Pancha Nadai Pallavi

Pancha Nadai Pallavi was to be Shankar’s last album for ECM. This traditional raga features three cycles. Whereas the Ragam and Tanam foreground his improvisational skills, the Pallavi highlights percussionists Zakir Hussain (tabla) and Vikku Vinayakram (ghatam). Blending Carnatic and modern flavors, the resulting smoothie goes down without resistance. Shankar’s custom 10-string electric violin is an entity in its own right, with organs, blood, and breath. He coaxes rhythms from the shadows, illuminating them in song. It’s sad to think what his music has since become, but at least we have his ECM output, in the prime of purity.