Ananda Shankar (11 December 1942 – 26 March 1999) was an Indian musician, singer, and composer best known for fusing Western and Eastern musical styles.He was married to dancer and choreographer Tanusree Shankar.
Born in Almora, Uttar Pradesh (now in Uttarakhand), North India, Shankar was the son of Amala Shankar and Uday Shankar, who were popular dancers of Bengali heritage, and also the nephew of sitar player Ravi Shankar. He studied in The Scindia School, Gwalior. Ananda did not learn sitar from his uncle but studied instead with Lalmani Misra at Banaras Hindu University. He died in Kolkata on 26 March 1999 aged 56 from cardiac failure.
Links to Peel[]
After Peel's run through the Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds LP from 1967 on his shows in 1994, a listener writes in to remind him of the Ananda Shankar album of similar vintage (released in 1970 on Reprise Records) with sitar-centered cover versions of popular rock songs. Peel dug out the record and played 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' on his 07 October 1994 show.
"Jumpin' Jack Flash" was released as a single in 1970 and picked up some radio airplay, although not on Top Gear. However, another track from Shankar's Reprise album, "Raghupati", his adaptation of a traditional Indian song, was covered by the Incredible String Band on a 1970 Peel session, but listed as "Raga Puti Raga". When the session was broadcast, JP praised the ISB's version, saying that only they could cover such a song and still be "innocent of deceit".
Shows Played[]
- 07 October 1994: Jumpin’ Jack Flash (LP - Ananda Shankar) Reprise