She is the heir to the throne of Indian classical music. She is the queen of the sitar and she called George Harrison "Uncle George." She is Anoushka Shankar, the 26-year-old daughter of the raga king Ravi Shankar.
And she is coming to Purdue University for a 7:30 p.m. concert at Loeb Playhouse inside Stewart Center.
"He really was family. He definitely was one of my father's dearest friends," said Anoushka Shankar of the late great Beatles guitarist. Ravi Shankar introduced the sitar to Harrison who brought the large stringed instrument to the West via "Norwegian Wood.
" More than 40 years later, Anoushka Shankar is making sure the sitar stays in the Western music listeners' consciousness. Shankar is well on her way with two recent Grammy nominations, the honor of being the first Indian female to perform live at the Grammys and a new disc with electronic artist Karsh Kale that bends genres. Kale performed at Loeb Playhouse in 2004.
She is touring in support of Breathing Underwater, which features a collaboration between the young musicians. "We really built this record from the ground up," said Shankar from her home in San Diego. "We got to do different styles of music than what we usually do.
There is more song structure than what I usually do and I sing lyrics in English for the first time. It has been a fulfilling project." For her current American tour, she is bringing a small ensemble of tabla, drums, flute and piano players.
She describes her set as classical music presented in a non-classical format. Shankar started following in her father's footsteps when she first touched a sitar at age 8. Shankar said the instrument is one of the most difficult to master and a good teacher is needed for the early instructional years.
It's safe to say Shankar had one of the best teachers in her father. "The sitar is not like the guitar where you can just pick it up and learn some chords," she said. "It's music you have to learn by ear and play like call and response from the teacher.
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Classical Indian music on the sitar is one of the most technical and intense music styles to play." Once she got the "terrifying" experience of her first concert out of the way at the age of 13, Shankar said she has felt no pressure or stress from playing the same style of music her father plays. "Because I started so young I adapted very quickly," Shankar said.
"It's one of the most natural things for me to be on-stage." While Shankar is leading her generation in Indian music, she says she is not alone. Many young Indian musicians are creating a buzz with their own sound around the world, whether pop, classical or both.
"The second generation of Indians are making their own music," Shankar said.
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