Ry Cooder & V.M. Bhatt - A Meeting By The River

"Recorded in a chapel using custom-built vacuum-tube microphones, the record was produced without overdubs or equalization. It's unusually quiet but with an immediate atmosphere; a slight increase in volume reveals wonders." Music = 5/5; Sound = 5/5 – Dave Oliver, Hi-Fi Choice, August 2008

"...The sound is about as good as it gets, with almost no sense of recording gear between the listener and musicians, who are laid out in a solid horizontal line. The remarkable air and tangible 'thereness' will take your breath away." – Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound, August 2008

"...The opening ten-minute title track is a fascinating spontaneous expression by the two musicians, and it soon become clear that there really isn't that great a gulf between the musical culture of the bottleneck guitar and that of the Indian vina...This album won a Grammy in 1993 and it's easy to understand why...Analogue Productions (really Acoustic Sounds) is to be congratulated for bringing it out on SACD, where we can fully appreciate the super-high-end approach Water Lily used in recording these two wonderful players." – John Henry, Audiophile Audition

"As spontaneous as music-making gets, this East meets West improv session between two masters of slide-based stringed instruments is like eating at the most exotic Indian restaurant that adds Tex-Mex flavors to its dishes. The sound is very natural, almost achingly beautiful." – Playback, June 2008

"...This record is a must-have for fans of Ry Cooder's explorations into global sounds. The playing is out of this world, and, on these cuts, it has less of a world music feel, and is almost bluesy at times. With the original sessions captured at 15 i.p.s. on all custom deParavicini gear, this is the ultimate stereo test record. The sound is as real, open and airy as it gets; not one more molecule of tone could possibly be put onto these black discs!" – Jeff Dorgay, Tone Audio, No. 15, 2008

"...Astonishingly, the four conversational yet adventurous tracks captured on A Meeting by the River were unrehearsed jams between the two masters, who had met only minutes before the session. The lesson is that Cooder and Bhatt not only knew how to play, but how to listen." – Daniel Durchholz, Stereophile, February 2007

American composer, musicologist and guitar legend Ry Cooder teams with North Indian musician Vishwa Mohan Bhatt to create an exquisite musical realm, with both musicians playing exceptional slide guitar. Their collaboration evokes musical elements from many cultures and styles. Percussion by Sukhvindar Singh on tabla and Cooder's 14-year-old son Joachim on dumbek. This recording won a Grammy Award.

Reviews of the LP:

"... ...Passionate, mysterious, intricate, earthy, ethereal, moody and mystical, the rich musical improvisations on this recording defy categorization...The recording is as astonishing as the music: a harmonically complex, three dimensional, two-microphone purist production that will easily take its place at the top of the sonic heap in your record collection and that's a guarantee...this is among the most spacious, convincing three-dimensional recordings you will ever hear...An essential record in any 21st century vinyl collection." Music = 11/11; Sound = 11/11 – Michael Fremer, Music Angle, www.musicangle.com

"The quintessential 2 mic Blumlein recording, a musical extravaganza – on 45rpm it destroys the early '90s CD!" – Danny Kaey, Positive-Feedback Online

Originally released in 1993.

Tracks:

1. A Meeting By The River

2. Longing

3. Ganges Delta Blues

4. Isa Lei