Amjad Ali Khan

Amjad Ali Khan, youngest offspring of the sarod master Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan, has extended and enriched the artistic inheritance left by his parent. He has appeared both alone and alongside the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Charlie Byrd, Igor Frolav, Glenda Simpson, and Barry Mason, thereby imparting a worldwide outlook to the sarod, the 25-stringed, violin-like Indian instrument. The Gulf Weekly asserted, "(Khan) is in a class by himself, born with rhythm in his soul and fingers," while The Lincoln Journal Star noted, "(Khan is) famous for his elegant style and technique. After a lifetime of work on the instrument, he has breathed a new life to an ancient form." A New York Times concert review declared, "(Khan) casts a kind of charm on audiences, sending out ripples of excitement." His ancestral line reaches back to Mian Tansen, the 16th-century court musician of Emperor Khan; at the age of ten Khan began studying the sarod. His father served as guru under the exacting framework of Guru Shisya Parampara, and progress came swiftly. He delivered his debut recital at twelve and, within three years, had become a household name throughout India. After their marriage his wife Subhalakshmi, a well-known Indian classical dancer, stepped away from the stage. In addition to issuing many award-winning albums, among them Raga Bhairav, which BBC Magazine ranked among the Top 50 classical albums of 1995, Khan has been featured in documentary videos that include the Canadian-produced Amjat Ali Khan from 1971 and Live Concert In Tokyo from 1989.