Improvisations

Improvisations is a 1962 LP album by Ravi Shankar. The opening piece is based on music from Shankar's score for Satyajit Ray's 1955 movie Pather Panchali with flutist Bud Shank playing in Indian style. Shankar composed "Fire Night" influenced by the 1961 Los Angeles fires and the song features jazz musicians Shank (flute) and Gary Peacock (bass) improvising over Indian percussion instruments. There is a clear free jazz influence on tracks like Karnataki (Raga Kirvani). The concluding ragas are in classical Indian style: the first raga, Kirvani, with South Indian origin, and the second, Rageshri, with North Indian origin. The album was released in CD format by Angel Records in 1999 and has been described as a "visionary recording" by AllMusic reviewer Heather Phares.