Mumbai, November 18, 2010: In today’s world of heavily programmed and synth driven music, Saregama India Ltd. has released a unique album of easy, lilting melodies and traditional lyrics with minimal orchestration. All recorded live in the studio!
The artistes who created this magic are the legendary Asha Bhosle and sitar virtuoso and singer, Shujaat Khan. ‘Naina Lagai Ke’ is a brand new album that sees Asha Bhosle collaborate with a classical musician after 14 years. In 1996 she had worked with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan on an album titled ‘Legacy’ that was nominated for a Grammy Award. This time round she combines forces with Shujaat Khan, son of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan on an album that defies genres.
The songs draw from traditional music and were recorded live in the studio with three musicians, putting all the focus on the singing. The result is a showcase of Asha Bhosle’s supreme versatility and talent, as it is for Shujaat Khan’s exceptional voice and ability. The resultant nine songs are soft and soothing while being catchy with a great sing along quality.The album has been recorded and released by India’s premium music company Saregama India Ltd.
Says Atul Churamani, VP, Saregama India Ltd, “We always aim at giving our audiences something different and unique. The combination of Ashaji and Shujaat Khan brings together two amazing artistes, producing music that is fresh, yet retains an old world charm. I don’t know after how long a non classical music album has been recorded live in the studio. We had so much fabulous vocal material after the recording that it was difficult and heart breaking to edit the songs.”
About Asha Bhosle:
Asha Bhosle is one of the greatest artistes in the world and was recently chosen among musicians like Michael Jackson, the Beatles and Elvis Presley as one of the most influential artistes ever. She has sung in over 18 languages, recorded over 12,000 songs, collaborated with musicians across the world from Michael Stipe of R.E.M. and the Kronos Quartet Orchestra to Boy George and Code Red, has had international songs written about her (‘A Brimful Of Asha’ by Cornershop) and has been nominated for a Grammy award twice. Her album ‘Precious Platinum’ on Saregama was ranked among the Top 100 World Music Albums by Amazon.com last year. At the age of 77, she continues to tour the world in concert after mind blowing concert and never ceases to astonish listeners with what she comes up with next. The most recent example being her performance at the recent GIMA Awards in Mumbai, of which she is also the Goodwill Ambassador.
About Shujaat Khan:
Sitar player and vocalist Shujaat Husain Khan is the son of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan, arguably India’s finest sitar player. “Master musician, a living legend, best classical musician of his generation”… are some of the ways Shujaat has been described and in 2004, he was
nominated for a Grammy award in the World Music category for his album ‘Rain’ with the Ghazal Ensemble. He is also one of the artistes who have made it to Amazon.com’s 100 Greatest World Music Albums of all time.
About Saregama India Ltd:
About Saregama : Listed on the NSE and BSE, Saregama India Limited, is India’s largest and best-known music recording company.
Formerly known as The Gramophone Company of India Ltd, Saregama owns the largest music archives in India, one of the biggest in the world. The ownership of nearly 50 per cent of all the music ever recorded in India also makes Saregama the most authoritative repository of the country’s musical heritage.
Saregama has now expanded into other branches of entertainment – it is involved in production and distribution of motion pictures, television software, digital content, and home entertainment. It also runs studio facilities in Dum Dum, Kolkata making it one of the best end-to-end entertainment houses in the country.
