N. Rajam, Radiant (Sense World Music, 2002)

With the pan-cultural tendencies of us humans, it's not surprising that instruments from certain cultures become introduced into the traditions of others. Dr. N. Rajam is an Indian musician using a very Western instrument, the European violin. Although not a groundbreaking or unique idea, it is a logical one: the European stringed instrument family numbers among the few tools that are not set to a tempered pitch range: microtonalities, common in many cultures, are readily available with them. And given the sustain and dynamic attributes of the violin, it fits in nicely with more traditional instruments from the Indian sub-continent.

All of this logic in instrument selection is meaningless unless the player is successful in its utilization in his or her own tradition. This is where Dr. Rajam succeeds. A gifted musician with impeccable taste, she allows the listener to forget about the tool in her hands and simply absorb the beautiful music it creates. Radiant is a live recording, featuring ten ragas with minimal backing (tabla, and an uncredited tanpura), allowing the listener to focus on Dr. Rajam's playing.

Although nothing astonishingly groundbreaking is presented, the playing is beautiful. Freely improvising around the the melodies of the ragas presented, the music flows and swirls. I was particularly struck by the playing on the dadra "Raga Khamaj, Thumri," where expressive, lyrical playing was emphasized over the sheer technical onslaught most of the other tracks rely on.

The sound is quite good, although at times it's painfully obvious that Rajam needs a better violin. Although it's not as pinched sounding as, say, a student's model, it's most definitely not a high-end instrument. A tool with a greater depth is what such a great artist deserves.

Moving away from the instrument choice made, Radiant is simply a great disc of traditional music. N. Rajam's playing is highly evocative, and of such great strength and beauty that one cannot go untouched by it. Simply brilliant.