Indian Instrumental

Ustad Ali Akbar Khan - "For us, as a family, music is like food. When you need it you don't have to explain why, because it is basic to life." - Ali Akbar Khan

Ali Akbar Khan (April 14, 1922 - June 18, 2009) was one of today's most accomplished Indian classical musicians. Considered a "National Living Treasure" in India, he was admired by both Eastern and Western musicians for his brilliant compositions and his mastery of the sarode (a beautiful, 25-stringed Indian instrument). Concert violinist the late Lord Yehudi Menuhin called Ali Akbar Khan, "An absolute genius...the greatest musician in the world," and many have considered him the "Indian Johann Sebastian Bach."  Ustad Ali Akbar Khan's family traces its gharana (ancestral tradition) to Mian Tansen, a 16th century musical genius and court musician of Emperor Akbar. Ali Akbar Khan's father, the late Padma Vibhusan Acharya Dr. Allauddin Khan, was acknowledged as the greatest figure in North Indian music in this century. www.aacm.org

Pandit Nikhil Banerjee (October 14, 1931 – January 27, 1986) was born in Calcutta into a Brahmin family, where music as a profession was discouraged, although his father, Jitendranath Banerjee, who was a sitarist by hobby, taught him the instrument. Young Nikhil grew into a child prodigy, won an all-Bengal sitar competition at the age of nine and soon was playing for All India Radio. In 1947 Banerjee met Allauddin Khan, who was to become his main guru along with his son, Ali Akbar Khan. Both were sarod players. Banerjee went to Allauddin Khan's concerts and was desperate to have him as his teacher. Allauddin Khan did not want to take on more students, but changed his mind after listening to one of Banerjee's radio broadcasts. Though Allauddin Khan was Banerjee's main teacher, he also learned from Ali Akbar Khan, the son of Allaudin Khan, for many years.  www.stevenbaigel.com/banerjeedoc/index.html

Ravi Shankar, the legendary sitarist and composer is India's most esteemed musical Ambassador and a singular phenomenon in the classical music worlds of East and West. As a performer, composer, teacher and writer, he has done more for Indian music than any other musician. He is well known for his pioneering work in bringing Indian music to the West. This however, he did only after long years of dedicated study under his illustrious guru Baba Allaudin Khan and after making a name for himself in India.  www.ravishankar.org

Ustad Vilayat Khan (August 8, 1928 – March 13, 2004) was one of India's well known sitar maestros, born in Gauripur in Mymensingh, Bengal (now in Bangladesh). He recorded his first 78-RPM disc at the age of 8, and gave his last concert in 2004 at the age of 75.  His family of musicians trace their pedigree back to the court musicians of the Mughals. His father, recognised as a leading sitar and surbahar (bass sitar) player of his time, as had been the grandfather, Imdad Khan, before him.  chandrakantha.com/biodata/vilayat_khan.html

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was all of 6 years old, when he gave his first recital of Sarod. It was the beginning of yet another glorious chapter in the history of Indian classical music. Taught by his father and guru, the great Haafiz Ali Khan of Gwalior, Amjad Ali Khan was born to the illustrious Bangash lineage rooted in the Senia Bangash School of music. Today he shoulders the sixth generation inheritance of this legendary lineage.  After his debut, the career graph of this musical legend took the speed of light, and on its way the Indian classical music scene was witness to regular and scintillating bursts of Raga supernovas. And thus, the world saw the Sarod being given a new and yet timeless interpretation by Amjad Ali Khan. Khan is one of the few maestros who consider his audience to be the soul of his motivation.  www.sarod.com

Kala Ramnath, the contemporary torch bearer of the Mewati Gharana, stands today amongst the most outstanding instrumental musicians in the North Indian classical genre. Born into a family of prodigious musical talent, which has given Indian music such violin legends as Prof. T.N. Krishnan and Dr. N. Rajam, Kala's genius with the violin manifested itself from childhood. She began playing the violin at the tender age of three under the strict tutelage of her grandfather Vidwan. Narayan Aiyar. Simultaneously she received training from her aunt Dr. Smt. N. Rajam. For fifteen years she put herself under the training of Mewati vocal maestro, Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj. This has brought a rare vocal emotionalism to her art.  www.kalaramnath.com

Shubhendra Rao is a brilliant light for the tradition of the sitar. He is a senior deciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar. His inspired performance is reminiscent of his Guru yet uniquely his own. Shubhendra is highly regarded for his beautiful classical concerts not only in his homeland India, but all over Europe and in the US. He has collaborated with many world class musicians (Chinese, Jazz, European Classical...) creating new settings and new directions for the sitar.  www.shubhendrarao.com

Steve Oda has been a disciple of the legendary Ustad Ali Akbar Khan for the last 35 years. Steve has dedicated himself fully to learning this complex art form and to carry on the teachings of his illustrious Guru. In 1996, he received a Canada Council Artists Grant to pursue intensive studies at an advanced level with his teacher. Steve moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 1998 and served as executive director of the Ali Akbar Khan College of Music for two years. Steve has performed at his teachers college in California as well as numerous Canadian cities from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Victoria, British Columbia. The demand for his playing, continues to increase in places like Chicago, New York,Spain, Paris, Amsterdam, Sweden and now in Australia and New Zealand. Steve has also recorded on select recordings including Tala Records 2006 release, “Invocation”. Steve now resides in San Rafael California actively teaching and performing the beautiful music of North India.  steveoda.com

Roshan Bhartiya comes from a lineage of great musicians. His Guru and father Jamal Udin Bhartiya, is a senior disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar and was one of India's shining exponents of the sitar. Roshan began learning sitar as a young child and was performing by the time he was a teenager. He worked for many years in the film industry and has toured the world over. His joy of music shines through his sitar and performance.  www.roshanbhartiya.com

Shankar, widely known as a living legend in the world of music has entranced audiences and critics alike all over the world. Shankar is an acclaimed violinist, a vocalist, and a producer who has sold over ten million albums. His early work with Shakti transformed world fusion music and continues to do so with artists such as Zakir Hussain, Peter Gabriel, Frank Zappa, Phil Collins, just to name a few.  worldmusiccentral.org/artists/artist_page.php?id=513

Steve Gorn has performed Indian classical music and new American music on the bansuri bamboo flute and soprano saxophone in concerts and festivals throughout the world. A disciple of the late bansuri master, Sri Gour Goswami of Calcutta, he has been praised by critics and leading Indian musicians as one of the few westerners recognized to have captured the subtlety and beauty of Indian music. He also has composed numerous works for theatre, dance and television and has recorded and performed with a wide range of artists including Paul Simon, Tony Levin, Jack DeJohnette, Glen Velez, Allesandra Belloni, Layne Redmond, Simon Shaheen and Mike Karn. www.stevegorn.com

Manose - Boudha, Nepal stands on the ancient route leading from the Himalayan Mountains down into the Kathmandu valley. Here it was that eight-year-old Manose fell in love with the bamboo flute one night, when a breeze wafted its song through his window. Now, at the age of 26, he is widely recognized as Nepal's premier flautist. He has performed with the likes of Grammy-nominated fusion artist Jai Uttal, singers Krishna Das and Deva Premal, the Chicago Children's Choir, and blue grass great Peter Rowan.  www.manosemusic.com

David Trasoff is a senior disciple of the great Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. For 35 years he has been teaching and performing all over the world. He is a Professor of Eastern Ethnomusicology and has taught in Universities around the west coast for the last 15 years. David has also taught many people the art of sarode as well as accompaniment. (David was Ty's first accompaniment teacher) David has recorded a number of CDs including "When Words Disappear" with Zakir Hussain.   www.DavidTrasoff.com

Vinata Gangolli is one of India's great Classical Vocalists. Her training began at a very young age and was chosen as one of the featured grade-A vocalists on All India Radio. Vinata is known for her rich, heavenly voice and highly refined sense of Raga. She has precorded on a number of CDs and has performed in the US and India. She also is highly regarded as a teacher and has taught some brilliant young artists. Vinata currently lives and teaches in Denver CO.

Niladri Kumar, a son and disciple of celebrated sitarist Pandit Kartick Kumar, is one of India’s finest young sitar virtuosos, already recognized for his dazzling technical prowess and the maturity of his melodic acumen. A rare instrumentalist equally at home playing traditional classical or contemporary world music, he has proven to be one of the brightest talents of his generation, regarded with high esteem by his peers and promising to extend the musical horizon. www.niladrikumar.com

Taro Terahara is one of the leading musicians in the thriving and highly competitive Indian classical music scene in Japan. His music both engages the mind and touches the heart. In 1992 he became a student of Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa (long-time disciple of Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia) and the following year quit graduate school to devote himself entirely to the practice of Indian classical music. He soon went to India for the first time to take lessons from Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia. From 1997 he began studies under Mr. Amit Roy (disciple of Pt. Nikhil Banerjee), who is generally seen as the father-figure of Indian classical music in Japan, who has guided and refined Terahara’s musical talents to the point where he has now recorded 2 CDs with tabla accompaniment by none other than the great maestro of tabla, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee: Air (2005) and Mist (2006). www.pure.ne.jp/~fueya

Rahul Sharma - As a son of Shivkumar Sharma, he continues the tradition of the santoor. He learned the instrument at age 13, but he wasn't completely sure of pursuing music until he turned 17. After studying economics at Bombay's Mithibai College, Rahul Sharma began performing with his father. In September 2000, Real World Records released Music Of The Himalayas, a live performance in Turin featuring Sharma, percussionist Pandi Bhawani Shankar, and tabla player Ustad Shafat Ahmed Khan. The musician has performed in North America and throughout Europe. He has also performed at various folk and world music festivals, including WOMAD. www.rhapsody.com/rahul-sharma

Manish Vyas - Over the years, apart from being a recording artist for various musicians from around the world, Manish has 8 titles to his credit; Rejoicing, Sufi Splendour, Water down the Ganges, Sattva, India Trance Live, Healing Ragas series and just released 'Prasãd'. Each one of these albums has a totally different flavour – an indication of just how versatile and far reaching his musical talent has become. From the ancient spiritual roots of Sufism and Hinduism, to the pulsing beats of the contemporary dance floor; from music for relaxation, to music for dance and let-go, all these flavours have been explored, exchanged and expanded.  www.manishvyas.com

Terry Riley launched what is now known as the Minimalist movement with his revolutionary classic in 1964. This seminal work provided a new concept in musical form based on interlocking repetitive patterns. Its impact was to change the course of 20th Century music and its influence has been heard in the works of prominent composers such as Steve Reich, Philip Glass and John Adams and in the music of Rock Groups such as The Who, The Soft Machine, Tangerine Dream, Curved Air and many others. Terry's hypnotic, multi-layered, polymetric, brightly orchestrated eastern flavored improvisations and compositions set the stage for the prevailing interest in a New Tonality.  www.terryriley.com