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Composed by L. Shankar and John McLaughlin, “Lady L” was originally performed by ’Shakti’, the 1970s indo-jazz fusion group and appeared on the group’s second studio album titled “A Handful of Beauty“. The group featured John McLaughlin (guitar), Zakir Hussain (tabla), L Shankar (Violin) and Vikku Vinayakram (Percussion). One of our listeners inspired us to go further than the Shakti album credits for the origins of this composition. It is possible that L. Shankar was inspired by Bharathiyar’s “Vellai Thamarai” - They use the same raga, and the title, “Lady L” and lyrics offer a clue. Vellai Thamarai is a song for Goddess Saraswathi. While the lyrics never mention her by name, they allude to her innate talent, skill, and attributes. Perhaps Lady L stands for Lady Lotus, as Goddess Saraswathi sits on a lotus flower. We’re curious to learn more, so feel free to add comments and enlighten us! In 2019, Berklee College of Music presented Ustad Zakir Hussain with an Honorary Doctorate. It was the perfect opportunity for our Berklee Indian Ensemble musicians to reinterpret such an iconic composition and collaborate on this live performance with Ustad Zakir Hussain as part of our week-long celebration of the maestro’s life and musical accomplishments leading up to his Honorary Doctorate ceremony. “Lady L“ composed by L. Shankar and John McLaughlin Arranger: Amir Darabi Producer: Emanuel Keller Co-Producer: Artistic Director, BIX, Annette Philip Artist Relations: Senior Director, Global Engagement, Middle East & India, Clint Valladares Assistant Manager, BIX: Rohith Jayaraman Assistant, BIX: Lydia Renold Visiting Artist Tabla - Ustad Zakir Hussain Berklee Indian Ensemble musicians: Guitar - João Perrusi - Brasilia, Brazil Cello - Emanuel Keller - Jerusalem, Israel Carnatic Violin - Apoorva Krishna - Bengaluru, India Piano - Amir Darabi - Tehran, Iran Keyboards - Fryderyk Hoang Dong - Warsaw, Poland Electric Bass - Jack Schwenke - Canberra, Australia Percussion - Thomas Antonio Debelian - Oslo, Norway Drumset - Noa Kahn - Ra’anana, Israel Recorded live at Berklee Performance Center, Berklee College of Music Video Editing: Kevin Greene Multitrack Recording Engineer: Tarik Mahrour Mixing Engineer: Mark Wessel Mastering: Jonathan Wyner Special thanks - Giri Subramaniam, Rohith Jayaraman, Anindo Bose, Viveick Rajagopalan About the Berklee Indian Ensemble: Founded in 2011 by faculty member Annette Philip, the Berklee Indian Ensemble is one of the largest and most diverse ensembles at Berklee. Apart from performing original compositions and arrangements, the Berklee Indian Ensemble tours internationally; presents a wide array of South Asian folk, classical, and contemporary music; and has collaborated with various world-renowned artists, garnering over 285 million views for their viral videos to date.
