Hariprasad Chaurasia - Biography
By J Poet
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is probably the best bansuri (North Indian bamboo flute) player on Earth. He is classically trained, but has an open mind about music and has collaborated with world fusion artists like John McLaughlin and Jan Garbarek, He has also composed soundtrack music for Bollywood films. He is a prolific recording artist with over 300 albums to his credit.
Chaurasia was born in Allahabad in 1938. His father was a professional wrestler and insisted his son take up the sport. Chaurasia credits his training as a wrestler for his amazing lung capacity. He was interested in music from an early age, and when he was 15, Pandit Raja Ram began giving Chaurasia secret voice lessons. After a bansuri concert by Pandit Bholanath, Chaurasia took up the flute and studied with Pandit Bholanath. By 19, he was good enough to join the orchestra of All India Radio in Allahabad. He was transferred to their Bombay orchestra in 1962 on the strength of his playing and composing abilities. He continued his studies with Shrimati Annapurna Devi, daughter of Ustad Allauddin Khan at the Maihar School of Music.
He started releasing records of classical music in the 60s with “Raga Des Rupak” and “Raga Mishra Pilu” compiled on First LP Record (2007 Saregama India.) Other albums include Krishna Dhwani 60, Vol. 1 (1978 Music Today), Krishna Dhwani 60, Vol. 2 (1978 Music Today), Krishna Dhwani 60, Vol. 3 (1978 Music Today), and Krishna Dhwani 60, Vol. 4 (1978 Music Today.) He began getting international notice with Morning to Midnight Ragas - Morning Ragas (1987 Gramophone India), Venu (1989 Ryko) with Zakir Hussain on tabla, and Megh Malhar, Vol. 3 (1991 Living Media India.)
In 1980 Chaurasia formed a partnership with santoor player Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma called Shiv-Hari. They scored many hit Bollywood films in the 1980s and 1990s such as Silsila (1981), Chandni (1989), Lamhe (1991), Parampara (1993) and Darr (1993.)
Chaurasia’s extensive discography includes Ragas du Nord et du Sud (1992 MPO France), Flute - Hariprasad Chaurasia (1993 EMI India), In A Mellow Mood (1994 Music India), Music 157 - Live in London (1995 Navras), Valley Recalls - In search of Peace, Love and Harmony (1996 Navras) with Shiv Kumar Sharma on santoor, Immortal Essence (1997 Music India), Jugalbandi (1999 Gramophone India), Remember Shakti (1999 Universal) a double CD of the 1997 Shakti tour or England with John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, and T.H. Vinayakram, Music without Boundaries (2000 Navras) with Larry Coryell on guitar, Adi-Ananth (2001 Navras UK) a recording of Chaurasia’s first flute concerto with L'Orchestre TransEuropeennes, Being Still (2003 Evolver) a mellow new age outing with orchestrations by Kenneth Lauber, and Making Music (2007 ECM) with John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, and Jan Garbarek.
Chaurasia currently heads the World Music Department at the Rotterdam Music Conservatory in Holland. Maestro of the Indian Flute (2006 Saregama India) gives a quick two CD overview of recordings made between 1967 and 1964.