Search - Amjad Ali Khan :: Raga Bhimpalasi / Raga & 'Tribute to America'

For Sarah

Pharoah S. Wail | Inner Space | 12/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A couple days ago my sister e-mailed me because she saw a commercial on CNN or Biography Channel about an Amjad Ali Khan show. She asked me if I knew of him and/or liked him. Yes and Yes, I happily replied. =)



It's been a few months since I've listened to any Hindustani music so I decided to revisit Amjad in these past couple days.



First off, the raga as listed here is obviously incorrect. It's "Bhimpalasi". As for the music, this is a borderline monster performance by Amjad himself. He's got it all, here. The alap unfolds beautifully and interestingly, becoming more lyrical and explosive through the jhala. His tone shines throughout this whole disc.



(Alap, jor and jhala total time = 29 mins 16 seconds)

(Vilambit in Rupak Tal = 11:33)

(Drut in Tintal = 12:35)



I know some purists tend to almost completely look down upon gats, but not me. Sure it isn't purely improvisation like the alap, but still. Amjad's sarod is absolutely singing to you during long stretches of the gats here. Abhijit Banerjee accompanies him on tabla. If India Archive as a label can be critiscized somehow, it's because quite often they do not seem to fully capture that whole aquatic buoyancy of the tabla all that well. Don't get me wrong, India Archive has released a bunch of epic performances that are essential to any respectable Hindustani collection, but it is in spite of this tabla-tone deficiency. Beyond that, Abhijit, for me, has the soloing down, but I don't consider him to be one of the top-tier accompanists. Great tabla accompanying, such as that of Mahapurush Misra, Samir Chatterjee, etc... should have that gallop... that ominous rhythmic movement that makes you picture someone on horseback riding into battle. Abhijit doesn't have that. It's okay though because Amjad is so explosively lyrical and inventive here that he just sucks your mind right into him and the tabla truly becomes a background detail.



Also of note is Amjad's own composition, Raga "Tribute to America". I really love this one even though it only clocks in at like 19 minutes or so. I wonder how he chose this title. The mood of this raga is rather dark and foreboding. I love it, but it's almost as if the "tribute" title is a jab at the true history of America. I respect that, and love this small performance. =)



Yes, this is absolutely worth your time and money. Amjad is incredible on this disc.

"