Swan Silvertones Heavenly Light CD

Jasraj comes from a family who boast four generations of musicians, and have been responsible for developing a unique style of singing known as the Mewati gharana. Born in 1930 in Hissar [Haryana], Jasraj was cruelly denied the musical guidance of his father, Pandit Motiramji, who passed away when the young prodigy was just three years old. It soon became apparent that he was a gifted child with a melodious voice and the task of nurturing this precocious talent was handed over to his elder brother Pandit Maniram. Jasraj's music is characterised by a very pure approach embracing the Indian concept of 'bhakti' (deep spiritual devotion), which has the effect of both captivating and elevating his listeners. He approaches each raga as a devotee, with humility and reverence, while paying great attention to the choice of composition and words, not always a major consideration of classical singers. Like so many of India's great artists, he started his career as a tabla accompanist, which gave him a firm grounding in 'laya', the control of rhythmic aspects of performance. Apart from his own family, his spiritual guru, late Maharana Shri Jaiwant Singhji of Sanand, has played a major role in his musical perspective. In this recording Jasraj performs the most popular classical vocal form, Khayal, which literally means 'vichaar' or imagination. It is a style of presentation which gives maximum scope to the creativity and individuality of the singer. The performance of Khayal usually takes place in two parts, the main Bada Khayal, followed by the sub or Chhota Khayal. The presentation largely depends on the style of Khayal singing adopted by a particular school or gharana. The main difference between the Bada Khayal and Chhota Khayal lies in the tempo or laya to which they are sung, and also in the kind of improvisation that follows the main theme. The Bada Khayal is sung in either slow or medium speed, while the Chhota Khayal is sung at a fast tempo.