Ragas on Sax, and Much More
by Matt Appleby
You may have heard Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan singing with Eddie Vedder on the soundtrack for Dead Man Walking, but do you know what Nusrat sounds like in his home country of Pakistan?
As part of a government exchange program, Mills Music Library has accumulated over the years a large collection of cassette tape recordings from several countries in South and Southeast Asia, including eight Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan titles. Totaling about 1,100 tapes, this collection greatly expands the library's holdings of ethnographic recordings from this region. Besides Pakistan, the following countries are represented: India, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
This tape collection is also significant because most of these recordings are recent productions, supplementing and expanding the library's ethnographic LP collection which dates mainly from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.
Most of the recordings are from Pakistan, India, and Indonesia, and they range from classical music traditions to many regional styles. From India and Nepal, the collection includes Hindustani (North India) and Carnatic (South India) classical music, Muslim qawwalli and ghazals, Portuguese-influenced songs from Goa, gypsy songs from Rajasthan, Baulreligious songs from Bengal, Hindi film hits, Nepali popular music, and even ragas played on a saxophone! From Indonesia there are Javanese and Balinese gamelan orchestras, wayan kulit and kechak monkey dances, and multi-volume cassette renditions of the Ramayana and Mahabra hata.
The entire collection has been cataloged and can be searched in MadCat. To search for recordings of, say, Zakir Hussain, you would type:
zakir hussain and form rec
This should give you a list of twenty-two recordings.
Call numbers for the tapes all begin with three letters followed by a number; for example, IDN 437 or PAK 902.
This collection is a great resource for anyone interested in the music of this part of the world, whether it be for enjoyment or for research.
Other Articles in This Issue
Library Bids on Dennis Brain Horn Collection | Volunteers Make a Difference | "Not for Pianists" by Mark Rosa | Bountiful Benefactions by Mark Rosa | Imprint: Recent Faculty and Student Publications | Workshops on Music Library Resources | Top 10 Things to Do from the Library Homepage | Spring 1997 Calender