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Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar - Raga Yaman (Rudra Veena // Seattle // 15 March 1986) (Ideologic Organ, r. 2018)

Stephen O'Malley's Ideologic Organ bringing Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar into the light, not somebody I was ever familiar with. From North India and a master of the dhrupad, and also a master of rudra veena, which Stephen describes as "a kind of noble deeper bass relative to the sitar". Over 65 minutes Dagar stretches out the Raga Yaman. It sounds more spacious, slower paced and more "open" than most sitar ragas I would be familiar with. There are some vocalizations but for the most part instrumental, and easy to get lost in Dagar's dreamy, ensnaring strings. This was recorded at a public performance in Seattle in March 1986, a stop on Dagar's final US tour but also as I understand it a place where he did some teaching. There's an accompanying release that I'll check out next, this is good stuff.

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