MUSIC REVIEWS : Shankar, Friends in a Dramatic Outing

Before a large, enthusiastic crowd at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts Saturday night, Indian sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar performed four varied evening ragas. Despite personnel inequities, the 73-year-old guru and his six-person ensemble provided three hours of highly dramatic entertainment.

Beginning with the deeply felt “Jaytashki” raga, dedicated to Shankar’s son Shubho (a Garden Grove resident and sitar virtuoso in his own right who died last year at age 50), the three pairs of performers quickly settled into the genre’s customary format of nearly hourlong sequences of serene expositions and maniacally accelerating developments.

At his best, there is nothing old about Shankar: Whether driven by Indian music’s ancient tradition, the memory of his fabulous career or the commanding authority of his technique and style, his playing sounds ageless. Despite the music’s highly sophisticated nature, however, Shankar clearly took more pleasure in pitting cool drum improvisations against ferociously dueling sitars than in ascending cerebrally to an alpha state of mind.

The evening’s highlight was Shankar’s own “Tilak Shyam” raga, its long-lined eloquence eliciting rolling triplets and other rhythmic flavorings from the tremendously talented tabla drummer Zakir Hussain.

Unfortunately, the pale musical personalities of supporting players Kartik Seshadri (second sitar) and Abhiman Kaushal (second tabla) resulted in considerable letdowns when they took center stage.