Music - Live
Ali Akbar Khan's family traces its ancestral tradition in music to Mian Tansen, a 16th century musical genius and court musician of Emperor Akbar. His father, Allauddin Khan, is recognized as the greatest figure in North Indian Classical Music in the 20th century. Born in 1922 in East Bengal (Bangladesh), Ali Akbar Khan began his musical studies at the age of three, gave his first public performance at age 13, and in his early twenties became the court musician of the Maharaja of Jodhpur. Since this auspicious beginning, Khan has gone on to win the highest artistic awards in India and also in his adopted homeland, The United States. Having won both the "President of India" medal (twice) and the Padma Vibhushan, Khan is regarded as a "National Living Treasure"by the government of India. In the United States, Khan has been awarded the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, the "genius grant," and this summer it was announced that he was awarded a National Heritage Foundation Fellowship.
Ali Akbar Khan's playing of the Sarod a long-necked lute which is richer in sound and has a greater dynamic range than its better-known cousin the Sitar -- is distinguished by his expressive use of implied harmonic effects, by his startling, seemingly spontaneous use of stops and intervals, and by the electrifying, and often explosive, instrumental effects he is able to coax from his instrument. Swapan Chaudhuri is Khan's long-time accompanist, and his Tabla playing follows the vituosic displays in Khan's performance with a vigor and excitement that must be seen to be believed. As the drummer, Chaudhuri's role is not just to keep the beat, but to provide a complex counterpoint around which the notes of the Sarod will flow. A concert by Ali Akbar Khan and Swapan Chaudhuri is an experience in many levels of music, as their music is simultaneously playful and profound.
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