Tag Archives: Ustad Fayaz Khan

A generous teacher

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Meerut, UTTAR PRADESH / Baroda, GUJARAT / NEW DELHI :

Perfection pursuitUstad Hashmat Ali Khan
Perfection pursuitUstad Hashmat Ali Khan

Tabla exponent Ustad Hashmat Ali Khan, passed away recently

The sudden demise of Ustad Hashmat Ali Khan, a renowned tabla exponent and a revered Guru of Ajrada Baaj, came as a shock to the music fraternity.Ajrada Baaj is one of the six main schools of tabla playing. Ajrada Gharana is known for or what is the specific ‘Nikas’ of the Bols in this style. The Aalap like Peshkar, the varied Quayedas of his Gharana, the Rela, Fard, Gat, Paran, where all three of them joined the demonstration together.

Many a times, Hashmat Ali Khan, would share his childhood memories of the Baroda Darbar, where his grandfather Ustad Shafi Khan was a ‘Mulazim’ as a musician like Aftab-e-Mausiqi Ustad Faiyaz Khan, the legendary vocalist of the Agra Gharana, Ustad Nisar Hussain Khan and Kanthe Maharaj. The ICCR had sent him to Gayana to teach the art of tabla and propagate Hindustani music there. He had joined the Bharatiya Kala Kendra, as a faculty member, way back in 1972. He remembered how Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan encouraged him to join this institution when Naina Devi interviewed him. As a thanks giving gesture, he used to go to his place after dinner, to make young Amjad (Ustad Amjad Ali Khan) practice sarod with his tabla Sangat.

Ustad Hashmat Ali Khan established the Tabla Academy of Ajrada Gharana in 2008 and trained a number of students including his own grandsons Zuheb, Zaheen and Zargham.

Remembering father

Ustad Akram Khan remembers him fondly. “We all had dinner and watched cricket together discussing the game. He was fond of cricket. He was so affectionate as a father but equally strict as a teacher. A strict disciplinarian, he would make us do regular riyaz at least for 4-5 hours a day. He took it upon himself to spread the Ajrada Baaj at home and abroad. He conceived the Peshkar and kayda, as a raga. As one does Badhat in raga sequentially (silsilewar) Rishabh, Gandhar, similarly in peshkar or kayda. Like in a raga, you cannot use swaras other than those prescribed for the raga.

“Unhone is Khazane ko baantne mein koi kanjoosi nahin barti”. He was not a miser in spreading the treasures of his Gharana. I only hope that the next generation takes benefit of all that he has bequeathed so generously!”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Friday Review / by Manjari Sinha / May 26th, 2017

Hindustani Sitar-Vocal Concert

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Mysuru, KARNATAKA :

Ustad Hafiz Balekhan is seen presenting a Sitar recital in city recently accompanied by Ustad Nisar Ahmed on Tabla and Pandit Harikrishna Purohith on Harmonium.
Ustad Hafiz Balekhan is seen presenting a Sitar recital in city recently accompanied by Ustad Nisar Ahmed on Tabla and Pandit Harikrishna Purohith on Harmonium.

Pandit Taranath Foundation is the brainchild of the famous Sarod Maestro Pandit Rajiv Taranath, who is its Managing Trustee – named after his father. Besides being a leading Sarod player himself, Rajiv Taranath has a penchant for organising music festivals in Hindustani style in Mysuru and Bengaluru.

He is presently stationed in Mysuru and organising three or four music programmes here every year, thus encouraging youngsters in the line and also with a sprinkle of stalwarts once in a way. He has pupils in America also and he visits that country every year. I have the privilege of offering a venue for small baitak kacheris in the first floor hall of my residence in Saraswathipuram (chairs and squatting capacity to about 80 connoisseurs). The sessions are usually in the mornings for two-and-a-half hours from 10 am onwards. I am beholden to Rajivji for this.

In the above series, the Foundation had organised a grand Hindustani Sitar-Vocal concert by the famous youngster Ustad Hafiz Balekhan on Sunday, the 25th instant, at the above venue. Ustad Hafiz is the younger brother of Ustad Rais Khan (settled in Pune) and the brothers give individual and duet concerts also. Ustad Nisar Ahmed from Dharwad gave Tabla support while Pandit Harikrishna Purohith was on the Harmonium.

Ustad Hafiz commenced his Sitar concert with a number in the beautiful ‘Ahir Bhairav’ Raga and delineated in detail all the beautiful strands of this number on the string instrument, over which he seems to have mastery. The next number was in raga ‘Pilu’ and came out very diligently. I do not know why it was that while he played Ahir Bhairav the only accompaniment was Tabla and Pandit Purohith joined him on Harmonium afterwards.

A ‘Thumri’ followed and was elegantly handled by the Ustad. A Ghazal “Chupke Chupke” followed in quick succession.

At this juncture, Pandit Taranath asked Hafiz Khan to turn to vocal keeping the string instrument on his lap for support and lo! a surprise sprang on the over seventy-five strong connoisseurs when the Ustad started to sing “Nara Janma Bandaga Naalige Iruvaga Krishna Enabarade,’ a Purandara Dasa number in Raga ‘Mishra Charu Keshi’. Wide applause greeted this number. This proves, if proof if necessary, that music knows no religion or language and we have ample evidence for this in our own Jesudas, American John Higgins Bhagavathar and Ustad Fayaz Khan, all of whom have enthralled the connoisseurs by their singing. The concert ended with the usual Bhairavi.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / December 29th, 2016