Berklee Indian Ensemble featuring Ustad Zakir Hussain Lady L ( Live at Berklee)

The Berklee Indian Ensemble is proud to present Lady L featuring Grammywinning Indian tabla master, Zakir Hussain. Composed by L. Shankar and featuring John McLaughlin, Lady L was originally performed by Shakti, the 1970s indojazz fusion group and appeared on the group s second studio album titled A Handful of Beauty. The group featured John McLaughlin (guitar), Zakir Hussain (tabla), L Shankar (Violin) and Vikku Vinayakram (Percussion). One of our listeners inspired us to go further than the Shakti album credits for the origins of this composition. It is possible that L. Shankar was inspired by Bharathiyars Vellai Thamarai They use the same raga, and the title, Lady L and lyrics offer a clue. Vellai Thamarai is a song for Goddess Saraswathi. While the lyrics never mention her by name, they allude to her innate talent, skill, and attributes. Perhaps Lady L stands for Lady Lotus, as Goddess Saraswathi sits on a lotus flower. Were curious to learn mor