Death anniversary of tabla genius Ravi Bellare today

Posted 2016-04-17

On April 17 our Gurubhai Ravi Bellare (1927-2005) left this world. You can hear his outstanding genius on two of our albums, the duet with his twin brother Shashi Bellare on Tabla Duet for Ustad Samshuddin Khan and his solo concert on A Private Tabla Concert at Indorkar’s – Chembur 1968, the latter is only available in digital format.

Hear him recite and play the Megandhbar Paran, “The Thunder Paran” by the legendary Kudow Singh Maharaj.

About the Shashi-Ravi duet: This recording from the Puniyatithi (memorial concert) for ustad Shamsuddin Khan in 1968 is going to be one of the finest authentic and rare tabla jugalbandis (duets) you will ever hear. Shashi & Ravi were the first to introduce tabla Jugalbandi and Sawal Jawab (question and answer between the two artists). from a very young age in the early 1940’s they became two of the most sought after players of their time.

About Ravi’s solo concert: This is a truly nostalgic tabla solo. Pandit Ravi Bellare begins with taking you through a traditional Farukhabad Peshkar as it must have been performed decades ago. Ravi explains and plays the intricate details of the Peshkar, showing us the poetic nature behind it. After the elaborate exploration of the peshkar Ravi plays a variety of composition types, Kaidas, Relas, Gats, Parans, Chakradhars and many authentic Farukhabad compositions as well as rare Kudow Singh Gharana Gats only to be heard from a true master like Ravi. He captivates the listener with each composition and you can constantly hear the audience’s excitement as the sum, the climax of the composition is reached. His mastery of Padant (recitation) is also phenomenal and precise. Many rare compositions are recited and then played in this recording and can be heard with great clarity.