Given that sarod virtuoso
Ali Akbar Khan ranks among the most respected musicians in the Indian classical music community, it comes as little surprise that this two-CD set is brilliant from start to finish. The first disc is a 1955 recording of a young
Khan, brought to America by renowned violinist
Yehudi Menuhin (who is also credited with discovering the then-unknown
Ravi Shankar) to record the first album of Indian classical music ever released in the West. The second disc, recorded live in the mid-'90s, features
Khan accompanied by tabla master
Zakir Hussain, whose nimble rhythms lead
Khan's ragas to dizzying heights of ecstacy. A stirring encapsulation of
Khan's 40-year career,
Then & Now serves as both a great introduction for those unfamiliar with his work and a suitable addition to any longtime fan's collection. ~ Bret Love