[CEX28]

Ahir Bhairav

Mohi Bahauddin Dagar, son of our long time friend and musical favourite Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, has taken over the Dagarbani leadership on the rudra veena, the oldest and most venerable instrument in Indian classical music. We are happy to hear his excursion in morning raag Ahir Bhairav. In the Chowtal he is accompanied by Sadanand Naimpalli of the Taranath tabla tradition.

Here is the album booklet

Bahauddin on this raga:
Ahir Bhairav is a morning Raag that belongs to the first time cycle of the morning. It is mix of two Ragas, Ahir and Bhairav. It is played in the later half of the first time cycle.

Ahir: Sa Re Ga Ma Dha Ni Sa where RE and Ni are komal

Bhairav: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni SA where Re and Dha are komal in a raga derived from a mixture of the first two cycles of the morning and played in the second time cycle. The Re is used in an oscillating manner. In the ascending the Re used is of Ahir and in the descending it belongs to the Bhairav. The Pa is used interestingly, This rag is also referred to by its south Indian name of Chakravaka.

In the Sadharani Geeti or the school of thought of the Dagars , the Pa is used in the descending phrase. At times there is an indication of the use of Kalki Nishad which is used as an ornamentation. It is deployed as a vakra note, meaning a kind of backward /retrograde motion. The Komal Ni is also diminished.

GOOD NEWS IN MAY 2022: OUR FRIEND AND COLLABORATOR DAVIDE DOMINCHINI IN ITALY HAS RELEASED A VINYL OF THIS WONDERFUL ALBUM! YOU FIND IT AT BLACKSWEAT RECORDS.

Mohi Bahauddin Dagar

The stage at Aamad Pratishtan

tracks

Ahir Bhairav - alap jor jhala (53:37)
Ahir Bhairav - chowtal (12:45)

musicians

Mohi Bahauddin Dagar, rudra veena

Sadanand Naimpalli, pakhawaj

Shibu Maity, tanpura

Recorded at Studio Swarkul, Mumbai, January 6, 2020

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Maurice Mogard

Produced by Maurice Mogard and Bengt Berger

Graphic design by Jon Edergren, Spektra.

Thanks to Vinay Balse, Ritwik Sanyal, Manish Pingle and Lars Fredriksson.

Release date November 20, 2020

Photos from the recording at Swarkul Studio, Mumbai:

Sadanand Naimpalli and Bahauddin Dagar

Mohi Bahauddin Dagar

Shibu Maity, tanpura

Parag Vadya & Nikhil Rane of Swarkul Music Studio

Manish Pingle, Bengt Berger, Shibu Maity, Sadanand Naimpalli and Maurice Mogard

Sadanand Naimpalli, pakhawaj

more info

MARGAZHI 2019

The greatest music festival in the world, the legendary December Season in Chennai, Margazhi, where more than a thousand concerts are held during one month is not happening this year due to Covid 19. But last year, celebrated Swedish sound engineer Maurice Mogard visited India during the 2019 season with us and recorded some of todays greatest performers from North and South.

We are happy to present six full concerts from last year (actually one of them, a lovely Karnatic violin duet was recorded in Stockholmin 2016). These albums are all released on November 19, 2020:

CEX27 Seshampatti Sivalingam: Nagaswaram

CEX28 Mohi Bahauddin Dagar: Ahir Bhairav

CEX29 Sadanand Naimpalli: at Aamad Pratishthan

CEX30 Akkarai Sisters: at Narada Gana Sabha

CEX31 Malladi Brothers: at Mylapore Fine Arts

CEX32 Akkarai Sisters: at Royal College of Music, Stockholm Violin duet