Soul Food - Pandit Jasraj: The legendary Indian cliassical vocalist combines sublime spiritual expression with technical virtuosity in a superb live concert performance. Pandit Jasraj is without doubt one of the great vocalists in the modern era of Indian classical music. He has been a favourite with concert audiences for more than forty years and his performances have become a major highlight of the prestigious Saptak Music Festival, held annually in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Jasraj was born into a family of outstanding musicians but suffered the misfortune of losing his father, Pandit Motiramji at an early age. The responsibility for his music education was handed over to his elder brother and guru, the late Pandit Maniramji who trained the young Jasraj thoroughly in the intricacies of the Mewati School of singing. Since then, he has developed a unique vocal style which places equal emphasis on the wording, pronunciation and poetic value of compositions, as well as the distinct mood of each raga. His voice and style are instantly recognisable and his music expresses an emotional quality, which touches the soul of his listeners. This recording captures one of his most compelling performances given on the last night of the twelve-day Saptak Festival.

Pandit Jasraj's rendition of the late evening raga Maru Behag combines sublime spiritual expression with outstanding technical virtuosity. Maru Behag is a combination of two ragas, Behag and Kalyan, and is widely thought to have been created by the great vocalist Alladiya Khan in the early part of the twentieth century.