When I was in high school my father took me to a screening of Monterey Pop, the well-known documentary film about the 1967 Monterey Pop Music Festival. Despite historic performances by the Who, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix (in which he famously smashed and burned his guitar on stage), what made the greatest and most lasting impression on me was Ravi Shankar’s performance of North Indian Classical music on the sitar accompanied by Alla Rakha on tabla. In the midst of earning my Jazz Composition degree at Berklee College of Music in Boston, I decided to take a semester off and travel to India. There, Pandit Amar Nath Mishra of Banaras introduced me to the fundamentals of sitar, which has since become my principal instrument. When I returned to the US, I brought a small batch of recordings with me, including a copy of Rainy Season Ragas by Ustad Aashish Khan.
Years later, while researching potential graduate study programs, I was shocked one day to find that Aashish Khan was teaching at the California Institute of the Arts. One of the world’s most skilled and knowledgeable sarode players, Aashish ji learned primarily from his grandfather, Baba Allauddin Khan, founder of the Maihar style of music. Aside from being an accomplished and versatile performer, Allauddin Khan sahib was most well known for training a slew of world-class artists including Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (Aashish ji’s father), Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, Pandit Ravi Shankar, and of course, Ustad Aashish Khan. From his grandfather, Aashish ji learned a highly refined and polished form of musical expression, with great depth and beauty in the Alap (or unaccompanied improvisation) and incredible control and feeling in the intricate rhythms of the gats (or sections accompanied by the tabla).
Having chosen CalArts as the place to pursue my graduate education in North Indian music performance, I find myself among a handful of students who are blessed to have the opportunity to study with such a masterful musician. Just as important as Aashish Khan’s musical skill and pedigree is his devotion to teaching and his willingness to share his knowledge. From the first day, Aashish ji welcomed me and has done his best to impart as much as possible from the vast ocean of music.
It is a pleasure and honor to be accompanying my teacher on the tanpura at the Ojai Festival this year. I know that listeners familiar with Indian Classical music will enjoy his exposition of the melodies he chooses to present, and I hope that new listeners will come away feeling inspired to continue their exploration of the genre. Enjoy!
-- John Stephens
BUY TICKETS TO THE SUNDAY MORNING CONCERT HERE >>
[ add comment ] ( 11 views ) | permalink |
( 2.9 / 660 )
Calendar
