Search - Ustad Ali Akbar Khan :: Passing on the Tradition

Master of the Razor's Edge

Dr. Debra Jan Bibel | Oakland, CA USA | 07/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"By the mid 1990s, Ali Akbar Khan's public perfomances in the San Francisco Bay Area had grown from intimate venues to large auditoriums, and he performed often. This live recording is from one such occasion in May 1995. The first raga on the album is a late evening mode, Marwa. [George Harrison used this scale in his "Marwa Blues".] There are only 6 notes to the scale, both ascending and descending. On the sarod, it is difficult to play, since two open strings must not sound and care must be taken in improvisation lest phrases may sound "off" and the emotional level of the piece may be broken. But to provide musical interest and value, risks must be taken and, here, Ali Akbar Khan meets the challenge, as we expect from the great master. Listening closely to the raga, we can hear him skirt disaster. Marwa is restricted to the alap, the first, rhythm-free section. When the tabla of Swapan Chaudhuri enters, Khan shifts to the combined raga Puriya Kalyan. The mood also changes from heroic devotion to joyful peace.



The title of the album, Passing on Tradition, refers to the guru-student lineage of a musical style from the 16th century emperor's court musician; eventually to Mohammed Wazir Khan; to Ali Akbar Khan's father Allaudin Khan; to Ali Akbar Khan, Khan's sister Annapurna Devi, and also to Ravi Shankar; and then to Khan's own sons, Aahish Khan and Alam Khan. Receiving a Grammy nomination, this album presents the school's style in fine fashion."