I know next to nothing about India; history, culture, music, cuisine -- nada. But, as the man says, I knows what I like. What little Indian food I've sampled seems to me the most sublime alchemy of sauce and spice, the films are a riot of color and music, and the music... First, try to ignore the TV/movie shorthand we grew up with: the sound of sitars does not mean "groovy sixties party with dancers swirling in pot smoke, most likely 'tripping' on acid". Then, just sample the menu, as it were. I was lucky enough to discover the Nimbus recordings (you'll recognize the label, faithful reader.) The CDs allow for extended performances and spacious miking; once again, real musicians performing in real time in a real room. Hariprasad Chaurasia's flute bubbles along to a fiery climax, and the Khan family performance brought the Allman Brothers to mind, it was that exciting. WARNING: most libraries purchase world musics based on price, so avoid if you can the CDs you'd see on sale for $5.99 in supermarkets.
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