Ananda Shankar

Wielding a psychedelic axe of a different order, master sitarist Ananda Shankar (Ravi's nephew) offers up two groovy covers of rock classics, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Light My Fire." Actually, this classic of exotica, which originally appeared in 1970 on Reprise, isn't as cheesy as it might seem at first sight. All the originals are straightforward and melodic, solidly produced and seriously played, and in the case of "Snow Flower," an unsung instrumental pop classic. Shankar also gets to strut his stuff on the 13-minute plus "Sagar (The Ocean)," which turns into a syncopated East-West stomp after a leisurely "alap" intro.

• Genre: Rock
• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 09/29/2017