta, tabla) 1968
EASD 1377 Ragas Soheni, Megh (Swapan Chaudhuri, tabla) 1973 (See EMI CD above)
EASD 1378 Ragas Jaunpuri, Mand (Swapan Chaudhuri, tabla) 1973
ECSD 2600 From The Concert Hall: Ragas Sindhura, Adana (Kishen Maharaj, tabla) 1980 Musicassette 6TC 02B 5187 Ragas Hem-Lalit, Sindhu Bhairavi, Malkauns, Mishra Gara (Kanai Dutta, tabla) 1982
EASD 1450 (LP) Raga Hem-Bihag (Kishen Maharaj, tabla) 1988. In Memoriam--Sitar from the Concert Hall Volume 2.
EASD 1465/66 (2-LP) Ragas Khamaj, Mishra Shivaranjani (Swapan Chowdhury, Anindo Chatterjee--tabla) 1988. Padmabhushan Nikhil Banerjee in Concerts.

Capitol International Series

ST 10518 Ragas for Meditation (same as EMI LP EASD 1342) 1969

Amigo Musik-Stockholm

AMLP 822 Raga Piloo: Live From The Concert Hall (Anindo Chatterjee, tabla) 1978
AMLP 831 Raga Desh: Live From The Concert Hall (Anindo Chatterjee, tabla) 1979

Sono-Disc (Paris, France)

ESP 155530 Ragas Monomanjari, Manj Khamaj, Baul 1976

Disques Esperance (France)

ESP 8402 L'sitar de Nikhil Banerjee, Raga jogiya Kalingada (Anindo Chatterjee, tabla) 1983
ESP 8414 Raga Patdeep (Anindo Chatterjee, tabla) 1983

Harmonia Mundi (W. Germany)

Bestell 20-29101-4 Ragas Charukeshi, Bhairavi Chhanda Dhara (W. Germany)

Chhanda Dhara

SP 4179 Master of the Sitar: Ragas Kirwani, Mishra Khamaj (Anindo Chatterjee, tabla) 1979
SP 5881 Two Romantic Ragas: Purabi Kalyan, Zila-Kafi (Anindo Chatterjee, tabla) 1983
SP 7082 Raga, Baul Melody & Tabla Solo: Nat Bhairab, Baul Melody, Teental (Anindo Chatterjee, tabla) 1982
SNCD 8886 (Compact Disc) Ragas Purabi Kalyan, Zila-Kafi, Kirwani (Anindo Chatterjee, tabla)

Connoisseur Society

CS 2055 Ragas Manj Khamaj, Misra Mand with Ali Akbar Khan (Mahapurush Misra, tabla) 1973 (See AMMP CD above)


Cassettes (not including material on LP or re-released on CD):

EMI India
6244 (HMV) Live at San Francisco, recorded '85 released '89, Marwa (alap, jor, jhala)
6245 (HMV) Live at San Francisco, recorded '85 released '89, Puriya Kalyan (gat in vilambit and drut teental). Tabla:: Swapan Chaudhuri

Gathani
1010 A Rare Classic Collection, released '92, Manomanjari (alap, jor, gat in vilambit teental), Tabla: Abhijit Bandopadhyaya
1011 A Rare Classic Collection, released '92, Marwa (gat in vilambit teental), , Mishra Khambaj (gat in drut teental), Tabla: Abhijit Bandopadhyaya

Musical Traditions
Manj Khamaj: short alap, rupak, dipchandi, tintal (Anindo Chatterjee) St John's Church, Berkeley, August 26, 1978

Bibliography (Contributions needed and welcome!)
Swapankumar Bandopadhyaya has written a book on Nikhil Banerjee, titled "Taar ChhNire Gachhe Kobe" (line from a Tagore song). It first appeared in serial form in "Desh", a Bengali fortnightly and was published in book form in December '94.--Mandar Mitra <mitra@CS.Cornell.EDU>

Tah-jib-e-mousiki ("Acquaintance with the Musicians") by Gnan Prakash Ghosh (Calcutta, in Urdu) has a section on Nikhil Banerjee.


discographies