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All Music Guide:
The youngest son of sarod player Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan, Amjad Ali Khan has continued to expand on his father's legacy. Performing as a soloist and in collaboration with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Charlie Byrd, Igor Frolav, Glenda Simpson, and Barry Mason, Khan has brought a global view to the sarod, a 25-stringed, violin-like, Indian instrument. While The Gulf Weekly claimed, "(Khan) is in a class by himself, born with rhythm in his soul and fingers," The Lincoln Journal Star wrote, "(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." In a review of a concert by Khan, The New York Times proclaimed, "(Khan) casts a kind of charm on audiences, sending out ripples of excitement." Tracing his family's roots to Mian Tansen, a 16th-century musician in the court of the Emperor Khan, Khan began playing the sarod at the age of ten. With his father as his guru, under the strict discipline of Guru Shisya Parampara, he advanced quickly. Performing his first concert at the age of 12, he was a nationally known celebrity in India within three years. Khan's wife, Subhalakshmi, a well-known Indian classical dancer, retired from performing following their marriage. In addition to recording many award-winning albums, including Raga Bhairav, which ranked among the Top 50 classical albums of 1995 by BBC Magazine, Khan has been featured in several documentary videos including the Canadian-produced Amjat Ali Khan in 1971, and Live Concert In Tokyo in 1989.
Wikipedia:
Amjad Ali Khan (Hindi: अमजद अली ख़ान; IAST: Amjad Alī Khān) (born 9 October 1945) is an Indian classical musician who plays the sarod. Khan was born into a musical family and has performed internationally since the 1960s. He was awarded India's second highest civilian honor, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2001.
Early life and career
khan was born in Gwalior on 9 October 1945 as Masoom Ali Khan, the youngest of six children, to Gwalior court musician Hafiz Ali Khan and Rahat Jahan. His family is part of the Bangash lineage and Khan is in the sixth generation of musicians; his family claims to have invented the sarod. His personal name was changed by a sadhu to Amjad. Khan received homeschooling and studied music under his father. His family moved frequently and Khan performed on the sarod from a young age.
Khan first performed in the United States in 1963 and continued into the 2000s, with his sons. He has experimented with modifications to his instrument throughout his career. Khan played with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and worked as a visiting professor at the University of New Mexico. In 2011, he performed on Carrie Newcomer's album Everything is Everywhere with his sons.
Recognition
Khan received the Padma Shri in 1975, the Padma Bhushan in 1991, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001, and was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 1989 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for 2011. He was awarded the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize in 2004. The U.S. state Massachusetts proclaimed April 20 as Amjad Ali Khan Day in 1984. Khan was made an honorary citizen of Houston, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee, in 1997, and of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2007. He received the Banga-Vibhushan in 2011. Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, who has shared his rich experience in Indian classical music in classes across the West, will now teach at the prestigious Stanford University. The music doyen will be part of a three-month programme on music that will have lessons in Sarod at the Ivy League institute in California. The programme will have lessons in Sarod as well.
Documentary
A Gulzar directed documentary on Amjad Ali Khan won Filmfare award in 1990.
Personal life
Khan cared for his diabetic father until he died in 1972. His family arranged a marriage, which failed, and Khan was married a second time, to Bharatanatyam dancer Subhalakshmi, on September 25, 1976. Subhalakshmi Barooah Khan is a native of Assam and has stopped performing. They have two sons, Amaan, the older one, and Ayaan, who were taught music by their father. Khan is a Muslim and his wife is a Hindu. Their family home in Gwalior was made into a musical center and they live in New Delhi.
