Passing on the Tradition [Live]

Ali Akbar Khan | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 3, 1998)
• Original Release Date: October 15, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Ammp Records
• ASIN: B000005FNK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,938 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Master of the Razor's Edge, July 26, 2009

By 

Dr. Debra Jan Bibel "World Music Explorer" (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Passing on the Tradition (Audio CD)

By the mid 1990s, Ali Akbar Khan's public perfomances in the San Francisco Bay Area had grown from intimate venues to large auditoriums, and he performed often. This live recording is from one such occasion in May 1995. The first raga on the album is a late evening mode, Marwa. [George Harrison used this scale in his "Marwa Blues".] There are only 6 notes to the scale, both ascending and descending. On the sarod, it is difficult to play, since two open strings must not sound and care must be taken in improvisation lest phrases may sound "off" and the emotional level of the piece may be broken. But to provide musical interest and value, risks must be taken and, here, Ali Akbar Khan meets the challenge, as we expect from the great master. Listening closely to the raga, we can hear him skirt disaster. Marwa is restricted to the alap, the first, rhythm-free section. When the tabla of Swapan Chaudhuri enters, Khan shifts to the combined raga Puriya Kalyan. The mood also changes from heroic devotion to joyful peace.

The title of the album, Passing on Tradition, refers to the guru-student lineage of a musical style from the 16th century emperor's court musician; eventually to Mohammed Wazir Khan; to Ali Akbar Khan's father Allaudin Khan; to Ali Akbar Khan, Khan's sister Annapurna Devi, and also to Ravi Shankar; and then to Khan's own sons, Aahish Khan and Alam Khan. Receiving a Grammy nomination, this album presents the school's style in fine fashion.