The playing style of Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan derives from Benares, a city that evokes the divine romance and enigmatic mystery of this unique instrument. This eloquent performance was recorded at the world renowned Saptak festival in Ahmedabad, Gujarat whose listeners were transported back to Benares by the majestic sound of Shehnai
Artist:
Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan - Shehnai
Ahmed Abbas Khan - Shehnai
Hasan Haider Khan - Shehnai
Sandip Banerjee - Tabla
Pallab Chatterji - Surpeti
Birishwar Bhomik - Dukkad
Ahmed Ali - Sur Mandal
Raag Gorakh Kalyan
1 Alap 15.18
2 Alap-Jhor 6.55
3 Gat 39.26
Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan is one of India's finest Shehnai players sustaining a tradition that has enriched Hindustani culture for generations. His melodious, fluent style disguises the immense technical difficulty which lies behind the art of shehnai playing. This live recording from Saptak 2008 features a lyrical rendition of Raag Gorakh Kalyan, capturing all of the emotional intensity and heartfelt joy of Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan's music.
Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan was born in Kolkata on March 21st, 1939. His Grandfather, the late Ustad Wazir Ali Khan of the Benares Gharana, was one of the very first musicians to promote Indian Classical Music in the West, performing at Buckingham Palace in 1910. Ali Ahmad received his training from his maternal uncle, the late Ustad Nazir Hussain Khan and his paternal uncle Late Ustad Imdad Hussain Khan. Their playing style derives from Benares, a city that evokes the divine romance and enigmatic mystery of the Shehnai. Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan's first performance was held in All Bengal Music Conference in 1956.
The origins of the Shehnai, often referred to as India's oboe, are a matter of debate.It possibly originated in the Kashmir Valley, as a derivative of the pungi, a woodwind folk instrument used primarily for snake charming. It has also been linked to the Persian Nai, depicted in Egyptian tombs as early as 3000 BC. The word Shehnai is derived from two Persian words, namely, 'shah' (king), and 'nai' (flute). Whatever its origins, the shehnai has developed a significant role in Indian culture and spiritual practice, being widely played in temples at the time of early morning and evening prayers. Shehnai has also become associated with Indian weddings, where it is thought to bring good fortune for the newly weds. Its' use in Classical music is a relatively recent phenomenon propagated by just a handful of maestros from the mid- twentieth century onwards.
The Shehnai is a quadruple-reed wind instrument measuring 45 to 60cm in length, widening towards the lower end where it is fitted with a brass bell called Pyala. It usually has nine sound holes. Seven of these are used for playing while the remaining two are left open to create a drone effect. The reed is made from a slender grassy weed called narkat, which apparently can be procured only from a particular pond in Old Bhojpur, a village in the Buxar district of Bihar!
The performance begins with a soulful Alap, a traditional way to open a classical music recital. Alap is an improvised exposition of some of the main phrases of the raag, played without any restrictions on metre or tempo. The first part of the Alap centres around notes on the lower part of the scale, gradually including notes from the higher register. Through the meditative Alap, the artist strives to capture the essence of the chosen raag. Jhor is an extension of the Alap movement, with the introduction of a gentle pulse.
As the concept of raag defines the melodic aspect of Indian classical music, rhythm is defined by taal (or tala), a rhythmic cycle with a specified number of beats and a particular way of dividing those beats. In this recording the composition is set to teentaal, a popular rhythmic cycle of sixteen beats, divided 4.4.4.4.
Indian classical music is essentially improvised within the framework of certain rules. A Raag must have a minimum of five notes, which ascend and descend in a prescribed manner. A hierarchy also exists within each raag, so that some notes command more attention than others. That is why there can be two or more raags using the same notes (e.g. Bhopali and Deshkar), with completely different moods. Sa and Ma (the first and fourth notes in the scale) are particularly important in Gorakh Kalyan, while Komal Ni (the seventh note) is an important resting note.
Throughout the recital, Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan is joined by his son Hasan Haider Khan and his disciple Ahmed Abbas Khan, whose playing suggests a bright future for the instrument. Birishwar Bhomik features on Dukkad, a rarely heard pair of drums used almost exclusively to accompany the Shehnai. Other instruments featured on stage are Surpeti, a wooden box similar in design to harmonium with a sustained and resonant drone; and Swar Mandal, an Indian harp-like instrument with up to 36 strings. Tabla accompaniment comes from Sandip Banerjee, a Calcutta based player who studied from the age of seven under eminent tabla masters Pandit Kanai Dutta and Pandit Sanjoy Mukherjee. He has specialised in the Farukabahd gharana of tabla playing, one of the six established playing styles in the North Indian sub-continent. He is well renowned for his graceful and sensitive tabla accompaniment as well his powerful and energetic solo performances. The success of the performance is largely based around the team ethic of the accompanists and their ability to provide a solid base over which Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan treats us to a succession of eloquent Shehnai phrases.
Notes: John Ball
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