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The premier melodic instrument of jazz has idiosyncratic raga possibilities, as recently explored by Jesse Bannister
–Raga instruments (full list)–
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—Jesse Bannister (Vachaspati)—
“Jesse Bannister deviated from his jazz school curriculum to delve deep into Hindustani music, working tirelessly to adapt its subtle inflections to the saxophone. He studied with sitar maestro Dharambir Singh, and also received instruction from Benares vocal legends Rajan & Sajan Mishra. Over the years he developed an idiosyncratic approach to Indo-jazz, overflowing with fine-grained dynamic control and divine rhythmic phrasing. He has collaborated with artists including Aruna Sairam, Bickram Ghosh, Talvin Singh, and the Liverpool Philharmonic, and teaches a course at Leeds College of Music called IMOWI (‘Indian Music on Western Instruments’). Mewati vocal pioneer Pandit Jasraj once described Bannister as ‘the future of Indian classical music’…In his own words, ‘I learned music on the dancefloor when I was 15-16 years old. I used to go out dancing in Camden, and my taste was a reflection of the eclectic mix around me: reggae, hip hop jazz, blues, soul, and pop…My mum was Indian. Even though she didn’t listen to Indian music, I had the culture of that Indian upbringing there as well’…” (from my Darbar artist profile)
—More Info—
- Notable performers: Jonathan Kay (?-), Jesse Bannister (1971-)
- Sa pitch: All sampled recordings by Jesse Bannister and Jonathan Kay were in C (a natural key for their horns) [see my Survey of Sa Tunings for more].
[COMING SOON: click here to hasten the project’s expansion, so all articles & pages can eventually look more like these]
• Hindustani Instruments: Anandi | Bansuri | Bass-Veena | Bazantar | Bulbul Tarang | Cello | Chaturangi | Dilruba | Electric Guitar | Esraj | Fretless Guitar | Harmonium | Jal Tarang | Jori | Mandolin | Mohan Veena | Nal Tarang | Pakhawaj | Piano | Rabab | Rudra Veena | Sagar Veena | Santoor | Sarangi | Sarod | Saxophone | Shehnai | Sitar | Surbahar | Sursagar | Sursingar | Swarmandal | Tabla | Tabla Tarang | Tanpura | Tar Shehnai | Taus | Vichtra Veena | Violin
–Survey of Sa tunings–
• Get started with learning raga! •
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• Support the Raga Index! •
—Riyaz-focused notations & bandish—
—Resurrecting rare and ancient ragas—
—Further melodic & geometric analysis—
—Engaging with Hindustani performers—
—Ensuring that high-quality raga knowledge will remain open to all, at no cost: free from commercial motive!—
—Hindustani Raga Index—
An open-ended project seeking to bring North Indian raga closer to all who approach with open ears. Combines direct input from dozens of leading Hindustani artists with in-depth insights from music history, global theory, performance practice, cognitive science, and much more besides!
–Megalist (365+ ragas)–
• Search: Find your new favourite •
• Tags: Classifying the ragascape •
• Glossary: Raga jargon demystified •
• Murchanas: Swara-set rotations •
• Thaat: Bhatkhande’s base scales •
• Bifurcations: Poorvangs/uttarangs •
• Ragatable: Analytical connections •
• Tanpuras: Divine overtonal drones •
• Quotes: Musings from raga artists •
• Talas: Hindustani rhythm cycles •
• Instruments: Singing sculptures •
• Masterlist: 1000+ ragas profiled •
Sa | Re | Ga | Ma | Pa | Dha | Ni
¡Random Raga!
—Search the Raga Index—
(NEW: search by swaras/varjits)
• Feedback / Contact •
George Howlett is a London-based musician, writer, and teacher (guitars, sitar, tabla, & santoor). Above all I seek to enthuse fellow sonic searchers, interconnecting fresh vibrations with the voices, cultures, and passions behind them. See Homepage for more, and hit me up for Lessons!
• Projects & articles: full list •
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• My Music | ‘Guitaragas’ (2025) •
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