Remember Shakti
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| Remember Shakti | |
|---|---|
| Country | India, United Kingdom |
| Years active | 1997-Present |
| Genres | World, Jazz Fusion |
| Labels | Polygram Universal Records Verve Records |
| Members | John McLaughlin Zakir Hussain Shankar Mahadevan U. Srinivas V. Selvaganesh |
| Past members | Hariprasad Chaurasia T.H. "Vikku" Vinayakram |
Remember Shakti is a quintet which combines elements of traditional Indian music with elements of jazz. The band consists of English guitarist John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain (tabla), U. Srinivas (mandolin), Shankar Mahadevan (vocals), and V. Selvaganesh (kanjira, ghatam, mridangam), who are all of Indian descent. The band's name is derived from John Mclaughlin's acoustic Indian fusion band Shakti which was active in the 1970s. This band consisted of John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, L. Shankar, T.H. "Vikku" Vinayakram, and R. Raghavan. The word "Shakti" translates in Sanskrit to "female creative power" or "goddess."
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[edit] Biography
After disbanding in the late 1970s, Shakti enjoyed a 25 year hiatus before McLaughlin and Hussain decided to reform the band. In addition to John and Zakir, T.H. "Vikku" Vinayakram (ghatam, mridangam), returned for Remember Shakti's eponymous debut album in 1997. However, McLaughlin could not locate Shakti's fourth member, violinist L. Shankar, and replaced him with bansuri player Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia for the live recording of this album. For the band's next album, The Believer, recorded live and released in 1999, Chaurasia and Vinayakram were replaced in lieu of mandolin player U. Srinivas, and Vinayakram's son V. Selvaganesh. The band's most recent live album, 2001's Saturday Night in Bombay, presents Remember Shakti augmented by an army of guests, notably Pt. Shivkumar Sharma (santoor), percussionist Taufiq Qureshi who is the brother of Zakir, and Shankar Mahadevan, who has now become Remember Shakti's fulltime vocalist. The band has toured extensively all around the world.
[edit] Trivia
- Remember Shakti, just like John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, is extremely multinational, and multigenerational. McLaughlin was born in the United Kingdom, and is of Scottish descent, Zakir Hussain hails from North India, while U. Srinivas, Shankar Mahadevan, and V. Selvaganesh all hail from South India. McLaughlin is in his 60s, Hussain is in his 50s, and Srinivas, Mahadevan, and Selvaganesh are all in their 30s.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Full Length Albums
- Remember Shakti (1997)- Universal Records
- The Believer (1999)- Universal Records
- Saturday Night in Bombay (2001)- Universal Records
[edit] DVDs/Videos
- The Way of Beauty (2006)- Magada International
[edit] Box Sets
- Remember Shakti (2002)- Universal Records- (Includes Remember Shakti, The Believer, Saturday Night in Bombay, bonus DVD performance of Saturday Night in Bombay, and bonus track Niyati.)
