Shakti (band)

Shakti is a fusion band founded by English guitarist John McLaughlin and Indian violinist L.Shankar with percussionists Zakir Hussain (on tabla) and Vikku Vinayakram (on ghatam).^[1] Initially formed in 1973 under the name “Turiyananda Sangit” (a name coined by Sri Chinmoy that translates into english as “The pinnacle of delight in music”),^[2] with a lineup consisting of McLaughlin, L.Shankar, Ramnad V. Raghavan (on mridangam) and Eve McLaughlin on Tanpura & Shruti box.^[3][4][5] Eve McLaughlin left the project, and Zakir Hussain was added on tabla and the group name changed to “Shakti” (meaning "creative intelligence, beauty, and power."^[6]) as the band wanted a name that “listeners in the West could relate to”.^[7] Raghavan also didn't stay with the project beyond the first album, and Vikku was added (on ghatam) for the remainder of Shakti’s early career. The group played acoustic fusion music which combined Carnatic music with elements of jazz.

Quick Facts Background information, Also known as ...

Shakti
Shakti in 1976
Background information
Also known as	Turiyananda Sangit (in the early days)
Genres	Jazz fusion world
Years active	1973–1978; 2020–present
Labels	Columbia
Spinoffs	Remember Shakti
Members	John McLaughlin Shankar Mahadevan Ganesh Rajagopalan V. Selvaganesh
Past members	Zakir Hussain L. Shankar Ramnad Raghavan Vikku Vinayakram U. Srinivas

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In addition to fusing Western (Jazz, Celtic folk, Classical music) with Eastern music, Shakti also represented a fusion of the Hindustani and Carnatic music traditions, since Hussain was from Northern India while Shankar and Vikku are from the South.^[8]

The group came together after the dissolution of the first incarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and toured fairly extensively during the period 1975-1977. After 1977, the albums which Shankar recorded with Hussain and Vikku stayed close to the music they had popularized in Shakti.

Two concerts at the Montreux Jazz Festival (July 6, 1976 and July 8, 1977) are included among the 17 CDs of the box set Montreux Concerts by John McLaughlin.^[9]

Between 1982 - 1984, Shakti regrouped for reunion tours in India, this time with L.Shankar performing on his double violin.^[10]

In 1997, McLaughlin and Hussain put together Remember Shakti, including V. Selvaganesh (son of T. H. "Vikku" Vinayakram ), electric mandolin player U. Shrinivas and eventually vocalist Shankar Mahadevan.

The band reformed in 2020,^[11] and released their first album as Shakti in 46 years, This Moment, on 23 June 2023.^[12] The album will be supported by a world tour including India, Europe, and United States under the name Shakti50.^[3] Violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan joined the band as a full time member. The band also performed a live set for the Tiny Desk Concert.

In 2024, Shakti won the Grammy Award for the Best Global Music Album for the album This Moment.