MASTER OF SAROD-AMJAD ALI KHAN

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Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is acknowledged throughout India as one of its foremost classical musicians and the maestro of his chosen instrument, the Sarod. Born in 1945 in Gwalior, where his father was a musician to the royal family, he made an early debut giving his first solo recital at the age of 12 in 1958. He represents the sixth generation of his family to inherit a classical tradition that goes back through his father, the late Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan to the era of the court musicians of the Mughal Empire and the original 'Senia-Beenkar' Gharana musical 'school' devoted to the tradition of the legendary Mian Tansen, Ustadji learnt the Sarod from his father.

By visiting Pakistan in 1981, he was the first Indian musician to break the culture silence between the two countries. Ustadji has widely travelled and has played in China, the UK, the USA, Moscow, Germany and Japan. He is devoted to the cause of popularising Indian classical music through his performances over the AIR and T.V.

In 1977, he founded the Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan Memorial Society which organises concerts and also has an annual Hafiz Ali Khan award bestowed on outstanding classical musicians in India and aboard.

Ustadji is the recipient of many awards and honours - the Padmashree in 1975, the Sangeet Natak Academy award in1989, the Tansen Award in 1989, the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the International Music Forum Award, Unesco in 1970, to name a few.

Amjad Ali Khan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is an Indian sarod player and composer.

Khan was born in Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) in 1945, is the sixth-generation sarod player in his family and his ancestors have developed and shaped the instrument over several hundred years. "You could say it's my family instrument", says Khan, "Whoever is playing the sarod today learned directly or indirectly from my forefathers."

Khan was taught by his father Hafiz Ali Khan, a musician to the royal family of Gwalior; he was born to the Bangash lineage rooted in the Senia Bangash School of music and is the sixth generation inheritor of this lineage. He was awarded India's second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan in 2001.

Amjad Ali Khan has developed a unique style of playing the sarod. The key innovations in his style are compositions based on vocal music, the technical ability to play highly complex phrases (ekhara taans) on the sarod spanning three octaves and the emphasis on simple and elegant compositions. His technical mastery and control over his instrument is unsurpassed - a fact acknowledged by most musicians.

He has simplified the instrument by removing some strings (his sarod has only two jod and chikari strings and 11 tarab stings) and has also removed the resonant gourd (tumba) which is in use by other sarod schools. His base frequency is also lower than the other schools. His instrument is made by Hemen Chandra of Kolkata, who also makes the sarod for other leading maestros such as Ali Akbar Khan.

His playing does reflect the older dhrupad tradition and he places emphasis on the conventional technique of "dara diri" using the wooden plectrum (java). However, his chief innovation is his ekhara taans (complex high speed phrases), something which most sarod players find very difficult to do. Paraphrasing his words " I asked my father why the sarod could not keep up with sitar when it came to taans....my father explained that the sarod was a much more difficult instrument to play, not having frets ... it is then I resolved to develop a style where I could match sitar like taans...".

Amjad Ali Khan has had a successful career spanning over 40 years and continues to be one of the busiest classical musicians in India

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan



Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is one of the foremost Sarod players in India and has carved a niche for himself in the Hall of Fame of Indian classical music. He has achieved immense popularity in India as well as abroad and has equally regaled connoisseurs and lay listeners of classical music.

He imparts a rare aesthetic experience to his audiences with his creative. imagination, consummate artistry and an imposing stage presence. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan belongs to an illustrious family of musicians, Ustad Nanne Khan and Ustad Murad Ali Khan. His father, Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan had received training from the great Wazir Khan of Rampur. Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan who was among the first few to receive Padma Bhushan gave intensive training to his sons, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his two brothers.

The creative genius of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan found expression in several enchanting melodies composed by him. He has composed raga Priyadarshini and Kamalashree in memory of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. The names of other melodies composed by him are Shivanjali, Haripriya Kanada, Kiran Ranjani, Suhag Bhairav, Lalit Dhwani, Shyam Shri and Jawahar Manjari.

He has been closely associated with several charitable organizations like the Spastics Society of India, the Indian Cancer Society, Blind Association and others.

He has trained many disciples who have blossomed into mature, performing artistes. In nurturing and propagating Indian classical music he is committed to the cause of fostering musical appreciation amongst school children. He is dedicated to the preservation and popularization of Indian classical music through Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan Memorial Society which he founded in memory of his Guru and father. The society presents an annual Award to eminent artistes and organizes music festivals every year in different parts of the country.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is the recipient of several awards (and honours) some of which are Sarod Samrat, UNESCO Award, Padmashree, Kala Ratna, Sangeet Natak Academy Award, Tansen Award and Padma Bhushan.

AMJAD ALI KHAN
Born: 1945

Sarod 'samrat', Amjad Ali Khan is one of the most distinguished maestro in the world of Indian classical music. Amjad Ali Khan, born on October 9th, 1945 at Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, is the sixth-generation sarod player in his illustrious family. His ancestors of famous musicians, from the Bangash lineage rooted in the Senia Bangash School of music,has the distinction of having developed and shaped the instrument 'Sarod' over several hundred years from the ancient Rabab (an Iran Folk Instrument).

Amjad is the youngest son of Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan a musician to the royal family of Gwalior who has received musical tuition from descendants or followers of Miyan Tansen (c1520-1590), one of India's most celebrated singers and court musician to the great Mughal emperor Akbar. Taught by his father, Amjad started playing the sarod at a very young age. He made an early debut giving his first solo recital at the age of 12 in 1958. From then on there was no looking back for the master. He had a special mastery and love for the instrument that he gave a new and yet timeless interpretation to it. Keeping to the tradition and yet being innovative, he created many enchanting new ragas of his own. He composed raga Priyadarshini and Kamalashree in memory of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Some of the other melodies composed by him are Kiran Ranjani, Haripriya Kanada, Shivanjali, Shyam Shri, Suhag Bhairav, Lalit Dhwani, Amiri Todi, Jawahar Manjari, Bapukauns and so on and has cut many records and discs. He composed a piece for the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Yoshikazu Fukumora titled 'Tribute to Hong Kong', with guitarist Charley Byrd, Violinist Igor Frolov, Suprano Glenda Simpson, Guitarist Barry Mason and UK Cellist Matthew Barley.

Ustad has achieved immense popularity in India as well as abroad. He has the distinction of being the first north Indian artist to have performed in honour of Thyagaraja at the saint musician's Thiruvaiyur shrine. He has traveled widely and performed in several international music festivals in Pakistan, China, New Zealand, London, Rome, USA, Moscow, Germany, Japan etc. A regular performer at the famous halls such as Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Kennedy Center, Santury Hall (First Indian performer), House of Commons, Theater Dela Ville, ESPLANADE in Singapore, Mozart Hall in Frankfurt, Chicago Symphony Center, St. James Palace and the Opera House in Australia, the master has received Hon'ry Citizenship to the States of Texas, Massachusetts, Tennessee and the city of Atlanta.

Amjad Ali Khan has won several titles and honours - the 'Padmashree' in 1975, the Sangeet Natak Academy award in1989, the Tansen Award in 1989, Sarod Samrat, UNESCO Award in 1970, Unicef's National Ambassadorship, the Padma Bhushan in 1991, the International Music Forum Award etc. and Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of York, England, Delhi University, the Vishva Bharti (Deshikottam) in Shantiniketan and 'Commander of the order of Arts and letters' by the French Government. Two books written on him are the 'World of Amjad Ali Khan' (1995) and 'Abba- God's Greatest gift to us' by his sons Amaan and Ayaan in 2002.

In 1977, he founded the Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan Memorial Society which organises music festivals in different parts of India. He has contributed in propagating and creating music for children. In Gwalior, the family house where Amjad Ali Khan was born, has been converted into Sarod Ghar (the 'Home of the Sarod') a teaching centre and museum of his family and the sarod, with an impressive collection of instruments including his ancestor's rababs.

Ustad lives with his wife Subbalakshmi and two sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash. His sons Aman and Ayan are promising sarod players referred to as the 'coming masters'. They are the seventh generation in the family to continue the Sarod tradition.

The great master remains devoted to Sarod and popularising his music throughout the world.

Contacts:

Official site: www.Sarod.com

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

- celebrates half a century of sarod playing

by

Rajdeep Datta


Ustad Amjad Ali Khan with wife Subhalakshmi

" There is no appropriate translation of the word 'music' in Hindi… music is much more than sangeet. … it is conversation, recitation, chanting, singing, rhythm , the best of everything put together....."



started playing professionally in 1952 at age six. His first international performance came in 1963 when he was 17. He has performed in virtually every country to thundering ovations. He is one of the most frequently recorded Indian musicians. His concerts in the Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Centre, Santury Hall in Japan and St. James' Palace are sell-outs. He has been composing symphonies for the Hong Kong philharmonic orchestra; ghazals for HMV (Vaada); and will soon be performing a jugalbandi with a cello player of the London Philharmonic orchestra!

He is perhaps among the few exponents of Indian classic music, who was, very literally, born into art,. He has developed a unique style of playing that has made the instrument appealing to the classes as well as the masses.

The maestro born on October 9, 1945 in Gwalior, is the youngest son of legendary Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan. His father was also his guru who handed him the skill under the strict discipline of the Guru Shisya Parampara.

Interestingly, his father was 60 when Amjad was born. " He could easily have been my grandfather," he says. " Though Ravi Shankar and I are contemporaries, he is really from my father's generation. They both shared the same guru."

At the age when he should have been playing with toys, Amjad Ali Khan was playing the sarod. As a young boy studying in Delhi's Modern School, he was already becoming famous for his performances. Wrote a critic of a show in 1962: " It was 16-year-old Amjad Ali Khan who stole the show with his polish, poise and confidence. His contribution was too good for his age."

The poise and confidence came from the time spent in riyaz to please his larger -than-life father who still looms over him from the gilt framed pictures in his house.

" My ancestors invented the sarod, which is the present day modification of the ancient rabab (an Afghan folk instrument)," says this sixth generation sarod player who traces his ancestry to the famed musician of Akbar's court, Mian Tansen.

Indeed, with such a lineage, Khan was expected to live up to the glorious past. Within the discipline of the classical tradition, his innovations have created change in the styles and technique and breathed a new life into an ancient form.

One of his important contributions is that he has introduced the khayal style on the sarod thus enlarging the creative range of the instrument. He has also kindled interest in classical music among the MTV generation. For this, he has made his sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash the young brand ambassadors of the sarod.

Sarod Maestro explores the 'Navarasas'


By ApunKaChoice Bureau

The celebrated sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan has brought a whiff of fresh air to contemporary music with his debut album as a composer – 'Vaada'.

"A musical floatation", as modestly referred by the maestro himself, 'Vaada' is an album rich in music and sentiments. Each number has a different rhythm, different tempo, which invokes a different mood.

The noted poet-lyricist Gulzar has penned words for the Ustad 'bandishes' while Bhavdeep Jaipurwale has arranged the music. And singers Roop Kumar Rathod and Sadhna Sargam have beautifully rendered all the songs.

The sensitivity with which Gulzar has woven together the Ustad's 'bandishes' and kindled different emotions which certainly dupes the listener into thinking that the music is made to his words. This is particularly evident in 'Dil ka rasiya aisa kahan hoga'. Then the poet takes you on a cosmic trip in 'Kaynaat Ka Safar' – the song that speaks about Saiyyara (planets) and Ulka (meteors).

Music arranger Bhavdeep Jaipurwale too has made an invaluable contribution by giving a different garb to the 'bandishes', turning the pure classical compositions into full-fledged properly orchestrated songs. Both Roopkumar Rathod and Sadhna Sangam have done proper justice to Ustad Amjad Ali Khan's melodies and Gulzar's poetic lyrics.

In 'Vaada', Ustad Amjad Ali Khan has for the first time, gone beyond the grandeur of classical music and blended together the beautiful phrases from different genres of music, be it folk, classical or western. 'The album', asserts a genuine attempt to explore the 'Navarasa' or nine emotions.

In a nutshell 'Vaada' is a musical treat for a serious music lover. The album is already seen as a harbinger to a new trend in contemporary music – a trend that will be marked by rich melodies interwoven with meaningful lyrics.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Biography

A distinguished name in the Indian classical music scene, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan's name is synonymous with the Sarod and has carved a niche for himself in the Hall of Fame of Classical musicians in the world with his unique playing style and has given the instrument a wider appeal the world over.

Born on October 9th, 1945, he is the son and disciple of the legendary Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan and belongs to an illustrious family of musicians who invented the Sarod. His father, Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan had received training from the great Wazir Khan of Rampur. Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan who was among the first few to receive Padma Bhushan gave intensive training to his sons, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his two brothers, Ustad Nanne Khan and Ustad Murad Ali Khan.

Today, he shoulders the sixth generation inheritance of the 'Senia Bangash School' which traces its roots to the to great Mian Tansen. Amjad Ali Khan has undoubtedly added a new dimension to the repertoire of the Sarod. Within the discipline of classical tradition, his innovations have created change in the styles and technique and breathed a new life into an ancient form.

He has trained many disciples who have blossomed into mature, performing artistes. In nurturing and propagating Indian classical music he is committed to the cause of fostering musical appreciation amongst school children. He is dedicated to the preservation and popularization of Indian classical music through Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan Memorial Society which he founded in memory of his Guru and father. The society presents an annual Award to eminent artistes and organizes music festivals every year in different parts of the country.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is the recipient of several awards (and honors) some of which are Sarod Samrat, UNESCO Award, Padmashree, Kala Ratna, Sangeet Natak Academy Award, Tansen Award and Padma Bhushan. He has also received the coveted Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum and conferred with Honary Doctorate by the University of York, England. His two sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, are the seventh generation in the family to continue the Sarod tradition.

Amjad Ali Khan's album gets Grammy nomination

12th Oct 2005



Sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan's latest album 'Moksha' has been nominated for a Grammy in the 'traditional world' category.

While other purists of Indian classical music refrain from experimenting with the age-old forms of raga, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan does not mind innovation in Indian classical music as long as the sanctity of the raga is maintained.




His latest album, Moksha, is replete with such innovations. The album has eight solo pieces that have been put together keeping in mind the sensibilities of music listeners in the west. Ustad's two sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash – both sarod players – have also contributed in the album.

'Moksha' was released in Europe in May and in the US in June by Real World Records. It has been received very well in the west so far. And whether it gets a Grammy will be known in February next year when the winners will be declared.

Ustad is presently on a musical tour of the US. He, along with his sons, will perform in Chicago on Oct 16. The concert is already believed to have been sold out.

Source: apunkachoice.com