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Amjad Ali Khan

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Amjad Ali Khan is an Indian sarod player, born on 9 October 1945 as Masoom Ali Khan. He comes from a classical music family, the Bangash line of the Senia Gharana, and is the sixth generation of musicians in his lineage. His family claims to have invented the sarod. His father Hafiz Ali Khan, court musician in Gwalior, was his first teacher. In 1957 the family moved to Delhi.

Music and breakthrough

Khan first performed in the United States in 1963 and was afterwards in demand on stages all over the world, often together with his sons Amaan and Ayaan. Records such as Raga Darbari from 1975, Afternoon Ragas from 1990 and Evening Raga from 2001 show how broad his repertoire is. He played with Western orchestras and taught at universities. He also composed new ragas, such as Haripriya Kanada, Shyam Shri and Priyadarshini. He himself does not call them a new creation, but a continuation of the tradition.

Influence

The sarod is a fretless string instrument with a metal fingerboard, on which the player can bend the pitch with a gliding motion. Critics praise Khan's technical mastery and his feeling, and above all his clear, lightning-fast ekhara taans, the rapid runs of notes with which he builds a raga. India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 1975, the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001. For anyone who encounters Indian classical music as a source of influence in School of Rock, he is one of the most important living voices.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a raga by Amjad Ali Khan and notice how he begins: first slowly and freely, without a fixed pulse, and then faster and faster. Try to hear where the rapid runs of notes take over from the slow build-up of the raga.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists