Between “then and now” has been the pervasive influence of Indian music and culture in the West. Most visibly, the wonders of the Indian musical world were spread by Ravi Shankar and George Harrison of the Beatles, but the music also had a profound effect on Mickey Hart and the Grateful Dead, John McLaughlin, Philip Glass, the Byrds, John Coltrane, and many others.

Musician and author Peter Lavezzoli has an uncommon ability to articulate the intimate nature of music and at the same time narrate a history. In his discussion on Indian music theory, he demystifies Eastern musical structures and terminology for Western readers, and explores the connection between the Indian and Western disciplines of musical training.

Lavezzoli engages a score of musicians including Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Philip Glass, David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, Zubin Mehta, Terry Riley, Bill Laswell, and John McLaughlin. These artists bring their own unique insights on the spiritual implications of Indian music to the discussion; and Lavezzoli’s exploration of the relationships between Indian music and jazz, rock, and electronic music has few if any parallels.