Customer Reviews

Thirakwa

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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The legend of tabla needs no introduction. I first heard this great man a very long time ago. To me, even if he just plays ""NA"", its enough. There is so much to learn just by listening to his style of presenting a bol. Some of the greatest bols of tabla like ""Dhira Dhira"" and ""Dha tita gida naga dhina naga"" come out so fluently that it amazes me. Even in his nineties, he played so much better than the modern tabla players. As we tabla players say, he had speed and weight. I dont care how old or how weak Thirakwa Khan saheb is. He is to me what pele is to football. The legend. The master. Thirakhwa.

The art of North Indian Classical Tabla drumming is seldom presented on recordings in the context of a full length, traditionally structured solo performance. This CD, recorded live in an intimate setting, gives the listener a front row center seat for a performance by one of the most legendary Tabla maestros of the twentieth century, Ustad Ahmedjan Thirakwa. All of the excitement and beauty of the recital can be heard here- the appreciative sounds of the audience, the comments by the maestro, and, above all, the phenomenal Tabla playing. Absolutely required listening for those with an interest in Indian Music, drumming, rhythm; and anyone with an adventurous ear! Many thanks to Simla House for this musical treasure.

The importance of Ahmedjan "Thirakwa" Khan to tabla drumming and North Indian classical music cannot be understated. The great master has inspired legions of today's top tabla players from Zakir Hussain to Nayan Ghosh with his remarkable skill, dexterity and dedication to his art. Unfortunately, he did not leave many solo recordings behind to share his genius with those of us who could not see and hear him during his peak years.

"Thirakwa" is a rare live recording of a solo performance from 1964 given before a small live audience in Bombay. The master mesmerizes an intimate gathering with an hour-long solo in the 16-beat cycle TEENTAL. The presentation is trademark Thirakwa Khan, with long elaborations of rhythmic themes and brilliant flights of improvisation where the master toys with tempo, rhythm and meter. The disc even includes oral recitation of 14 compositions by the maestro, which he then proceeds to play flawlessly. This is authentic tabla playing of the highest virtuosity. The small crowd alternates between shouts of astonishment and encouragement, adding another dimension to the performance. The recording truly captures the essence of a live tabla recital.

"Thirakwa" is a great archival-quality recording that belongs in the CD collection of anyone hoping to catch a sampling of the glorious heights to which rhythm can acheive. For tabla connoiseurs, this is a must-own.

- Ajit Acharya (webmaster, Tabla Gharana homepage: http://members.xoom.com/tablagharana/)

Ahmed jan khansaheb plays beautifully on this album. The one problem I have with this album is the rhythm. Othe rpeople have commented on this, however after carefully listening, you'll hear when Ahmedjan changes his timing from triplets to 16th notes, or others, the serangi player keeps speeing up or slowing down. in fact, There are many noticable spots where you hear the shift in rhythm. This is due in part to crappy serengi player....other part is that Ahmed khansaheb is either 84 or 74 in this recording.

This recording is excellent, crisp, and musical although transferred from a 1964 Swiss Audio recording. The ambience of a true "Mehfil" has been created and its a treat lasting over an hour. The best feature is the rich, bass sound of "Bayaan" (usally played with the left hand Tabla or Dagga)of Ustaad Ahmedjaan Thirakwa that would make affcionados teary-eyed! I listen to this recording all the time whenever time permits and would highly recommend it for Tabla learners all over the world.

Thirakwa is a venerable name in tabla circles. Very few of his recordings exist simply because of the time in which he actively played. Tabla playing has evolved considerably since his time so it is refreshing to hear a recording from Thirakwa's generation and contrast it with today's artists. Thirakwa was close to 70 years of age at the time of his recording. If you hear this recording, you will be amazed by the fact that a person of that age can play with such amazing clarity and dexterity. Recording quality is somewhat poor simply because of the lack of adequate technology. But one wouldn't buy this CD as much for the quality of the recording as for the quality of Thirakwa's playing and his knowledge. This recording is a compendium of rare compositions - a must have if you love tabla.

"This is one great CD. Thanks to the folks at Simla House for putting this out for us. Inspiring! It's like a window back into time. I felt like I was back in India sitting in someoines livingroom waching one of Indias greatest" This is a gotta-have CD for all interested in Indian music, drumming and the art of time!

Ahmedjan Thirakwa is widely recognized as the premier tabla soloist of the mid-Twentieth Century, yet he was seldom recorded. When two aficionados of Indian drumming meet, they often ask each other, "Do you have any Thirakwa recordings?" This usually leads to the exchange copies of ancient recordings which are themselves copies of older recordings of radio broadcasts or 78 rpm records. But now, thanks to the foresight of an ethnomusicologist in 1964 and the determination of a publisher in 1999, we can now enjoy a professionally recorded and beautifully rendered performance of Ahmedjan Thirakwa at his best. The recording is of a live performance before an intimate and knowledgeable audience, complete with appropriate exclamations. This new CD is a "must-have" for any world music or percussion collection.

.... ..."Thirakwa"'s playing on this recording is, in
many places, beautiful to me; however, it was recorded when he was
quite old, and he sounds somewhat awkward, even weak in some parts. I
still recommend this cd to those who are interested in tabla, but the
sound quality is poor, and the playing, though very fine, is not the
greatest ever recorded. ....

Some parts reveal awkwardness on the player's part, and the timbre of many of his strokes is not even. This man was not in his prime at the time of the making of this recording, if he was ever great as a technician (he has some famous compositions to his credit). He also had an annoying (to me) habit of playing very powerfully in slow parts, and skimming over rolls. While this may have been something which he would have done with any amount of technical ability, I think that it is likely that this habit stemmed from the coupling of his desire to play forcefully with his inability to combine speed with power. One more feature of the playing on this album which I find annoying is the uneven rhythm. I think that, rather than being what is usually thought of as bad time keeping, this unevenness is the result of emphases. Thirakwa is, to me, somewhat like a pianist who, in the name of "expression", never keeps a beat.