Recently at the India Habitat Centre’s auditorium, Legends of India presented a rare concert of Ustad Aashish Khan and his nephew Shiraz Ali accompanied by Nishanta Singh on the pakhawaj and Arup Chatterji on tabla. The maestro has been based in California for the past several years and concerts in India are few and far between.
Ustad Aashish Khan is an unusual musician who learnt for many years, specially the critical formative years from his grandfather Maihar doyen Baba Allauddin Khan, later also honed his skills from his father Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, who was his Guru bhai as well as his Guru. However, his music has always retained the imprint of his grandfather, with its beautiful sure confident strokes outlining the raga in aalap, the systematic build up to jor, jhala, lar lappet and other traditional sarod baaj, culminating in extensive laya work during the gat portion. The intensive taalim he has received is revealed in everything he does – whether it is bringing in elements of the “been baaj” (rudra veena technique that is the origin of all Indian instruments) – or showing every subtle facet of the raga he plays, not merely its “pakkar” (essential distinguishing phrase).
Rare talent
Unfortunately the Ustad was not in his best form, having broken two ribs, and later, having contracted a cold and fever. Yet for the bulk of the audience, his performance was not judged by his current form, but an eager desire to hear mastery that is now very rare. He started with a favourite of his – raga Bageshwari – in which he played an aalap and a brief jor jhala.
Current musicians usually harp on the sweet phrases of Bageshwari and do not try to present the raga in its starker, sombre, regal presence. But Ustad Aashish Khan plays only correct music, and shows the pristine shakal (face) of the raga, he does not bring in sugary sweet meends for greater audience appreciation. So his presentation of Bageshwari had simplicity, unadorned gauntness and a grandeur that was most unusual and very pleasing. There was a lyricism that was not contrived. The use of notes was akin to that of a dhrupad presentation rather than a khayal. He is not afraid to dwell on a note without movement in it.
Accomplished accompaniment
Shiraz Ali aided him hugely throughout the concert, deftly proceeding in the slow note by note build up of the edifice of the raga in all its magnificence. The frequent use of the mohra to signify the conclusion of a musical idea is nowadays rarely heard by modern instrumentalists who do not give importance to it. The pakhawaj accompaniment during the jor was invigorating and vibrant, and is reviving an old tradition that the rababiyas and sarodiyas followed in the past – it was later made more known and popular by Pandit Ravi Shankar. Different jhala bols, albeit brief, were the most pleasing.
The next choice of raga was puzzling, as raga Kirwani is a new entrant to the Hindustani music. The Ustad played a rather simplistic teen taal gat in Kirwani – in which the major emphasis was on the laya play between the tabla and pakhawaj. This was a trifle disappointing as one wanted to hear the Ustad and his nephew.
The concluding piece, as he described it as “a bit of a surprise for you” was raga Bhairavi. The surprise was that his disciple Rishi joined the jugalbandi, on the guitar. They played two gats both in teen taal; the drut gat was an old Senia bandish.
