A level Music (Edexcel) set works wider listening - Anoushka Shankar

by Liz Dunbar @HuntSchoolMusic

Anoushka Shankar has grown up immersed in both Indian and Western musical cultures. Like her father Ravi Shankar, she is recognised as an accomplished classical Indian sitar player and has collaborated with many of the finest pop and classical musicians in the industry. Like Kate Bush she signed her first recording contract at 16 and her first three album releases were of Indian Classical performances. What is remarkable about Shankar is that she's constantly making new musical connections and drawing in new audiences. And it's all done with absolute authenticity and integrity.

Her first cross-over/fusion album was "Rise" 2005. Subsequent albums like "Breathing Under Water" have continued to explore the connections between Indian music and other styles of music.

Karsh Kale (co-founder of Tabla Beat Science) has been one of the most influential musicians in her fusion work, though she has collaborated with countless other musical figures include Sting, Nitin Sawhney, Joshua Bell, George Harrison and Norah Jones.

Here's an ever evolving playlist to provide you with plenty of wider listening references to use in questions 5 and 6.