The Touch of Raga

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Late Ustad Dhyanesh Khan
Late Prof. Dhyanesh Khan, an Artist, Composer of Music and above all a great teacher (Guru) of Indian Classial Music was born in the legendary musical family, Dhyanesh Khan inherits the Traditional “Seni Gharana” music from his Grandfather Late Acharya Allauddin Khan sahab and father Ustad Ali Akbar Khan sahab. He received his rigorous initial training from his grandfather and father and later on from his aunt, Smt. Annapurna Devi.

With his rigorous training he soon established himself as one of the foremost “Sarod” player and performing artist. He had participated almost all the important Musical Festivals in the Country and abroad.

He had the privilege of performing with his father Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, brother Ustad Aashish Khan and Late Prof. Nikhil Banerjee and was appreciated for his talent. He also played “Duet” with eminent artists, to name a few, Late Pt. V.G. Jog, Late Pt. Indranil Bhattacharya, Pt. Monilal Nag and many others.

As a Solo performer, he toured USA, UK, Germany, France, Middle East, Bangladesh and many other countries in 1973, 1978, 1979 and 1983. He performed at various prestigious platforms such as Royal Albert Hall in London, Musee-Gimet in Paris and The Camden Music Festival in London. He had recorded a Long Playing Disk in West Germany.

He had composed music for Indian Films. In 1972, Sri Manna De and Smt. Asha Bhonsle sang with his tune for “Elephant Lore” and “Pratima” respectively and in 1991 he composed music for Oriya and Bengali feature films ---“Tara” and “Antareen”. He also composed music for the prize winning documentary on Chintamoni Kar “Graven Image”.

Apart from being a talented musician, he was also a great Teacher (Guru) of Indian Classical Music and his students have excelled in National Music Competition many times. He was associated with “Ali Akbar College of Music” and was a lecturer of Instrumental music in “Rabindra Bharati University”, Calcutta (Kolkata).

Ustad Aashish Khan

Ustad Aashish Khan is considered among the top handful of India’s greatest living Sarod players. His pedigree of training and lineage is unquestionable, having descended from the illustrious family of great musicians.

He was initiated into North Indian classical music at the age of 5 by his grandfather, the legendary Acharya Baba Allauddin Khan Sahab, exponent of the “Senia Beenkar” and “Senia Rababiya” Gharana. His talim (training) continues under the guidance of his father Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and his aunt, Smt. Annapurna Devi, presently the leading exponents of the “Senia Gharana”, in the Beenkar and Rababiya anga of the Druvapada style.

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He gave his first public performance at the age of 13, with his grandfather, on the All Indian Radio “National Program”, New Delhi, and in the same year, performed with his father and his grandfather at the “Tansen Music Conference”, Calcutta.

Besides his virtuosity as a traditional Sarod player, he was a pioneer in the establishment of world music genera, as founder of the Indo-American musical group “Shanti” in 1969/70 and later, fusion group, “The Third Eye”; and composed a Sarod Concerto in “Raga” form with Pandit Ravi Shankar, he has worked on many musical products for both film and stage, including Satyajit Rays’s “Apur Sangsar”, “Parash Pathar” and Sir Richard Attenborough’s film “Gandhi”. He has also worked with Maurice Jarre on John Houston’s film “The Man Who Would be King”, David Lean’s “A Passage to India”, and composed the music for Tapan Sinha’s films, “Joturgriha” and “Aadmi Aurat”.

He has collaborated with such diverse western musicians as John Barham, George Harrison, Ringo Star, Eric Clapton, Charles Lloyd, John Handy, Alice Coltrane, Emil Richards, Dallas Smith, Don Pope, Jorge Strunz, Ardeshir Farah, and the Philadelphia String Quartet.

His recordings include: The Wonder Wall, Young Master of the Sarod, California Concert, Sarod and Piano Jugalbandi, Shanti, Live at the Royal Festival Hall London, Homage, Inner Voyage, Monsoon Ragas, The Sound of Mughal Court, and the latest, Jugalbandi Sarod & Sarangi Duet, with Ustad Sultan Khan.

In 1989, he was appointed to the prestigious post of the Composer and Conductor for the National Orchestra (“Vadya Vrinda”) of All India Radio, New Delhi, succeeding such musical starwarts as Pandit Ravi Shankar and Pandit Pannalal Ghosh.

He is a respected guru and teacher, formerly on the faculties of the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California, and the University of Washington, Seattle. While pursuing a busy career as a concert artist and composer, he teaches students throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Africa, as well as India.

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