Dipali Nag (1922-2009) - Raga Jaijaiwanti, Raga Jaunpuri & Bhairavi Thumri - LP published in 1972 in India

Here the second great female voice of Agra Gharana.

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On the artist see:

http://www.itcsra.org/sra_news_views/obituary/dipali_nag.html

Lalith Rao - Raga Bihag, Raga Kedar, Thumri - LP published in India in 1985

We will publish here three LPs by great female voices of the Agra Gharana. We start with the only LP by Lalith Rao (born in 1942). More recent recordings are available on several CDs.

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About the Agra Gharana, a particularly masculine style, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agra_gharana
http://sahapedia.org/the-agra-gharana-of-hindustani-music/
http://www.nadsadhna.com/Pages/IndianMusic/Gharanas.asp?About=Agra
https://agragharana.wordpress.com/

About Lalith Rao see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalith_J._Rao

Recently this wonderful box was published in India
(can be ordered from info@raga-maqam-dastgah.com):

Khadim Hussain Khan, Lalith J. Rao a.o. - Agra Gharana – Ek Vatavriksh – The Legacy Continues – An Agra Gharana Heritage Collection, Set of 4 CDs in box, CD 1: Khadim Hussain Khan (Vocal) – Rare Live Concert Recordings: Raga Bhim: Alap & Rupak Tal (1979) (26:58), Raga Bihag: Alap & Dhamar, Vilambit Ektal & Drut Teental (1978) (39:24), Raga Bhairavi: Keherwa (1976) (8:16), CD 2: Lalith J. Rao (Vocal), Purushottam Walawalkar (Harmonium) & Deppak Nerurkar (Tabla) – Volume 1: Raga Shree: Vilambit Teental, Madhyalaya Jhaptal & Drut Teental (1987) (65:32), CD 3: Lalith J. Rao (Vocal), Purushottam Walawalkar (Harmonium) & Deppak Nerurkar (Tabla) – Volume 2: Raga Dhanashri: Vilambit Ektal & Drut Teental (1987) (28:25), Raga Barwa: Alap & Drut Teental (1987) (38:30), CD 4 (MP3): Khadim Hussain Khan (Vocal) – Raga Maluha Kedar (30:33), Raga Darbari Kanhada (10:11), Raga Sajan Sohini (6:13), Lalith J. Rao (Vocal) – Raga Gorakh Kalyan (53:04), Raga Basant – Tarana (19:22), Torch Bearers of the Agra Gharana – Bharathi Prathap (Vocal) – Raga Bageshree Bahar (35:50), Pilu Thumri (11:17), Deepa Karnad (Vocal) – Raga Shuddh Sarang (37:31), Kailash Kulkarni (Vocal) – Raga Malkauns (45:28), Meera Sahasrabudhe (Vocal) – Raga Jog (30:52), Nishant Panicker (Vocal) - Raga Kedar (31:25), Pratima Ganesh (Vocal) - Raga Jaunpuri (35:07), Susheela Mehta (Vocal) - Raga Miyan ki Todi (27:47), Raga Khem Kalyan (11:08), Tara Kini (Vocal) - Raga Bahaduri Todi (36:46), PRAGNYA

Excellent product with wonderful recordings. The prodigiously learned Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan Saheb (1907-1993) was considered to be one of the foremost Agra gayaki singers of his time. Born in Atrauli (in Uttar Pradesh) in 1907, he studied music from his father Altaf Hussain Khan and then went on to receive the rich and varied repertoire of the Agra Gharana from his grand uncle Kallan Khan, both celebrities of their time and court musicians of Jaipur. Young Khadim`s studentship with the latter who was the younger son of Ghagge Khuda Baksh, the gharana`s pioneer was long and arduous: it lasted for 12 hours everyday for over 12 years. 

He was far more widely known as an ideal teacher than as a concert performer. Moreover, his proficiency in Layakari was beyond the comprehension of the uninitiated listener. The number of Khadim Hussain’s pupils is legion and includes well-known artistes of the past and present. Ustad Latafat Hussain (his younger brother) and Lalith Rao were among his disciples who made a name in the field. 

Lalith Rao (born 1942) is an outstanding singer of the Agra Gharna, one of the very rare singers today who still keep alive the magnificient style of the Agra Gharana in all it’s facets. 

Excellent recordings with good sound quality. The MP3-CD (7 hours long) contains next to recordings by the two masters a number of beautiful new studio recordings by students of Lalith Rao, all accompanied on Tabla by Shashibhushan Gurjar or Gurunandan Kallianpur and on Harmonium by Vyasmurti Katti.

Gangubai Hangal (1913-2009) - Two Soulful Melodies - LP published in India in 1979

Here another great female voice from the Kirana Gharana. See our older posts on Hirabai Barodekar (1905-1989) and Roshan Ara Begum (1917-1982).

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About the artist:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangubai_Hangal
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1913433/Gangubai-Hangal
http://www.parrikar.org/vpl/?page_id=267
https://homes.cs.washington.edu/~mausam/gangubai.html
http://www.gangubaihangalgurukul.gov.in/
http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2304/stories/20060310000708000.htm
and many more to be found by googling her name.

Khansahib Abdul Karim Khan (1872-1937) - LP published in India in 1966

This LP is a collection of some of the 78rpm records by one of the greatest and most influential singers of last century. See below for his biography.

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Ustad Abdul Karim Khan

by Smt. Susheela Misra
(From: "Great Masters of Hindustani Music" by Smt. Susheela Misra.)

In the early decades of this century, Khan Saheb Abdul Karim Khan dominated the world of Hindustani music for well over a generation, and he was a trend setter in this world in more than one sense. He created a new style or gharaana and gave an elan to the history of Hindustani music. He has been acclaimed as the "maestro who conceived, evolved, and popularised the Kirana gharana", and in fact, he changed the entire mood of Khayal and Thumri-singing. Dr. S.N. Ratanjankar wrote to me once about him: "In the late Ustad Abdul Karim Khan Saheb's sweet, tender, and tuneful voice, the Hindustani melodies appeared in a role and mood quite different from those in which they presented themselves in other voices...It was like a walk in a cool, moon-lit garden of sweet-smelling flowers that one felt when listening to the perfectly tuneful, and dreamy cadences of Khan Saheb's music One was lifted up into a dream land. The dream haunted the mind long after the music had ceased. The Khan Saheb never sang a raga, but was in holy communion with it. It was the very divine world, as it were, which made you forget the opposites, and led you to the perfect unity with the Supreme spirit".
Those who have been able to hear the Ustad's music only through his gramophone records, become aware of many shortcomings in his style such as the nasal twang in the voice produced through "a deliberately constricted throat", lack of bol-alaaps, bol-tans, rhythmic play, variety and grandeur. But, his contemporaries who had the good fortune to hear him in person were completely hypnotised by the sweetness of his music and his aesthetic emotion-filled rendering of ragas. Late Prof. D.P. Mukherji who was a reputed music connoisseur, wrote: "Abdul Karim Khan would invite us to enter into the sanctum of music where he was the high priest. He was not an orthodox singer. He would not even sing a composition through. His asthayi was not always true to form. He would make unexpected permutations and combinations. . . . . , But who cared when Abdul Karim Khan was on the dais ! This unorthodox man was a genius. ...Some of the finest exponents of Khayal today are either his pupils or his pupil`s pupils. "
His shishya-parampura includes a long array of celebrities such as Sawai Gandharva, Baharebuwa, Sureshbabu Mane, Balakrishnabuwa Kapileswari, Dasarathbuwa Muley, Roshanara Begum; Hirabai Barodekar and many others who in their turn, have groomed another generation of reputed singers like Bhimsen Joshi, Feroz Dastur,Gangubai Hangal, Manik Verma, Saraswati Rane, Prabha Atre and others.
Abdul Karim Khan was born in 1872 in Kirana near Kurukshetra in the Punjab. Subsequently the style or Gharana that he evolved was named after his birth place, Kiraana. In his perceptive book, "Indian Musical Traditions", Sri Vamanrao Deshpande rightly says that "each gharana has its origin in the distinctive quality of the voice of its founder and it is this quality which broadly determines his style." To this I would also add that the temperament of the founder also plays a considerable role in moulding the style of the gharana.
Abdul Karim Khan was perhaps the first North Indian musician to study Karnatic ragas and incorporate several of them into Hindustani music. His records of songs in "Kharaharapriya", "Saaweri", "Hamsadhwani", "Abhogi" etc. as well as his style of sargam-singing are proofs of his great admiration and love for Karnatic music. Perhaps no single classical musician in those days did so much for the promotion of mutual understanding between Hindustani and Karnatic music as the late Khan Saheb did. The greatest quality of his music was "emotion par excellence", and that was the reason why his classical music was able to move audiences everywhere, whether in the North or South of India. I know of many young men and women in South India who took to Hindustani music, charmed by the spell of Khan Saheb's music. The ecstatic tributes of a discerning western musician and critic after hearing the Ustad, prove how really exalted music overleaps all barriers and transports listeners into a transcendental world.
The critic writes: "I heard him melt half and quarter tones into one another with the effect of magic--- He was a conjurer of sounds...Who that has heard him can forget him. . . ! He not only sang sounds but he became every turn and twist in the song. The atmosphere became surcharged with a musical magic I have contacted nowhere else!".
The Kirana musical lineage came mostly from instrumentalists--chiefly Sarangiyas. After receiving his training from Kale Khan and Abdulla Khan, Khan Saheb went over to Baroda where he was appointed as a court-musician because of his great merit. After some years, he left Baroda for Bombay, and then went to Miraj. Wherever he went, his sweet voice and captivating style of singing won for him numerous admirers. From there, he proceeded to Hubli and Dharwar and stayed with his brother Abdul Haq. The two brothers often used to sing together. A notable pupil he acquired at this time was Rambhau or Sawai Gandharwa who later on, became one of his best disciples by sheer dint of practice. The Ustad was very punctilious about his early-morning daily practice, and Rambhau unfailingly practised with his conscientious guru every morning. A true "pilgrim of melody engaged in his eternal quest of swaras", Khan Saheb was constantly on the move. When he went to Patna, Roshanara's mother became his pupil.
In 1913 Abdul Karim Khan founded the Arya Sangeet Vidyalaya in Poona. It was a unique institution because the Ustad not only imparted whole-hearted musical training, but himself supported numerous poor and deserving students, took them on tours to give musical variety shows, and trained them up to play on various musical instruments. The ustad was an expert on many musical instruments, especially the Veena and the Sarangi. An expert in repairing musical instruments, he carried with him his set of tools for repairs everywhere because tuning the Tanpuras and perfecting their "Jawaaris" was almost an art in itself with him. The famous Sitar and Tanpura makers of Miraj revered him and looked up to his opinions for guidance.
A branch of this magnanimous institution was founded in Bombay in 1917, but it throve for only 2 or 3 years. When the School had to be closed down, Khan Saheb migrated to Miraj where he built a house of his own, and settled down at last. Though Miraj became the centre of his activities, he continued his musical tours all over the North and even into the far South. During his stay in Hyderabad and the Madras Presidency, his list of admirers and disciples in South India swelled and his popularity grew so much that whichever town he visited, people garlanded him and took him in a grand procession like a king. The ustad was greatly drawn to the music loving people of the South, and he was one of the early Hindustani musicians to kindle a great love for Hindustani music in the people of the South. He had, and still has, hundreds of admirers in the South. In spite of all the fame and adulation that he received, Abdul Karim Khan always lived frugally like a Sadhu, and like the Rishis of yore, Khan Saheb trained his disciples under the Gurukula system. He not only trained them thoroughly in music, but also bore the entire cost for feeding and clothing them out of his own earnings from concerts! Though a devout Muslim, and a devotee of Pir Sayyid Shamma Mira, a mystic saint (whose dargah is famous in Miraj), Khan Saheb was, like Kabir, a devout Hindu too, it is said. In his musical works he used to write '"OM TATSAT SAMAVEDAYA NAMAHA". Although born in a musical Muslim family (on 1lth Nov.1872), Abdul Karim took pride in his Hindu ancestors like Nayak DHONDU, a court-musician of Raja Man Singh of Gwalior (1486-1516 A.D). His first public concert was at the age of 11 (in 1893). Besides being such a great vocalist, Khan Saheb had also an amazing mastery over such varied instruments as Been, Sarangi, Jaltarang and Tabla. In Maharashtra great men like Lokamanya Tilak and Gopalakrishna Gokhale were drawn to his music. In the South, he became a favourite musician in the Mysore darbar, and his music was highly appreciated by great Karnatak musicians like Tiger Varadacharier, Muthiah Bhagawatar and Veena Dhanammal. He also created a stir by advancing the "Shruti Samvad" theory in collaboration with the British musicologist Mr. E. Clements, and is said to bave given a fine demonstration of 22 Shrutis (micro-tonal distances) with the help of 2 Veenas at a public function' presided over by Dr. C.V. Raman.
One of the most melodious classical musicians we have had, Abdul Karim Khan's music always created a sublime atmosphere. The soothing quality of his specially cultivated voice, and his reposeful style of singing were such that the singer as well as his listeners forgot themselves in a sort of "trance". Many of his musical heirs have surpassed him in technical virtuosity, but few have achieved "that degree of hypnotic effect" through music. Not only did he develop his own "Kirana" style of Khayal-badhut, but in his voice even the Thumri "shed its gossamer erotic undertones" and assumed instead "the character of a sad, pensive, and devout supplication". Many reputed musicians of today refer to Abdul Karim Khan Saheb as "Sachche swaron ke devata" (the master who sang perfect notes). He had cultivated a special way of voice production so that his sweet and melodious voice mingled indistinguishably with the drone of the Tanpura strings. This was acquired by him through years of strenuous "Mandra-sadhana", early morning practice for several hours in the lower notes. He stressed on voice culture in his pupils also; and even when he was at the zenith of fame, he never gave up this daily "mandra sadhana". Another outstanding quality of his music was its emotional element. Whatever he rendered, whether a Khayal, Thumri, Hori or Bhajan; the rendition "mirrored his whole inward being". While singing Khayals, he concentrated mostly on "ALAPI", and avoided "layakari", "boltans" etc, probably because he felt these might spoil the emotional atmosphere built up by him. Kans (grace-notes), and "gamakas" as in the Sarangi, and beautiful long unbroken "meends" (glides) as in the Veena, were some of the chief embellishments of his music. These and the emotion which he poured into his Thumris were so moving that often huge audiences wept when he sang some of his famous Thumris surcharged with feeling. The Gramaphone Company has done a great service by re-issuing many of his short items on a long-playing disc and striving to give us glimpses into his impassioned outpourings. Through these records of songs like "Jamuna ke Teer", "Piya Bina Nahi Awat Chain", "Gopala, Karuna kyon nahi--", "Piya ke milan ki aas" and "Naina raseeli", we can but have just flashes of those unforgettable hours a Khan Saheb Abdul Karim Khan transported his hypnotised audiences into a world of pure, sheer melody. On inspired days, he is said to have elaborated one Raga or a single Thumri for hours, and kept his audience spell-bound throughout. Being fond of Alap-ang, Abdul Karim Khan always preferred to sing expansive ragas like Lalit, Jaunpuri, Marwa, Malkauns, Todi, Darbari and so on. Among his chief disciples, Pdt. Balkrishnabuwa Kapileswari deserves special praise for running a school, "Shree Saraswati Sangeet Vidyalaya" carrying on the traditions of his great Ustad. In 1963 he published SHRUTIDARSHAN, a valuable research-work in music incorporating the findings of his guru and his own. The book won for him 2 important awards.
The traditions of generosity and hospitality that Abdul Karim Khan set up at the munificent annual "Urus" of Mirasaheb in Miraj (where he used to feed hundreds of fakirs and encourage musicians lavishly) have been kept up by his devoted widow BANUBAI, and disciples like Hirabai. Numerous were the poor music-students whom Khan Saheb had supported and trained in music. Another example of his generosity is that during his musical tours, he always took his accompanists also with him in the same compartment.
Although frail-looking, Khan Saheb maintained excellent health through regular exercises, disciplined habits, and frugal living. His photographs show him as a tall, slim person dressed immaculately in a black achkan, a cane in hand, a typical moustache and a red gold-bordered turban, and most striking of all, his dreamy eyes about which Mr K. Subbarayan narrates an interesting little anecdote in the Bhavan's Journal (1972):
Mystified by the dreamy eyes of the Khansaheb, Mrs Annie Besant had once discreetly enquired of a disciple whether the master was addicted to any drug. "Indeed", came the reply, "He is very much addicted to the intoxication of music!".
In 1937 Khan Saheb went down to South India to give music soirees in various parts of the Madras Presidency. A huge crowd of admirers saw him off at the Madras Station and nearly smothered him with garlands. He was on his way to Pondicherry with some friends. Feeling very unwell and restless, he detrained at one of the intermediate stations to take some rest. Before lying down, he sang his prayers set in Rag Darbari and then lay down to sleep for ever! It was a most unexpected end and yet so like this great and good artiste to round off his earthly existence with a tuneful bhajan! At the loving insistence of his admirers, his body was taken in a special car to Madras, and thence to Miraj, crowds paying their last homage to the departed singer through out the journey. At Miraj, Banubai gave him a magnificent funeral. Memorial programmes to this great musician are held every year in the month of August.

from: http://davidphilipson.com/pages/abdulkarim.html

See also: http://www.itcsra.org/tribute.asp?id=1

and: http://www.kamat.com/database/biographies/abdul_karim_khan.htm

Firoz Dastur (1919-2008) - Dedicated to Kirana Gharana - Cassette from India

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Thanks to Ambrose Bierce for sharing this cassette.

A Tribute to Pandit Firoz Dastur

Having passed away on May 9, Pandit Firoz Dastur, the doyen of the Kirana Gharana and a disciple of Sawai Gandharv, leaves behind a legacy that is hard to equal. Having commanded a singing career of six decades, Dastur's music touched many souls and moved several hearts.

As gratitude for his teaching and a celebration of his luminosity, Shrikant Deshpande, one of Dastur's disciples along with disciple Girish Sanzgiri and Srinivas Joshi, son of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, will be organising a tribute to Pandit Firoz Dastur on Saturday, May 17 at Pudumjee Hall, Maratha Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture, Tilak Road between 6pm and 8pm. Organised by Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal, which also organises the Sawai Gandharv Sangeet Mahotsav, the event being open to the public, will see 15-minute performances by each of the artistes followed by an eulogy to Dastur.

Recalling fond memories of his guru, Deshpande says, “Noble of character, the disciples of Panditji rather than sharing a guru-shishya relationship were great friends of his. And he was the only guru that I know of who wouldn't even hesitate from apologising to his own disciple on the occurrence of a mistake.”

Dastur was also one of the pioneers of the Sawai Gandharv and has participated in almost every festival since its inception, his gopala being a consistent favourite there. Anand Deshmukh, who has been compering Sawai Gandharv since 20 years, relates of his gentleness of mien and his lightheartedness. “The stalwart, inspite of being such a tall artist, was down-to-earth and sans any grandiosity.” He brings to memory an opportune instance when Deshmukh had the chance to interview Dastur at his house on Grant Road in Mumbai and several chats with him in green rooms at Sawai Gandharv. “He always said that his genteel performances are not his, but instead it is his guru who is playing through him,” Deshmukh relates of Dastur, “He was also always respectful of young artists and always listened to their music.” He also recalls of how when Dastur jokingly denied the audience the pleasure of his rendition of gopala, through shouts of gopala, the audience moved him into singing it for them once again.

Everyone remembers Dastur's dulcet, gentle voice, as does singer Neena Faterpekar. ”A softspoken human being, his music resonated the same characteristics,” she says, “I have been seeing him since I was a child as he knew both of my grandmothers and we had nice family moments together.” His study of voice culture, aalaps and the styles of Kirana Gharana were great. “He always encouraged my music and would always sit in the front row during my concerts. Though he gave me tips, he always enthused me to pursue and continue with my style of music,” she says emotionally.

Dastur, having been a father figure to him, Srinivas Joshi was always astounded to be in the presence of Dastur and how he, inspite of his greatness, possessed such rare humility and mingled with his juniors. Having grown up listening to Dastur, Joshi says that his loss will be paramount to music and to Kirana Gharana. “His devotion to his guru and to his parampara is something everyone should work to imbibe,” says Joshi.

Kirana Gharana has lost a great exponent and many artistes have lost a friend and a mentor. Though without his presence, Sawai Gandharv wouldn't be the same, his company and his devotion to music would be treasured and perhaps that is what Dastur will see as an apt homage.

from: http://parsikhabar.net/individuals/a-tribute-to-pandit-firoz-dastur/1001/
See also: http://www.itcsra.org/sra_news_views/obituary/firoz_dastur.html
and: http://sunilmukhi.blogspot.de/2008/05/firoz-dastur.html

Ustad Aslam Khan - Parampara (Tradition) - Cassette published in India in 1989

Here another beautiful cassette by Ustad Aslam Khan. 

Bosmart posted quite a while ago on his blog another beautiful cassette 

by him from the same year. There is now a new download link for it at: 

http://lalogiqueinterne.blogspot.fr/2010_11_01_archive.html

Side A:

Raga Manjari Bihag (29:29)

Side B:

Raga Kamodi Malhar (29:41)

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Many thanks again to Ambrose Bierce for sharing this cassette.

Aslam Khan - Darbari, Todi, Sohni - Cassette from India

Ustad Aslam Khan is one of the most interesting and refined singers of recent decades. He comes from a musically extremely rich background (see below), which is very manfest in his singing. We had already posted some recordings by one of his teachers, his uncle the legendary Altaf Hussain Khan (see here).

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Thanks to Ambrose Bierce for sharing this cassette.

Ustad Aslam Hussain Khan (A Living Legend)

Introduction Ustad Aslam Khan is one of the top and most senior musicians at present.     Ustad Aslam Hussain Khan has descended from the Hapur Gharana  (Meerut U.P.) of Shaadi Khan and Murad Khan whose achievements sound legendary. Ustad Shaadi Khan and Ustad Murad Khan were the court musicians of the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. Ustad Aslam Khan, has completed 50 years of dedicated service to Indian music this year, and on this occasion, his disciples, students and fans congratulate him for this great achievement. Born on 14th April 1940.  "Music runs in my blood" as he replies during an interview. Ustad Aslam Khan, is the representative of 500 year old traditional Musician's family of the prestigious Khurja Gharana, Atrauli (Jaipur) Gharana, Agra Gharanas and the Delhi Tanras Khan Gharana. These Gharanas have given India such giants as Haji Ustad Altaf Hussain Khan, Gayan Samrat Ustad Azmat Hussain Khan, Sangeet Samrat Ustad Allahdiya Khan, Gayan Acharya Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan, Aaftab-e-Mausiqui Ustad Fayyaz Khan and many others. The contribution of these music stalwarts, to the enrichment, promotion and popularity of Indian Music is monumental. "I was initially trained in music by my maternal uncle Haji Ustad Altaf Hussain Khan of Khurja Gharana." "Later around 1950, I came to Bombay permanently, to stay with my brother-in-law, Gayan Samrat Ustad Azmat Hussain Khan, who not only became my Guru but also mentor and benefactor". "My Guru Ustad Azmat Hussain Khan, belonged to the Atrauli (Jaipur) Gharana, and was one of the greatest musicians India has ever produced". "He was a performer, musicologist, poet as well as a perfect teacher". "He not only taught me music but also urdu and Arabic". "I owe most of what I am today, as a musician and as a social being to my Guru". "I also had a golden opportunity of learning music under the great Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan of Agra Gharana, and also Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan." Aslam Khan was a child prodigy who gave his first stage performance at the age of twelve years. He is a khandani Musician belonging to the near extinct world of "Guru Shishya Parampara". This gem of purest ray serene, happily vegetates, in the dark unfathomed caves of sincere dedication and unalloyed devotion to music, blissfully unmindful of the honours like Padmabhushan, Sangeet Natak Academy Awards, Cultural Awards or Gaurav Puraskars, that should have come his way long ago but have not. Ustad Aslam Khan's inborn genius enabled him to blend the diverse speciality of each respective Gharana into an individual style which has tremendous aesthetic appeal, his khayal singing is marked by a leisurely development (badath) of the "Vilambit" while the "Drut" is embellished by a spectacular variation of "Layakari" and breath takingly "tayyar taans". Aslam Khan has recorded not less than four hundred bandishes (compositions) in rare ragas with the ITC SRA, SAPTAK (Ahmedabad), SNA (New Delhi), AIR (Mumbai & Delhi), Goa Academy Samvad foundation & NCPA Mumbai. He has recorded 300 rare ragas with SRA and fifty Ragas with Saptak. In recent times Aslam Khan Sahab has been declared as one of the greatest exponents of khayal gayaki & the senior most representative of the legendary Khurja, Atrauli (Jaipur) & Agra Gharanas. from: http://www.dilrangacademy.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=15

Ustad Fateh Ali Khan - Vol. 1 - Lok Virsa GM-7 - Cassette from Pakistan

Recently Bosmart had posted on his blog a couple of beautiful cassettes from Pakistan by some of the masters of the Patiala Gharana under the title "Maitres de Patiala". Here a small contibution: a cassette by the great Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, a grandson of one of the two founders of the Patiala Gharana. See about him: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bade_Fateh_Ali_Khan 

Ustad Fateh Ali Khan (born 1935) - Vocal

Amjad Amanat Ali Khan (1953-2002) - Vocal Support

Nazim Ali Khan (died 1999) - Sarangi

Mian Shaukat Hussain Khan (1930-1996) - Tabla

Side A:

1. Raag Megh (Vilambit) (Interview & Demonstration) (4:13)

2. Baat Geet (12:13)

3. Raag Shub Kalyan (Khyal & Tarana) (13:19)

Side B:

Raag Darbari (Khayal & Tarana) (29:48)

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Ustad Mohammad Sayeed Khan passed away - In his memory: Khan Bandhu: Mohammad Sayeed Khan & Mohammad Rashid Khan - LP "Encore..." (1978)

We received only today the sad news that Ustad Mohammad Sayeed Khan of Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana has passed away on the 6th of october 2012, at the age of 77, in Amsterdam where he lived since the 1980s. In the 1970s EMI India released two LPs by him together with his younger brother Mohammad Rashid Khan - who passed away already in the 1980s - under the name Khan Bandhu. The second of these two LPs we present here as a tribute.

Sarangi: Masit Khan

Tabla: Nizamuddin Khan

Side 1:

Raga Tilak Kamod (17:43)

Side2:

1. Raga Kamod Nat (13:17)

2. Raga Raat Ki Gunkali (5:31)

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Mohammad Sayeed Khan - Khyal-Pionier in Europa
- Nachruf von Yogendra -

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Der große Khyal-Sänger Mohammad Sayeed Khan ist am 6. Oktober im Alter von 77 Jahren in Amsterdam verstorben. Er stammte aus einer alten Musikerfamilie in Mumbai und war ein Vertreter der Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana. Gelernt hatte er von Kindheit an von seinem Vater, dem Sarangi-Virtuosen Abdul Majid Khan, Schüler von Gharana-Gründer Alladiya Khan und Sarangi-Legende Bundu Khan. International bekannt wurde Mohammad Sayeed Khan in den 1960er und 70er Jahren auf weltweiten Tourneen und zahlreichen Schallplatten im Gesangsduett als Khan Bandhu mit seinem jüngeren Bruder Mohammad Rashid Khan. Nach Rashids frühem Tod ließ er sich über den Umweg Surinam in den 1980er Jahren mit seiner Familie in Amsterdam nieder. Dort lebte er bis zu seinem Tod als Lehrer und konzertierender Künstler und wurde so ein wichtiger Pionier indischer Musik in Europa. 

Sein musikalisches Erbe wollte keines seiner Kinder antreten. Deshalb entschloss sich Mohammad Sayeed Khan 2007 nach einer Pilgerfahrt nach Mekka, mit der etablierten Tradition vieler Musikerfamilien zu brechen, wonach musikalisches Wissen als eifersüchtig gehütetes Geheimnis nur mündlich an sorgfältig ausgewählte Verwandte oder sehr enge Schüler weitergegeben wird. Statt seine gesammelten musikalischen Schätze mit ins Grab zu nehmen, präsentierte er sie 2009 in Buchform mit begleitender CD. 238 Khyal-Kompositionen in 115 Ragas aus seiner Familientradition machte er damit der Allgemeinheit zugänglich und bewahrte sie so vor dem Vergessen. 

from: www.india-instruments.de

He bares family 'jewels' to keep music alive

Vithal C Nadkarni, TNN Jan 17, 2009, 12.53am IST

Ustad Mohammad Sayeed Khan got the idea of opening his family's musical riches to the public during a pilgrimage to Mecca in 2007. With the New Year, the Amsterdam-based son of well-known sarangi maestro Abdul Majid Khan has fulfilled his dream, with the release of a CD and a book with 238 compositions in 115 Hindustani ragas ranging from Adana to Yaman. The ensemble was launched recently in Mumbai, London, Delhi and Kolkata.

Noted santoor maestro Shivkumar Sharma complimented the ustad at the Mumbai function for "sharing the family jewels of his Jhajjar gharana''. "In one stroke, he has broken an unspoken taboo against the transmission of traditional knowledge which many old-style pedagogues tend to guard like zealous dragons hoarding buried treasures,'' he said. "By providing print and audio versions of the heirlooms with a commentary on the lyrics, the ustad has greatly facilitated the musical odyssey of the neophyte as well as seasoned performer. It's a milestone in the renaissance of the classical tradition.''

In the past, many chelas have complained of difficulties in getting hold of compositions from their `close-fisted' gurus even after offering years of service to them. Experts cite this as one of the reasons for the decline in the traditional style of teaching and the extinction of many exquisite compositions.

Ustad Mohammad Sayeed says he was inspired to share his family repertoire for the sake of posterity. "I do not want to take these treasures with me to the grave as has happened in so many cases,'' he said. "All my children are highly qualified and well settled in the Netherlands. But they aren't interested in music, which makes it all the more imperative that I share it with the larger `family of man'.''

The ustad recalls how he always used to pray for knowledge whenever he offered namaz. He said he was grateful for the superlative taalim (musical education) from his father, who had himself learnt at the feet of the legendary founder of the Jaipur gharana, Alladiya Khan.

Years later when he went to Mecca for a second visit, the ustad says he prayed for the first time for public acceptance of the knowledge that he had received from his forefathers. "Now that, too, is becoming possible,'' he said while reminiscing about the golden era of Hindustani classical music (which is evoked in the book through anecdotes of musicians). That was when his father used to accompany most of the illustrious musicians of the day on the sarangi. "Many masters visited and stayed with my father, who was particularly known for his sangat or instrumental accompaniment to the great diva, Kesarbai Kerkar,'' he recalls. "And it was during the soirees and night-long addas at home and on the concert platform, from behind the tanpura, that I picked up many a secret of the classical tradition during our rigorous apprenticeship.''

Ustad Mohammad Sayeed, a graduate of St Xavier's College, used to sing jugalbandis with his younger brother Ustad Mohammad Rashid Khan. Later he went to Surinam on an Indian Council for Cultural Relations fellowship and travelled thence to Holland with his family in the mid-1980s to eventually settle abroad. "That was the period when my younger brother died in Mumbai, and I began to brood about giving back to society what I had received in such abundance,'' he said.

Veteran sitarist Arvind Parikh, who was also present at the CD launch, said, "Ustad Mohammad Sayeed's maiden venture focused on the nayika or the heroine. We are now looking forward to the next volume which covers the social and cultural aspects of our rich musical heritage.''

from: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-01-17/mumbai/28001672_1_gharana-hindustani-classical-music-compositions

Older Masters of Rudra Veena (Been) - Part III - Ustad Abid Hussain Khan (1907-1978)

Born in 1907 Abid Hussain Khan was an accomplished vocalist and also a Beenkar (a Rudra-Veena player). He traced his musical heritage from Shri Mishri Singh Rajput of Jaipur who once accompanied Miyan Tansen on Rudra Veena before emperor Akbar. As a child, Abid Hussain Khan had been initiated in music by his father Late Ustad Jamaluddin Khan of Bidar state during the twenties and thirties of last century.

Here  we present four Ragas on two CDs. Only one Raga - Raga Darbari Kanada - is played on Rudra Veena. The others are vocal: the two Ragas on the first CD are sung in Dhrupad style and the second Raga on CD 2 is in Khyal style. The recordings are probably from All India Radio.

Download CD 1 & Scans

Download CD 2

We are very grateful to KF, the original compiler of these recordings, who created these two CDs for his own collection and shared them generously.

Here is another Rudra Veena program by Abid Hussain Khan from AIR, with Bhimpalasi and Desh, uploaded by Povster:

http://www.mediafire.com/?li5jbezl2qw

Ustad Abid Hussain Khan: The Maestro Par Excellence

By Roop Narayan Dixit
(Roop Narayan Dixit is a retired professor of English who became a Ganda-baddh disciple of Ustad Abid Hussain Khan in 1963)

Late Ustad Abid Hussain Khan of Indore hailed from Baroda and the court of the erstwhile state of the Nawab of Jinjira but had settled down at Indore during forties and fifties of the last century.

Born in 1907 this grandson of Raza Ali Beenkar was an accomplished vocalist and also a Beenkar (a Rudra-Veena player). He traced his musical heritage from Shri Mishri Singh Rajput of Jaipur who once accompanied Miyan Tansen on Rudra Veena before emperor Akbar. As a child, Abid Hussain Khan had been initiated in music by his father Late Ustad Jamaluddin Khan of Bidar state during the twenties and thirties of last century.

In prime of his youth, he became the court-musician of the Nawab of Jinjira, a Muslim state in the coastal area of Maharashtra where he lived in a cottage facing the rolling waves of the Arabian Sea. Perhaps the resonance of his voice, and his own style of Alap and taking Taans reflecting the elegance and grace of an ocean, was due to this.

A versatile genius, Ustad Abid Hussain Khan could sing Dhrupad and Dhamar, Khayal, Tarana, Tappa with competence. His singing enamoured the audience while reaching rare heights. The manner of Alap came to be recognized as Bidar ang with its distinctive development by gliding from Mandra Saptak to pause at Shadja and gradually ascending toward Madhya Saptak where he stayed considerably. The swara-s he applied were graced with nuances (Kana) and Meend. After a relaxed immersion in the lower and middle octaves, Khan Saheb touched the Tar Saptak, yet plunging back to Mandra and Madhya at times. The Alap in Dhrupad and Dhamar was given ample time to establish notes and relationships. The Alap done in a pleasing and interesting manner, it never tired the patience of the audience. His pronunciations established his Dhrupad lineage from Khandarbani explaining his use of Nom Tom for alap.

When he sang a Khayal or Tarana his Alap was brief, yet he continued to be dynamic and graceful in compositions; in Bol-s and Bol-taan-s, he applied Gamak with force of thunder and lightning. In his Tan-s he was equally graceful, elegant and forceful.

Not only the style but his very persona underwent a change when he sang a Thumri, a Dadara or Hori. Invariably each performance was totally subjective and its intense intimacy touched the hearts of each member of the audience.

Khan Saheb preferred common and well-known Raga-s in his concerts. Mostly, the Raga-s were Bilawal, Malhar, Todi, Malkauns, Megh, Darbari, Kaphi and Chhayanat. His compositions were mostly in Teen-tal, Tilwada, Jhoomara and Ada Chautal. He also gave a few memorable concerts singing less common Raga-s like Barwa, Khat, Durga, Shankara and Jhinjhoti.

Shri Vimal (Bimal) Mukherji (Sitar-player), chief among his illustrious disciples is the foremost representative of the Gharana. His prominent representative for vocal style is Bhavyanand Bhatt of Indore who has retained the charm and uniqueness of His Ustad’s Khandarbani style. His accompanists were Late Ustad Alladiya Khan in Sarangi, Pt. Ambadas Agle Pant on Pakhawaj and Ustad Dhulji Khan on Tabla. Among the living generation, Ustad Moinuddin Khan had accompanied him on Sarangi and Ustad Yusuf Khan on Tabla.

from: http://www.omenad.net/page.php?goPage=%2Farticles%2Fabidhussain.htm

About Jamaluddin Khan
Jamaluddin Khan was the son of Reza Ali Beenkar of Jaipur. The family traces its root to the Seni Gharana. Descendents of Tansen selected Rudra Veena for members of the family; to other disciples they taught Surbahar and Sitar. Jamaluddin had mastered the art and became a court musician at Baroda. His performance at Music Conference held in Baroda in 1916 was excellent and remained in memory of listeners. He trained his son Abid Hussain in Been as well as vocal music.

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Ghanonmatta/Musicians

For more information on the Rudra Veena, its masters and its history see:
http://www.rudravina.com/

Pandit Yashwantbuwa Joshi (1927-2012) passed away

On friday the 5th of october Pandit Yashwantbuwa Joshi, one of the last great masters of a bygone era, passed away. Last year we had posted already two cassettes by him. See here  and here. Now we present as a tribute to him a cassette published in 2001 in India.

Download

Yashwant Buwa Joshi – “The basic requirement of music is a magical quality called “Rang”

Yashwant Buwa spoke to Deepak Raja on June 5, 2003

I was born and brought up in Pune. My father operated a couple of cabs in the city. He was untrained in music, but had a lovely voice and sang devotional songs very well. That is all I can claim by way of a family background in music. It was my uncle, Govardhan Buwa Naik, who was responsible for pushing me in this direction. He was an alumnus of the first batch (1901) of Vishnu Digambar’s Gandharva Mahavidyalaya (Music College) in Lahore under a nine-year apprenticeship in music. The only explanation for his having gone there was that lodging, boarding, and training were free. That was my grandfather’s way of ensuring that his family could survive on his income. Govardhan Buwa could not sing, but became a competent player on the Harmonium, Tabla and Dilruba (a short-necked, fretted, lute of the bowed variety). So, after graduating, he started a music school in Bombay. Because he had no children, he was keen that I should train as a musician and take over its management after him.

At my sacred thread ceremony, which took place when I was nine, my uncle invited the famous vocalist, Mirashi Buwa (Yashwant Sadashiv Mirashi). My uncle’s Guru, Vishnu Digambar, and Mirashi Buwa had studied together under Balkrishna Buwa Ichalkaranjikar. My uncle and Mirashi Buwa thus belonged to a close-knit gharana fraternity. Mirashi Buwa had just moved to Pune from Nashik, after serving a leading theatre company for 24 years. Over lunch, my uncle requested the stalwart to teach me, and he agreed. This is how it started. Every single day, after returning from school, I would go to Mirashi Buwa’s house and learn music. As luck would have it, my uncle died within a year of my starting music lessons. There was no longer a ready business awaiting me. But, I continued studying music.

The relationship was in the traditional mould, the only difference being that I continued to live with my parents. I paid no fees, and spent all my time – other than school – with my Guru. Initially, the teaching was by the “direct method” – reproducing what the Guru sings. No questions were to be asked. No logic was to be understood. Despite this, within five years, I found myself so intoxicated with music that I could no longer concentrate on my studies. So, four years short of graduation, I quit school in favour of music.

Making a living
My training with Mirashi Buwa continued for 12 years. By this time, I was 21, and had to start making a living. Music was all I knew. Those were difficult days for musicians, particularly in Pune. I spent a whole year contemplating my course of action. My childhood friend, and neighbour from Pune, Ram Marathe, was by now in Bombay, making some headway as a professional singer. So, in 1950, I decided to take on the world with his helping hand. Though I had no experience, the only path open to me was teaching music. Fees were poor in those days. Each student would pay Rs. 10 or 15 per month. With great difficulty, I earned about Rs. 50 a month. But, living was cheap – my monthly food bill was Rs. 30 -- I managed. Though I did not ultimately inherit a music school, teaching was evidently my destiny anyway. For over 50 years now, I have been teaching. I must have, by now, taught over 125 students. Several have become successful vocalists. Some are just making a living as music teachers. Some pursue other professions and enjoy music as a hobby. And, many have merged into the faceless audience of Hindustani music.

Moving to Bombay widened my horizons. Soon after I moved, Jagannath Buwa Purohit moved into our locality. I was greatly attracted to his style. So, I studied with him for about six years. In the same spirit, I studied with KG Ginde, SCR Bhat, Nivrutti Buwa Sarnaik, Master Krishnarao Phulambrikar, Mallikarjun Mansoor, and the Natyasangeet singer, Chhota Gandharva. In my childhood, I had heard Ramkrishna Buwa Vaze, and his style had made a deep impact on me. So, in my singing, you will find the glimpses of each of these stalwarts.

The philosophy of music
I am conservative, but not orthodox. I have a strong foundation laid in the Gwalior style. But, I was never a prisoner of the gharana. I sought out every musician whose style attracted me, and learnt from him what I could. Jagannath Buwa often told me that the basic requirement of music is that magical quality called “Rang” (literally: colour). As a quality in music, “Rang” transcends considerations of voice quality, grammar and communication of rasa (emotional content). Public appeal is not my yardstick for validating my music. I will not sacrifice the dignity of my art to charm audiences. I will not, for instance, make a Thumree out of a Khayal, or start singing with my body. But, an artist cannot be a mere scientist. If he wants to command an audience and also command respect, he has to strike the tricky balance between the sanctity of art and the listening pleasure of audiences. If he cannot do this, he can remain a teacher.

My recordings have been in the market for several years. I have been performing on the radio since 1946, and also broadcast two National Programmes over All India Radio. And, for a long time, nobody noticed. In the last ten years, people suddenly realised that Yashwant Buwa can also sing. Today, I have admirers not only in our home state of Maharashtra, but also in Calcutta, Delhi and a few other cities. Several institutions have bestowed honours on me for my services as a teacher and performer. At 75, I can still hold an audience for two hours. I have no regrets. But, had recognition come when I was younger, people would have heard better music from me.

The pursuit of music – then and now
Our times were tough. The status of musicians in society was low. There was no support for music either from government or from private benefactors or institutions. There was no ‘career’ in music, except for the greatest. Audiences were small. The Guru was the only source of musical inputs for students. There was radio, and there was the gramophone; but not many people could afford either. There were concerts; but mainly for invited audiences.

To begin with, finding a Guru was tough. We did not pay fees, but rendered all manner of services in lieu of training. The relationship was totally one-sided, and often oppressive. He taught the way he wanted to, and there was no appeal against it. There was no notation, no possibility of recording training sessions, no grammar, no logic. You could encounter musicians who could sing a raga very well, but go blank if you asked them the scale of the raga. Learning was primarily by reproducing what the Guru sang. From studying music, to making a career, it was struggle, struggle, and struggle. The positive aspect of this was that, because of the price they had paid for their success, the survivors conducted themselves, and practiced their art, with dignity. They treated that passage between the stage and the audiences as sacred.

The situation today is exactly the reverse. Anyone can learn music if he can afford it. Good Gurus are, of course, more scarce than they were in our times, and locating them can take a lot of trial and error. Recorded music is so accessible that it is possible to become a reasonable vocalist even without a Guru. The relationship between the Guru and his disciple is now a commercial one. A student can demand an explanation of the logic and get it. He can record training sessions for revision. Career opportunities are plenty, and the money is good for the successful. Society, government, and institutions encourage music.

Most important is the emergence of a market, with audiences willing to pay for music. For creating a substantial class of connoisseurs, we have to thank the educational efforts of the two giants, Bhatkhande and Vishnu Digambar, and their followers. Glamour and money have now made music a rat race that everyone with half a chance wants to join. The journey is still tough. But, it is a struggle, which takes the dignity of the art as its first casualty. It makes art cross the frontier between the musician and the audience to plunge into pockets. And, yes, many bright kids now get money and fame ahead of maturity, get bloated heads, stagnate, and fall by the wayside. The demands of success are changing, as they inevitably will. Despite these anxieties, I am optimistic about Hindustani music for several reasons – today’s kids are intelligent and talented, studying music is no longer difficult, and there are ample opportunities for building a career in it.

by Deepak Raja from his very interesting blog:
http://swaratala.blogspot.de/2007/04/yashwant-buwa-joshi-basic-requirement.html

"Yashwantbua Joshi, now 76 ( in 2004), is one of the leading exponents of the khayal gayaki of Gwalior and Agra gharanas. Yaswantbua had extensive training in Pune from Pt. Mirashibua. Around 1950, he moved to Bombay where he came under the tutelage of Pt. Jagannathbua Purohit “Gunidas”. He was also influenced by the gayaki of stalwarts such as Gajananbua Joshi and Chhota Gandharva.

His gayaki combines the romanticism of swara with the discipline of laya, making his mehfils unparalleled in quality. He is an old-school artist at heart, preferring the Tilwada or Jhumra (not the ati-vilambit kind) for his khayals. The khayal is usually followed by multiple bandishes (or, rarely, taranas) in the same raag. The khayal presentations are full and leisurely. The badhat and the chhota khayals are peppered with a variety of taans and very sophisticated layakari. He has a huge repertoire of bandishes, from which he summons the choicest of compositions and presents them with panache. While his concerts are dominated by khayal, he also enjoys singing the occassional natyageet or bhajan.

Yashwantbua has been honoured with a number of awards, including the Maharashtra Government Gaurav Puraskar in 1993 and, most recently, the Sangeet Natak Academy Award."

By Chetan Vinchhi (http://www.parrikar.org/vpl/?page_id=305)

Meera Music, a small label in Mumbai, released two CDs by him:

Yashwantbuwa Joshi (Vocal) – Live Vocal Concert, MP3 CD: Raga Shivmat Bhairav, Raga Bibhas, Raga Komal Rishabh Asawari, Raga Shuddha Sarang, Raga Gavati, MEERA MUSIC, mm 028
Total time: 2 hours and 10 minutes. 

Yashwantbuwa Joshi (Vocal) – Live Vocal Concert: Ragas Yaman, Nand, Hameer & Shahana, MEERA MUSIC, mm 003

They can be obtained from: info@raga-maqam-dastgah.com

“Yashwant Buwa Joshi (born: 1927) is an unusual musician who has spent most of his adult life as a modest teacher, and gained recognition as a performer only after the age of sixty. Yashwant Buwa’s career has flowered (“Buwa” is a suffix commonly used in Maharashtra to signify a respected, elderly gentleman) in the sunset years of his life, thanks to the incredible vitality of his performances which have earned him nationwide popularity, and the growing rarity of his brand of music. He has performed on All India Radio since 1946, and currently occupies the top grade amongst empanelled musicians. Since the mid-1990s, he has also established a substantial presence in the commercial recordings market and collected his share of honours.

Joshi studied first with Mirashi Buwa (Yashwant Sadashiv Mirashi) of the Gwalior tradition, and switched thereafter to the Agra style (Jaganatbuwa Purohit). The switch did not, evidently, quench his thirst for musical ideas. He therefore went on to study with several other vocalists (KG Ginde, SCR Bhat, Nivrutti Buwa Sarnaik, Master Krishnarao Phulambrikar, Mallikarjun Mansoor, and the Natyasangeet singer, Chhota Gandharva), representing an eclectic mix of styles. Today, he is respected as the last surviving pioneer of the Gwalior-Agra stylistic confluence in khayal vocalism.”

Deepak Raja in Sruti Magazine, March 2008

Ustad Salamat Ali Khan (1934-2001) & Ustad Sharafat Ali Khan (1955-2009) - Musik aus Pakistan: Khyal & Tarana - Cassette published 1986 in Germany

Side A: 

Raga Kailash Bhairav (23:12)

Side B:

Raga Madh Kalyan (23:57)

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Ustad Mushtaq Hussain Khan (1880-1964) - Great Master Great Music - An All India Radio Recording - LP ECLP 2573 (1978)

Another LP by the legendary master of the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana.

Side 1:

1. Raga Gunkari (19:03)

Side 2:

1. Raga Mahakni (14:03)

2. Thumri Jhinjhoti (4:34)

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