L. SHANKAR (USA / India)

https://lshankar.com/

L. Shankar is a celebrated Indian classical violin maestro known for his creative genius and international collaborations such as founding the legendary band Shakti with John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain. Trained in the Carnatic tradition, Shankar has gained international acclaim for his virtuosity and decades of albums and releases with artists such as Frank Zappa to Peter Gabriel.

UPCOMING SHOWS

Robert Browning Presents

Saturday, September 27, 2025

Roulette Brooklyn
30 Third Avenue, Suite 208
Brooklyn, NY 11217

Tickets

People of Rhythm & Old Town School of Folk Music Presents

Friday, October 10, 2025

Old Town School of Folk Music Chicago
4544 North Lincoln Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60625  

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L. Shankar (Shenkar)

Master violinist/vocalist/composer L. Shankar (aka Shenkar) is renowned for his deeply soulful performances of Indian classical music. A child prodigy and virtuoso, he is regarded as one of the pioneers of East-West music, enthralling audiences and critics alike all over the world. Since playing his first solo concert at the age of seven, he has gone on to accompany many of South India’s leading vocalists and become a major soloist of Indian classical music. In the 1970s, with John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, Vikku Vinayakram, and Ramnad Raghavan, he co-founded the legendary Indo-jazz group Shakti and pioneered the sound of Indo-Jazz and was an early architect of "World Music." . In the 1980s, he created a 10-string double violin capable of covering the whole range of the orchestra’s string section from violin to double bass. As an international touring artist with a career spanning decades, Shankar has sold over 100 million albums and achieved international acclaim through his award-winning solo projects having released over 20 solo albums and his unique and legendary collaborations including many recordings and tours with artist such as Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, PIL, Archie Shepp, Talking Heads, Lou Reed, The Orb, Ginger Baker, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alice Coltrane, Jan Garbarek, Amnesty International tour with Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Tracy Chapman, U2 and even featured on the Steven Van Zant's Sun City Anti-Apartheid 1986 release. He is widely celebrated as a musical genius and legend by his peers, who hold him in the highest esteem.

Shankar co-wrote the Grammy nominated soundtrack Passion for the film Last Temptation of Christ with Peter Gabriel, along with many other films and television soundtracks or scores including Passion of the Christ, Ali, Rabbit Proof Fence, Queen of the Damned and NBC’s Heroes. An early supporter and fan was Frank Zappa, who called Shankar "the best violinist in the world" and signed Shankar to his own record label and produced one of Shankar’s early albums. To date Shankar has continued to expand the international audience for Indian music, often combining North Indian (Hindustani) and South Indian (Carnatic) styles. His albums on the iconic ECM label have become benchmark recordings of Indian classical music for the masses.