The two masters of the Japanese shakuhachi, Hidekazu Katoh (shakuhachi, nishaku-issun, nishaku-yonsun) and Richard Stagg (shakuhachi), present atmospheric shakuhachi duets ranging from ancient to modern pieces. Hidekazu Katoh began learning shakuhachi as a member of the Chikuto Group at Chuo University. He became a student of Katsuya Yokoyama, and graduated at Gedai, later completing a postgraduate course there. Hidekazu is a member of Pro Musica Nipponia and of the Bamboo Orchestra. He regularly accompanies the acclaimed enka artist Ayako Fuji in her concerts. Richard Stagg has been a professional orchestral flute player for the last thirty five years, working in the Scottish National Orchestra and then in the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London, from which he recently retired. In the early nineteen-eighties he was a pupil of the late Iwamoto Yoshikazu, and has been studying the shakuhachi and performing on it for over thirty years. With Aiko Hasegawa and Kikuko Satoh he cofounded the Yamato Ensemble in 1988. He now teaches shakuhachi and also makes, repairs, and tunes instruments. He regularly performs on the shakuhachi in Japan

Essence of Raga Tala is unique and compelling take on Indian musical tradition. Presented by producer and composer Kuljit Bhamra MBE, nine Indian ragas and selected talas are re-imagined for both traditional and western instruments in new and exciting directions. Kuljit Bhamra MBE is a prolific composer, musician and record producer whose main instrument is the tabla. He is best known as one of the record producers who pioneered the British Bhangra sound and for his many collaborations with musicians from different genres and continents. Kuljit has worked on numerous film scores, including Bend it Like Beckham, Bhaji on the Beach, A Winter of Love, and he appears on soundtracks for The Guru, The Four Feathers and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. He is the recipient of many awards including a platinum disc for outstanding record sales presented by the much-loved BBC Radio DJ John Peel, who was a big fan of his music. His cutting-edge projects and ground-breaking educational work earned him the prestigious honor of MBE in Her Majesty The Queen’s birthday list 2009.

The talented Yatga (board zither with movable bridges) master Chinbat Baasankhuu (b. 1975) is featured here performing well-known, traditional Mongolian melodies adapted by their composers and the performer for the 13- and 21-string yatgas heard on this CD. Ms. Baasankhuu, who began formal studies on her instrument in 1988, is Professor at the Mongolian State Culture and Art University. This is the first full Yatga recording widely available outside of Mongolia.

Field Recordings from the archives of the late Deben Bhattacharya from various temples of the Sikh, Buddhist and Hindu religions, recorded on location between 1954 and 1973. Discover the roots of much of India's music in their purest and original form. Extensive information about India's religious music and each of the pieces.

This album features three types of the most popular Chines lutes: The tenor ruan, the bass ruan, and the pipa with Xu Pingxin providing accompaniment on the yangqin and drum. The Ruan are a family of long-necked, round-bodied, plucked lutes with four strings. The ruan is an indigenous instrument of China with a history of more than 2000 years. It is recorded in many ancient Chinese literary works. In recent decades it has developed into a family of three types: an alto, tenor, and a bass. Ms. Miao Xiaoyun is a musician of outstanding virtuosity and versatility. She plays several types of Chinese lutes, including tenor ruan, bass ruan, and pipa. Born in Beijing, Ms. Miao started to learn various plucked instruments at an early age with renowned teachers in China, among them Wang Fandi, Wang Zhongbing, and Pan Yuzhang. In 1978 she won a competition for the entrance examination to the Central Conservatoire of Music in Beijing. Upon graduation in 1982, she became the first teacher in the China Conservatoire of Music to establish the ruan as a major instrument. She has toured widely, both in China and abroad, giving many concerts.

Though music is a universal thing, Indian classical music has a very distinctive feature of its own. The very origin of Indian classical music is in the praise of the Supreme Power of the Almighty. Thus, Indian classical music has a spiritual value, rather than an entertainment value. A performance is almost like a symphony being played, with the difference that the Indian “symphony” is not written. The artist creates it during the course of his recital, always keeping within the framework of the raga. The music is essentially an extension of a prayer but the artist is morally bound to offer his music as a gift of peace and joy to all who hear the music. The insight of the musician is thus conveyed to the listeners. On this album Rash Behari Datta plays the raga “Koushiki.” On the sitar this raga is very close to the popular raga “Kounsi-Kanhra.” During the Mughal period of India many new ragas were created and many new combinations were tried. Out of these the Kanhras type of raga became very popular. The Kounsi-Kanhra is also a combination of two ragas: the Malkouns and the Kanhra.