Saturday, June 30, 2012

Hassan Kassa'i (1928-2012) - Iran - Le Ney - LP published in France in 1973



Hassan Kassa'i, the great Iranian master of the Ney, passed away on 14 June 2012. 
Hassan Kassa'i was born on 25 September 1928 in Isfahan, Iran, and died on 14 June 2012 (aged 83) in his home town Isfahan. He was considered the greatest master of the Iranian Ney, an end-blown reedflute, of the century. He started learning the Ney from Mehdi Navai at the age of 12. He also learnt the basics of traditional Persian music and the Radif from master Abolhassan Saba. As he was an exceptional improviser, his performances always sounded fresh. Amongst his best students are Mohammad Mousavi and Hossein Omoumi.
In the last ten years more then 15 CDs of his music have been published in Iran, some with recordings from the 1960s or early 1970s, some with recent recordings. They can be obtained from: info@raga-maqam-dastgah.com
See also his website: http://www.kassaimusic.ir


Here we present in his memory his only LP published in the west:






Side A:
Dastgah-e Shour (22:33)


Side B:
Dastgah-e Mahour (23:14)



Monday, June 11, 2012

Mohammed Sharif Khan Poonch Wala on Vichitra Veena and Raza Been (Rudra Veena) - EMCP-5041 (1976) - LP from Pakistan


The legendary Sitar player Mohammad Sharif Khan Poonchhwala (1923-1980) was also a great Vichitra Veena player and a Raza Been (Rudra Veena) player. Here a wonderful LP by the Ustad playing these two instruments. Sitar he learned from his father Ustad Rahim Bakhsh Khan, who himself was a student of Ustad Imdad Khan. The Vichitra Veena he learned from Ustad Abdul Aziz Khan Beenkar.

Tabla: Shaukat Hussain Khan

Side 1:
1. Raag Mian Ki Todi on Vichitra Veena (12:39)
2. Raag Dais (Desh) on Raza Been (12:28)


Side 2:
1. Raag Jay Jay Wanti on Vichitra Veena (11:32)
2. Raag Bairveen on Vichitra Veena (12:41)




Musical lineage
Ustad Sharif Khan died on May 26 in 1980 and his 32nd barsi went unnoticed among the music circles of the country
By Sarwat Ali
Traditionally barsis are held to honour the memory of the ustad and provide an opportunity for other musicians to express their homage. And what better way can there be of paying a tribute than in the language of music. Barsis over the centuries have become the biggest platform for performance and recognition of the significance of music lineage.
These barsis ideally should be organised by the shagirds and the connoisseurs of music and then made into a regular affair through some systematic arrangement but it has been seen that the onus of celebrating/observing these barsis falls on the progeny of the ustad. If the progeny is enterprising and has done well in life the level of the barsi programme is reasonably high and the occasion holds some promise. But if it has not fared well then the barsi is either never held or if held fizzles out to such a sorry end that one wished that it had never been held in the first place.
Not only in the case of musicians but the other celebrated individuals, writers, poets or public figures, the barsis are usually held by the progeny or extended family of the individual. The progeny is in a certain fix in this arrangement, for if the family is involved it exposes itself to all kinds of accusations and possible slander like capitalising on the fame of an ancestor for enhancing its own status and glorifying the lineage. But if they do not venture forward then no one else does and the society is deprived of the positive fallout of the event.
The immediate family of Sharif Khan lives in Lahore but the only child who made a name for himself in sitar playing Ashraf Sharif Khan moved to Germany where he has lived now for more than 15 years. He occasionally visits Pakistan to meet his family and to possibly play at a couple of concerts in the various cities of the country. When he lived in Pakistan he was able to motivate a few connoisseurs of music and admirers of Ustad Sharif Khan to organise some event to remember and honour his father’s contribution to the sitar and vichitra veena but since he moved out of the country the annual event is now more conspicuous by it not being held.
Ustad Sharif Khan was born in Hissar which is now in Haryana, probably in the third decade of the 20th century and after dabbling with the tabla and harmonium became a musician at the court of the Maharaja of Poonch. He followed the path treaded by his father Ustad Rahim Bakhsh Khan who too was associated with the state of Poonch, and according to some was the ustad of the maharaja himself.
A virtuoso himself, Ustad Rahim Khan was from a family of vocalists but had switched to the string instruments and became an outstanding instrumentalist under the tutelage of Ustad Imdad Khan, the grandfather of Ustad Vilayat Khan. Ustad Sharif Khan himself became the shagird of Ustad Inayat Khan, the son of Imdad Khan and hence the father of Ustad Vilayat Khan.
For Ustad Sharif Khan, the going was much tougher in Pakistan. He had established himself as a sitar player before partition but the lukewarm response and lack of appreciation of classical music made him look for other avenues to meet both ends. The film was the only platform that could pay him enough to survive and thus continue with his passion of exploring the musical range of both the sitar and veena. He was initially associated with Pandit Amarnath and after partition he found creative affinity with Khurshid Anwar and for whom he played the sitar and veena in his numerous compositions.
Ustad Sharif Khan spent long hours mastering the very difficult art of playing the veena. Nobody in his family was a veena player but when he was taunted by the nephew of Ustad Abdul Aziz Beenkar that it was almost impossible to play the vichitra veena he took it up as a challenge. The balance of both the hands and the technique to be applied had immense differences in the art of playing the two instruments but he switched from the one to the other with seeming ease. The graces in particular the meends so characteristics of the veena found their way when he took to playing the sitar seriously. These meends on the sitar expanded the musical possibilities inherent in the instruments. It can be said without fear of contradiction that no other sitar player has been able to achieve it.
Though he was given the Pride of Performance and Sitara-e-Imtiaz it was difficult for him to keep two ends meet. He really had to struggle hard and it was at the cost of his health. In most of the recordings he could not hold back his coughing and it also got recorded with his priceless music. Struggling to keep economically solvent in a society with only a qualified acceptance of music cost him dearly and he died in 1980 at the prime of his creative life.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Habib Ali Khan Beenkar (1898-1971) - Vichitra Veena - Raag Aimen and Raag Maroo Baihaag - ALPC. 13 - LP from Pakistan


Wonderful LP by Ustad Faqir Habib Ali Khan Beenkar, published in Pakistan probably beginning of 1970s.

Side 1:
Raga Aimen (Yaman) (27:15)


Side 2:
Raga Maroo Baihaag (Maru Bihag) ( 27:30)




A fantasic short video of Ustad Habib Ali Khan 
and Ustad Ahmedjan Thirakwa 1937:
Late Ustad Abdul Aziz Khan Beenkar (Patiala Gharana) (older brother of Habib Ali Khan)

The Vichitra Veena emerged towards the beginning of the twentieth century and is descended from the ektantri veena or the ghoshvati veena as it was known, prior to the 6th century. It shared the same sound production techniques as the ektantri. The credit of giving the vichitra veena its present shape and developing its modern style of playing goes to Abdul Aziz Khan, a former sarangi player of Patiala. Today, the vichitra veena remains a rare instrument, with not many artists who play this instrument.
In the beginning Abdul Aziz Khan used to play on the tanpura, putting an extra gourd on the upper side and placing the instrument in front of him. Slowly, with the help of many instrument makers, he gave shape to the instrument. In general appearance and structure, the rudra and vichitra veena look similar – the main difference being the production of sound.
The rudra veena has frets whereas the vichitra veena is a fretless zither. While playing, the rudra veena is held diagonally across the body of the player in such a manner that the upper gourd rests on the shoulder and the lower one rests on the thigh, whereas the vichitra veena is put in front of the player while playing. To produce notes, a paperweight or a rounded glass piece is held and slid upon the strings using the left hand.
Playing fretless instruments, especially with a slide, has to be precise by micrometers in order to get the right note. A minute deviation from the exact place will render it out of tune. Thus, it is rather difficult to play the fast passages on the vichitra veena, but pieces played at a poised and slow pace could be very rich and full of tonal beauty.
The vichitra veena is a rare instrument. There are not many artists who play this instrument. Besides, manufacturing the instrument is very laborious and also very expensive. Thus, there are not many instrument makers who can take up this tedious job.
Among the students of Abdul Aziz were Ahmed Raza Khan, Mohammad Sharif Khan Poonchwale and his own brother, Habib Ali Khan. In the sixties and seventies, Prof. Lalmani Misra attained fame in vichitra veena playing. Although influenced by Abdul Aziz’ technique, he developed his own style. Some of the other artists who are associated with this rare instrument are Lalmani’s son, Gopal Shankar Misra, Gopal Krishna Sharma, and Ramesh Prem.
 - Text includes inputs from "Classical Instruments of India" by Dr Suneera Kasliwal

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Ustad Sabri Khan - Sarangi - Cassette published 1989 in Pakistan



Side 1:
1. Raga Puriya Kalyan (13:19)
2. Raga Gorh Sarang (7:54)
3. Raga Misra Peelu (8:07)

Side 2:
1. Raga Pancham (7:26)
2. Raga Sham Kalyan (5:15)
3. Tabla solo: Teen Tal (5:29)
4. Raga Sri (3:55)
5. Raga Misra Khamaj (7:18)

Friday, June 1, 2012

Komiljon Otaniyozov (1917-1975) sings - Legendary singer from Khorezm, Uzbekistan - Vol. 2 - LP Melodiya M30-39685-86


Side 1:
1. Feruz (8:12)
2. Netay (3:32)
3. Talqini navo (Folk song from Khorezm) (5:23)
4. Salom hind xalqiga (3:40)

K. Otaniyozov, tar and voice
Folk instruments trio (1)
A. Akbarov, doira (1)


Side 2:
1. To’y keldi xorazmga (5:23)
2. Xush endi (3:58)
3. Muhammasi baxshi (4:40)
4. Xush keldingiz (Folk song from Khorezm) (2:40)
5. Sayyodxon (3:43)

K. Otaniyozov, tar and voice
I. Abdullaev, doira (1)
A. Akbarov, doira (2, 4)
B. Otajonov, doira (3, 5)




Apparently there is also a volume 3. Unfortunately we don't have that one.