MUMBAI: 'NCPA presents' Nad Ninad guided listening sessions on Ali Akbar Khan, on Thursday 29th December, 2011 - 6.30pm, in collaboration with the Indian Musicological Society

This is a programme that makes available to lovers of Indian music some of the priceless archival recordings of the great masters of music. This month we present the music of Ali Akbar Khan, whose depth of musicianship and unparalleled mastery over the sarod made him a legend in his lifetime.

Born in 1922, in East Bengal (now Bangladesh), Ali Akbar was trained by his father, the legendary Allauddin Khan, and gave his first public concert in Allahabad at the age of 14. While still in his twenties he was appointed as a court musician in Jodhpur. After that he moved to Mumbai and then to Kolkata, finally settling down in the USA. The sarod style created by Allauddin Khan was further developed by Ali Akbar Khan. His duo (jugalbandi) performances with his brother-in-law Ravi Shankar paved the way for experimentation in the field of instrumental music. Ali Akbar made over a hundred commercial recordings, including several 78 r.p.m. records. He recorded numerous ragas, some of which are his own creations, notably Gauri Manjri, Lajwanti, Chandranandan and Madhavi, and various fusion albums. The master also composed music for films such as Andhiya, Devi, Hungry Stone and Little Buddha.

Ali Akbar Khan's contribution as a teacher is equally impressive. In 1968, the Ali Akbar College of Music was established in California where he trained many Western students. In recognition for his contribution to Indian music in the West, he received many awards including the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.

This session will be jointly presented by Aashish Khan, son and disciple of Ali Akbar Khan, and Ken Zuckerman, senior disciple of the maestro.