This 1996 album of 15th -18th century court music by an honored sarod maestro and a famous Bollywood playback singer is one that I go back to listen to again and again. When I first acquired the CD, I talked it up with my Indian friend and colleague Vipin, who sort of put it down and offered alternative singers for me to audition.

That puzzled me, because I am pretty sure I have very good ears for good music in many styles, and this seemed to me very good music. (That the album was nominated for a Grammy is not relevant to my discussion here.)

Today I tried to use ChatGPT to do some research on this question, and in particular on how cultivated Indian listeners have evaluated the album musically.

ChatGPT could not penetrate to the bedrock level of basic evidence, because that is mostly in discussion groups that are behind paywalls. Nevertheless I did learn some things:

• The available evidence is that cultivated listeners could hear that Bosle could sing the vocal intricacies of dhrupad and* khayal*.
• The album presents bandish-like vocal compositions associated with the dhrupad and early khayal traditions, as transmitted through the Seni / Maihar lineage. These traditions are the foundation of north Indian classical music (hence, no doubt, the title Legacy).
• These elements are already a cross-cultural fusion of Vedic-Brahmanic chant, Sanskrit musicology, Bakhti devotionalism, and Indo-Persian courtly streams.
• But the album does not include the extended improvisational interplays developed in the khayal tradition and that have become an integral part of contemporary performances. Such interplays would of course now be expected by cultivated listeners.

That should have been obvious to me, but this is the thing I have now learned about this album, and that may explain Vipin’s reaction.

Nevertheless, the songs are performed with improvisational nuance of high quality, and the album as a whole I will keep going back to. Give it a listen.