Passing on the baton - Page 2

Zakir Hussain

Zakir Hussain is today appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the music world at large as an international phenomenon. A classical tabla virtuoso of the highest order, his consistently brilliant and exciting performances have not only established him as a national treasure in his own country, India, but gained him worldwide fame. The favorite accompanist for many of India's greatest classical musicians and dancers, from Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar to Birju Maharaj and Shivkumar Sharma, he has not let his genius rest there. His playing is marked by uncanny intuition and masterful improvisational dexterity, founded in formidable knowledge and study. Zakir Hussain & The Rhythm Experience Widely considered a chief architect of the contemporary world music movement, Zakir's contribution to world music has been unique, with many historic collaborations including Shakti, which he founded with John McLaughlin and L. Shankar, the Diga Rhythm Band, Making Music, Planet Drum with Mickey Hart, and recordings and performances with artists as diverse as George Harrison, Joe Henderson, Van Morrison, Jack Bruce, Tito Puente, Pharoah Sanders, Billy Cobham, the Hong Kong Symphony and the New Orleans Symphony. A child prodigy, Zakir was touring by the age of twelve, the gifted son of his great father, tabla legend Ustad Alla Rakha. Zakir came to the United States in 1970, embarking on an international career which includes no fewer than 150 concert dates a year. He has composed and recorded many albums and soundtracks, and has received widespread recognition as a composer for his many ensembles and historic collaborations. Most recently, he has composed soundtracks for the films In Custody, Ismail Merchant's directorial debut, Little Buddha by Bernardo Bertolucci, for which Zakir composed, performed and acted as Indian music advisor and Vanaprastham, chosen to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May, 1999. Zakir received the distinct honor of co-composing the opening music for the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, 1996, and was commissioned to compose music for San Francisco's premiere contemporary ballet company, Lines, and to compose an original work for the San Francisco Jazz Festival, both in 1998. He has received numerous grants and awards, including participation in the Meet the Composer programs funded by the Pew Memorial Trust. In 1987, his first solo release, "Making Music," was acclaimed as "one of the most inspired East-West fusion albums ever recorded." In 1988, he became the youngest percussionist to ever be awarded the title of "Padma Shri" by the Indian government, a title given to civilians of merit. In 1990, he was awarded the Indo-American Award in recognition for his outstanding cultural contribution to relations between the United States and India. In April, 1991, he was presented with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by the President of India, making him one of the youngest musicians to receive this recognition from India's governing cultural institute. Zakir is the recipient of the 1999 National Heritage Fellowship, the United States' most prestigious honor for a master in the traditional arts. In 1992, Planet Drum, an album co-created and produced by Zakir and Mickey Hart, was awarded a Grammy for Best World Music Album, the Downbeat Critics Poll for Best World Beat Album and the NARM Indie Best Seller Award for World Music Recording. Planet Drum, with Zakir as music director, toured nationally in 1996 and 1997. Zakir continues also to tour with the musicians from Shakti — John McLaughlin, Shankar and T.H. Vinayakram — in different collaborations and ensembles as well as lead various percussion ensembles of his own design. In Summer'99, Shakti re-grouped for an international tour. In 1992, Zakir founded Moment! Records which features original collaborations in the field of contemporary world music, as well as live concert performances by great masters of the classical music of India. The label presents Zakir's own world percussion ensemble, The Rhythm Experience, both North and South Indian classical recordings, Best of Shakti, and a Masters of Percussion series.

Once in a great while, there emerges a musician who, through his genius, injects that certain spark necessary to elevate an instrument to another level of expression and appreciation. For tabla, Ustad Allarakha was such an artist, having brought his instrument a stature and respect never before enjoyed. A disciple of Mian Kader Baksh, the great guru of the Punjab gharana, Ustad Allarakha was, in his lifetime, the most celebrated exponent of this style. Ustad Allarakha was born in 1919 in Phagwal, a small village in Jammu, the eldest son in a family of seven brothers. From his childhood, it was clear that he was special. Though his family were all soldiers and farmers, his interests lay elsewhere. For hours he would watch the travelling natak company perform their dramas, especially interested in the tabla player performing with the company. At other times, he would sit by the river, seeing a face on the water, and a voice inside him would tell him to seek this man out. This inner voice, at the age of eleven, led him to Lahore where he met the man with the face in his dreams. Mian Kader Baksh then became his guru and began his formal training in the art of tabla playing. Soon the young Allarakha became the toast of every musical gathering in town and was offered a post at All India Radio, Lahore, where he worked for six years, after which he was transferred to Delhi and then to Bombay. Since Allarakha had also received extensive vocal training from the legendary Patiala guru, Ustad Aashiq Ali Khan, he arrived in Bombay prepared in both the rhythmic and melodic aspects of music. In Bombay, his talent as a composer brought him in touch with the film world where he scored music for over twenty-five films with great success. He had many silver jubilee hits like "Maa Baap", "Ghar Ki Laaj", "Sabak", "Sati Anusuya", "Khandan", "Madari", "Alam Ara", "Jagga", "Bewafa" and many others. This, however, did not take him away from his tabla. He continued performing in major festivals all across the country and eventually chose to give up films and exclusively pursue his classical career. As an accompanist, he enjoyed a rare versatility, being equally at home with vocal music, instrumental music, Kathak dance, and as a soloist. His thirty-year association with Pandit Ravi Shankar was well known for its hallmark accomplishment of bringing Hindustani music to the far corners of the world, receiving the highest accolades from audiences and critics abroad. His consistently brilliant performances made the tabla a familiar percussion instrument the world over. As a performer, Ustad Allarakha was famous for his improvisations, his exceptional qualities of freshness and proportion, and his exquisite tone production effected by a technique which he continued to refine until his death. Moreover, he developed a playing style which is a virtual reference for tabla players of the present generation. He was the recipient of many awards and titles including Padmashree, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the Indo-American Achievement Award, the Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar and a first-ever gold disc for a classical recording, to name but a few. In 1985, he founded the Ustad Allarakha Institute of Music to train young tabla players in the tradition of the Punjab gharana. Also at this time, his duet performance, always popular in India, with son and chief disciple, Zakir Hussain, grew to international prominence with regular world tours. He toured worldwide with Zakir, and also in trio with his younger son Fazal Qureshi, until 1996, when he decided to limit his touring to India. For the last four years of his life, he concentrated on teaching and traveled often in India, usually to accept awards and appear at major classical festivals. His rapturous tabla solo performances still in demand, he continued to perform until the end of his life.

Ustad Allarakha died on February 3, 2000, truly one of the most pivotal and influential artists to have emerged from India in our time.

😊 Thanks for these great articles qwestji........

Shankar 'happy' for Jones' success

< = =text/> Monday, February 24, 2003 Posted: 1:02 PM EST (1802 GMT)

Norah Jones, Ravi Shankar's daughter, swept the major Grammy categories Sunday night. Birthday: 30.03.1979 Birthplace: New York City, NY, USA Occupation: Singer Sign: Aries

NEW DELHI, India (AP) -- While Norah Jones' music is little known in most of India, her sweep at the Grammys brought a wave of pride and cheer to a home in southern New Delhi, where her father sat watching the awards ceremony.

Jones is the daughter of Ravi Shankar, the 82-year-old sitarist who's India's best-known musician.

"It was such a joy seeing Norah getting so many Grammy Awards. I knew even as a child how talented she was and it makes me so happy to see how she has charmed everyone to such an extent with her singing," Shankar said in a written statement to The Associated Press.

Shankar is a three-time Grammy winner. His other daughter, Anoushka Shankar, also had a nomination Sunday night for best world music album.

"Norah is my daughter but she grew up in America ... I cannot take any credit for the music that she has excelled in," Shankar told the Star News television channel. "Her base is Western, jazz and country music."

Beating crowd favorite Bruce Springsteen, the 23-year-old Jones earned five Grammys, including album and record of the year, and her disc "Come Away With Me" was responsible for eight trophies overall. Her disc has sold more than 6 million copies worldwide and become the talk of the music business.

"I am absolutely thrilled. I can't tell you how happy I am," he said. "I was fully confident that she would win at least five or six. But when she won eight, I was surprised and very happy."

Shankar said in a newspaper interview last month that he'd thought of composing a piece for both daughters to perform together.

"But I don't want to force it upon them," he told The Hindustan Times. "It would be wonderful if it happened."

Shankar has had an estranged relationship with his daughter and her mother, New York concert producer Sue Jones. For 10 years, Norah Jones had no contact with her father, but the two since have made peace. Shankar recently saw his daughter perform.

"We sort of reconnected before all this happened," Jones said in May. "Truth be told, I wouldn't have wanted him to come see me in a little bar where everyone was talking. I'm over everything, I don't resent him. I just don't want him to be the focus of all my press."

Virgin Records, which released Jones' album in India, said it was preparing for a sharp increase in sales after the Grammys sweep.

"We have been selling a good amount of her CDs and cassettes even before she won the Grammys. It has been among our top five albums last year," said T.V.N. Sridhar, who handles sales and marketing for Virgin in northern India. "But now the big boom has started."

Real Name: N/A

Ravi Shankar Personalities

Source

Ravi Shankar, Composer / Sitar Player

Born: 7 April 1920
Birthplace: Varanasi, India
Best Known As: The sitar virtuoso who influenced The Beatles
Shankar is the 20th century's most famous player of the complex stringed instrument known as the sitar. The 1950s were possibly Shankar's most creative period: he composed and performed, worked as musical director of All-India Radio in Delhi, created the Vadya Vrinda Chamber Orchestra, scored films (most notably the Apu Trilogy of director Satyajit Ray) and began touring the world and winning acclaim for himself and for Indian music. In the 1960s Shankar grew still more famous for his influence on The Beatles, who used a sitar in some of their more psychedelic tunes. (Shankar was particular friends with George Harrison, who produced some of Shankar's later albums.) As years passed Shankar became known less as a performer and more as an elder statesman of world music. In 2000 he was given the French Legion of Honor, and in 2001 he was awarded an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II.

Shankar's daughter Anoushka Shankar also is a popular sitarist... Shankar is the father of vocalist Norah Jones... Like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, Shankar played at Woodstock.

Uday Shankar: a tribute
Uday Shankar with Simkie, the French dancer as Parvati in Tandava Nritya at Paris, 1931. THE CREATIVE dance movement in India owes its growth to Uday Shankar. With his success in earning great respect for Indian dance in the 1930s, a unique movement of revival of classical dances had begun. Though he had no formal training in any classical form, his dance was creative. He used the essence of various traditions and techniques in his dance dramas and succeeded in presenting an integrated composition. His exclusive use of only Indian musical instruments is a remarkable feature.
The four brothers (from left):Debendra Shankar, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Uday Shankar, Rajendra Shankar. His superb showmanship and perfection cast a spell on his audience, all over the world. None has rendered a greater service than Uday Shankar did at the turn of the century, giving Indian dance its pride of place. His student, Shanti Bardhan, was another creative dancer who devised movements which had a distinct identity.
Uday Shankar as Lord Shiva. Among Udya Shankar's other trainees and followers, Narendra Sharma, Sachin Shankar, Amala Shankar, Uday Shankar's daughter, Mamata Shankar, and son, Ananda Shankar, are carrying on his legacy. (The pictures are part of the photo exhibition (courtesy: Mrs. Amala Shankar), curated by Dr. Sunil Kothari and designed by Sumant Jayakrishna, organised for the IGNCA centenary celebrations.)

Ananda Shankar

To most people, "India's greatest musician" means Pandit Ravi Shankar, whose ragas briefly pacified the world in the tumultuous 1960s. And there are those who say Ravi's wife was better than he. But it was Ravi's nephew Ananda who became the voice of modern India in all its contrasting elements. In ways never previously imagined --much less executed even by other master musicians-- he alone merged Indian and western, classical and rock, lyrical and funky, exotic and commercial, traditional and progressive. Given the enormity of the task and the sharp contrast between his success and the failures of so many "raga rock" practitioners, Ananda Shankar can be seen as one of the greatest musical figures of the twentieth century.

The son of famous arranger-choreographer Uday Shankar & dancer Amala, Ananda had all of the expertise, talent, and perfectionists' dedication of the previous generation. He studied five years under Dr. Lalmani Misra, head of the Department of Music at Benaras Hindu University; following his intense tutelage, he spent two years abroad, where he studied western classical and pop as well as multi-media. While his ability to perform and compose rivalled that of his famous father and uncle, he identified more with his own generation.

His 1970 debut album on Reprise featured covers of tunes by the Rolling Stones and the Doors as well as his own (better) music. The album's success led to an expansion of his orchestra including dancers and multi-media effects. His wife Tanusree choreographed. After his first Indian LP was released, Ananda's music became a fixture on radio, television, and in theatre. Airlines, fashion shows, and the film industry recognized his as the modern sound of India. Even years after his death, his music can be heard at least on U.S. radio and in fashion shows, thanks largely to a reissue and a compilation.

Ananda was the great modernizer of Indian music, as influential as Mighty Sparrow and Kui Lee were in updating and promoting their respective traditions. He won the Indian equivalent of a Grammy Award for the score of "Chorus" in 1974. Other soundtracks featuring his work may have been released in India. Throughout his career, his sound remained fairly consistent, and his vision never flagged until his untimely death. Yet India and the world still have not completely caught on to his talent and significance.

Ananda Shankar & his Music became legendary in the 1990s simply because Capitol picked "Streets of Calcutta" and "Dancing Drums" for a Blue Note break-beat compilation. But there is plenty more material of the same caliber, even on that album. Later, rarer albums yield even more impressive music, and there are plenty of tracks waiting to be discovered and played by adventurous DJs. Sa-Re-Ga Machan, a funky, strange, and exotic madhouse ("Jungle King" even reprises "Streets of Calcutta" a bit), may be the true masterpiece.

The beat of the tabla is as vital to Indian music as the conga to African and Latin. While the Moog, sitar, and Western themes distinguish Shankar's music as fresh and original, the cacaphony of tabla beats grounds the music in simmering Bombay, timeless ragas, and the splendor of Shankar musical royalty. In other places, such as the Missing You tribute to Uday, Ananda uses vibes and flute to great effect. And still elsewhere the elements of Indian soundtracks, such as occasional female voice and strings, add power and excitement.

Call it futuristic exoticism or Indian soul music. Like other examples of the best revolutionary music, the wonders of Ananda Shankar will sound forever ahead of their time: definitely far out, and yet as familiar and comforting as Mom's cooking

Rhythms of a legacy
Mamata Shankar dares many odds to
keep the flame of 'Indian dance' alive

By Tapash Ganguly

Surely Mamata Shankar got it from her father. The inner strength which refuses to be cowed down by a hundred difficulties, the talent which loves to test itself by taking on big challenges. After all, Uday Shankar, one of the greatest dancers India has seen, faced much criticism as he crafted the art form called 'Indian dance' mixing the essence of all classical dances.

Mamata is deeply worried about the gymnastic turn which dance has taken recently.

Indianness is another quality which she imbibed from her father. Now, as she is getting ready to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Mamata Shankar ballet troupe, she is exploring the universality inherent in Indianness in her new ballet, Amritsya Putra.

It is difficult to get to talk to her these days. She is like a whirlwind when a new project is in hand; working for 16-18 hours a day to polish it up until it shines like a gem. Moreover, this is probably her most ambitious work. "In this ballet, I am looking at the fundamental crisis of human civilisation," she said. "The solution to the crisis is the concept of the universal man, who has no caste, creed, colour or language. He is the soul of humanity." Amritsya Putra will be staged in the three-day ballet festival to be held in Kolkata from January 16. Art lovers in the city are excited about the event. It is the subject of coffee-shop conversations.

It was not always like this. This may sound strange, but life was not a cakewalk for Uday Shankar's daughter. "We had to slog tirelessly to achieve success," said Mamata. Today her troupe gets handsomely paid for a performance. "When we launched our troupe, we thought it a great bonanza if someone offered us Rs 500 for a show," she said with a smile.

But then she never expected it to be easy. She grew up in a 'different' household where values were inculcated from childhood. Uday Shankar, and his equally famous wife, dancer Amala Shankar, did not persuade their daughter to take up dancing. "My father believed that one learns through seeing," said Mamata. "He used to say, 'If they love anything, they will by all means take to it.' My mother only insisted that if I took up dancing, I should have formal training. But she did not train me."

That was left to famous dancers who were all in awe of Uday Shankar. They stoutly refused to take any fee for teaching his daughter. "I learnt Bharatanatyam from E.P. Jnanaprakasam, Kathakali from P. Raghavan, Manipuri from Tarun Singh and Kathak from Rajen Bose," Mamata said.

Uday Shankar never told Mamata that she should become the number one dancer of the country. For him, it was more important that she and her brother, Ananda Shankar, be good human beings and good Indians.

Fame came looking for Mamata even before she became a well-known ballet dancer. While she was studying for her BA in Kolkata, director Mrinal Sen asked her to play a major role in his film Mrigaya, opposite Mithun Chakraborty. She went on to act in films directed by Satyajit Ray, Buddhadeb Dasgupta and Gautam Ghosh. But she was never too enamoured of films. Her first love is dancing, a "cause" she is dedicated to. "I immensely enjoy her dance performances," said Mrinal Sen. "Her grace moves me like anything."

In 1977, Mamata married Chandrodaya Ghosh, an electrical engineer and former student at Amala Shankar's school. He, along with a few friends, had formed an arts club called Stradivarius. After marriage, the club metamorphosed into a ballet troupe.

IN LOVE WITH ART: Mamata Shankar

Initially, it was tough to find stages. The troupe faced several difficulties and disappointments. In 1981, they went to the United States on the invitation of an Indian organisation in Houston. When they landed in the US, there was no trace of the people who had invited them. "We were in a fix," said Mamata. "Then Ravi Kaka [her uncle Pandit Ravi Shankar] came to our help. We did more than a dozen shows within a month." In July 2003, the troupe was invited to the US again. However, some quirky official in the US embassy denied a visa to the main dancerMamata. The trip was cancelled and the troupe found itself in financial difficulties.

But Mamata carries nuggets of pleasant memories in her mind, enough to offset such disappointments. In 1983, after a performance in Liverpool, UK, an old woman came to the greenroom just to hold Mamata's hand. She said she had once seen a great Indian dancer named Uday Shankar and that Mamata reminded her of him. When Mamata said she was his daughter, the old woman was moved to tears.

In the last two decades, Mamata has produced ballets such as Chandalika, Kal Mrigaya, Prakriti, Milap and Basant Utsav, and has performed in more than 70 countries. Most of these ballets are based on Tagore stories and folk tales.

Mamata, who runs the dancing school Udayan, mulls over the art form quite a lot. (Mrinal Sen says she is the "most intelligent" member of the Shankar family.) Of late, mostly the thoughts have been sad. "I want to reverse this trend," she said about the acrobatic turn which dance has taken in recent years. "I tell my students to remember that they are artistes and not gymnasts."

She is also saddened by the lack of humility in dancers. "Those who have seen my father at his creative best have said that his dance was sublime," she said. "But he was humility personified. Because of his humility he could bring stalwarts together to create his Indian dance. He took the essence of all classical dance forms and embellished it with folk dances."

But does India remember the founder of Indian dance? "Kolkata does not even have a stage named after him," Mamata said. But that has only spurred her on to do her best to keep her father's memory alive. "At 84, my mother is still training students in Indian dance," said she. Mamata runs her dance school from a rented building and does not take any fee from poor students. Recently , the Union government decided to revive the Uday Shankar India Culture Centre, established by the veteran dancer in Almora; a foundation stone was promptly laid. But neither Mamata nor her mother was invited to the function. This, despite the fact that Amala and Mamata had met Prime Minister Vajpayee in 2001 and got a promise from him that the Centre would do the needful to preserve Uday Shankar's memory.

The West Bengal government has also been apathetic. Despite many requests it is yet to allot a piece of land to set up a centre in memory of Uday Shankar. Finally, Mamata's troupe purchased land in Kolkata for Rs 45 lakh. "We have become paupers after that," she said. "But I am determined to raise a building on that plot, where we will find space for my school, my ballet troupe, a small auditorium, a library and dormitories for scholars. We will do it, come what may."

The tenacious daughter is at it; working hard to keep the memory of her father alive. And the talented artist is at it too; stretching his concept of Indianness boldly through her dance, to touch the core of universality.