Ustad Amjad Ali Khan - Moksha

Moksha is something of an odd affair as far as Ustad Amjad Ali Khan's work is concerned. Though Khan -- the reigning master of the sarod -- is usually more of a traditionalist, this album has eight short tracks rather than one or two long ones. Here, he's pumping out short, fresh compositions based on a set of lesser-known ragas and/or folk music from Bengal. Despite the lack of the long contemplative alaps that are so great, the compositions are still worth hearing. What listeners do get to hear on the album is a set of sparser mood pieces that can still be expressive in their brevity, and a nice showcase of Khan's athleticism on the sarod. The sound moves from light, positive aesthetics through more reflective moods and back. Overall, it's a nice album for newcomers, but a little overly light for those already attuned to Indian classical music.

Track Listing
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(01) [Amjad Ali Khan] Sandhya
(02) [Amjad Ali Khan] Vignaraja
(03) [Amjad Ali Khan] Calcutta City
(04) [Amjad Ali Khan] Ebaadat
(05) [Amjad Ali Khan] Maa Durga
(06) [Amjad Ali Khan] Atma
(07) [Amjad Ali Khan] Himaalaya
(08) [Amjad Ali Khan] Mokasha

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Ustad Amjad Ali Khan - Homage to Mother Teresa (1999)

The sarod is an unfretted, short-necked Hindustani lute. Often carved from a single block of teak, the sarod is characterized by its wide, metal covered fingerboard and thin parchment soundboard. The instrument is laced with a complex array of melodic, drone, and Chikari strings (Chikari strings are plucked in order to accent melodic phrases and add rhythmic variety). In addition, about another dozen strings, which can be tuned to the scale of the raga being played, pass through the body of the instrument and vibrate sympathetically when other strings are played.

On Homage to Mother Teresa, sarod master Ustad Amjad Ali Khan demonstrates his relaxed mastery over this elaborate instrument in a rendition of "Rag Rageshwari." Collaborating with famed tabla player Zakir Hussain, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan demonstrates his playing prowess through gentle slides in pitch known as meend, fusillades of melodic runs called tans, and just about everything in between. Kicking off this Calcutta concert with a half-hour, non-metered solo section called "Alap-Jor-Jhala," the artist patiently unfolds the harmonic petals of this evening rag. In the duet that follows, the two maestros play off one another while moving through a variety of tempos and rhythmic cycles. Beginning with a slow ten-beat rhythmic cycle, the duo moves into a medium tempo version of the 16-beat cycle "Tintal," following it up with a fast composition in the 14-beat "Ada Chautal." They conclude the performance with a brisk and intricately faceted version of "Tintal." In a word, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Zakir Hussain's version of "Rag Rageshwari" is phenomenal. A tribute worthy of the holiest of saints, Homage to Mother Teresa is a first rate CD that underscores the beauty of the sarod and tabla. It is sure to please Indian music buffs and novices alike.

Track Listing:-
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1. Raga Rageshwari, Alap-Jor-Jhala
2. Raga Rageshwari, Slow Gat in Jhaptal
3. Raga Rageshwari, Medium Gat in Tintal
4. Raga Rageshwari, Fast Gat in Ada Chautal
5. Raga Rageshwari, Fast Gat in Tintal

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Aashish Khan - Golden String of the Sarode (2005)

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For this intimate yet scintillating, Grammy-nominated duet, Aashish Khan, son of the legendary Ali Akbar Khan and a brilliant sarode virtuoso, is heard with percussionist, producer, and composer Zakir Hussain, who has not only taken his ancestral tabla drums into the 21st century, but is a noted classicist with an impressive pedigree of his own. His famous father, Ustad Alla Rakha, working with sitar master Ravi Shankar, was largely responsible for bringing Indian classical music to Western ears during the 1960s. Together, the two younger men explore and expand the perimeters of their respective instruments. Invented in the 17th century, the fearsomely demanding sarode (sarod-dhayak-vina in sanskrit) is made of teak wood with a fretless steel fingerboard, resonating goat skin belly, and 25 metal strings variously employed for drone, rhythm, and melody. The term tabla actually refers to a pair of drums; the smaller dayan is played with the right hand while the larger bayan is played with the left. The three raags that make up the recital are, as is typical of this type of music, are associated with different times of day. Bhimpalashri, meant for the afternoon, is gently but not passively melancholy. Lalita Gouri captures the lingering fires of sunset, while Bhairavi is redolent of fragrant night shadows, romantic longing, and the eternal feminine.

Track Listing
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1. Raag Lalita Gouri [Alaap]
2. Raag Bhimpalashree [Gat in Jhaptal]
3. Raag Mishra Bhairavi [Gat in Dadra]

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SAROD Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Sarod
Ustad Zakir Hussain, Tabla

The youngest son of sarod player Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan, Amjad Ali Khan has continued to expand on his father's legacy. Performing as a soloist and in collaboration with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Charlie Byrd, Igor Frolav, Glenda Simpson, and Barry Mason, Khan has brought a global view to the sarod, a 25-stringed, violin-like, Indian instrument. While The Gulf Weekly claimed, "(Khan) is in a class by himself, born with rhythm in his soul and fingers," The Lincoln Journal Star wrote, "(Khan is) famous for his elegant style and technique. After a lifetime of work on the instrument, he has breathed a new life to an ancient form." In a review of a concert by Khan, The New York Times proclaimed, "(Khan) casts a kind of charm on audiences, sending out ripples of excitement." Tracing his family's roots to Mian Tansen, a 16th-century musician in the court of the Emperor Khan, Khan began playing the sarod at the age of ten. With his father as his guru, under the strict discipline of Guru Shisya Parampara, he advanced quickly. Performing his first concert at the age of 12, he was a nationally known celebrity in India within three years. Khan's wife, Subhalakshmi, a well-known Indian classical dancer, retired from performing following their marriage. In addition to recording many award-winning albums, including Raga Bhairav, which ranked among the Top 50 classical albums of 1995 by BBC Magazine, Khan has been featured in several documentary videos including the Canadian-produced Amjat Ali Khan in 1971, and Live Concert In Tokyo in 1989.

Track Listing
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[01]. Rags Pilu and Kirwani
[02]. Rag Khammaj - Ragmala - Dhun

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Sarod
Zakir Hussain, Tabla

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Tejendra Narayan Majumdar - Raga Ahiri (2001)

Tejendra Narayan Majumdar has created a superb body of recordings since his emergence in the early '80s as one of the new generation of Indian classical musicians. Since that time, he has become one of the top performers on the sarod in this genre of music. Like many other classical Indian musicians, he began to study quite early in life. His first teacher was his grandfather and when he wore the old man out then his father took over. But the strongest of educational relationships was forged when he began studying with acknowledged sarod master Ustad Bahadur Khan, the nephew of Indian musical genius Alauddin Khan. Majumdar studied with Khan for 18 years, during which time he grabbed first place in the All India Radio competition in 1981. Further honors included a presidential gold medal. When his teacher died in 1989, Majumdar continued his studies with Ajay Sinha Roy, and then was accepted as a disciple by one of the great Indian instrumentalists, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, with whom he has continued to study. Majumdar performs in his repertoire a combination of pieces from the dhrupad, tantrakari, and gayaki styles of music. He has performed at most of the major concert venues, as well as touring in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. His New York debut took place along with sitarist Manilal Nag in 1994 in a program at the New School. Majumdar works with many first class tabla players accompanying him, among them Pandit Kishan Maharah, Sankar Ghosh, Pandit Swqapan Chaudbury, Anindo Chatterjee, and Ustad Zakir Hussain. Critics are usually thrilled with Majumdar's performances; he has even been compared to Beethoven.
Track Listing
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1. Raga Ahiri - Alap, Jor & Jhala
2. Raga Ahiri - Vilambit Gat In Tintal
3. Raga Ahiri - Drut Gat In Tintal
4. Raga Bhairavi - Dhun In Dadra Tal

Tejendra Narayan Majumdar (Sarod)
Tanmoy Bose (Tabla)

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