Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Bangash, Ayaan Ali Bangash On Music And Forthcoming Performance

The city of Mumbai will witness a rare classical musical extravaganza as three generations of musicians from the legendary Bangash family will come together to perform on one grand stage this month. Sarod titan maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan will deliver a not-to-be-missed performance at Shanmukhananda Hall, Mumbai on February 16, 2023. He will be joined by his sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash as well as his grandsons Zohaan Ali Bangash and Abeer Ali Bangash.

The concert titled ‘Three Generations, One Nation’ in association with the Sarod Ghar-Museum of Musical Heritage witnesses the unique musical collaboration of three generations of artists and celebrates the journey of preserving India’s traditions and legacies. Marking a first of sorts, the concert will mark the debut public recital of the 10-year-old twin sons of Ayaan Ali Bangash, and the eighth generation of the Senia Bangash School musical lineage - Zohaan and Abeer who is the carrying forward the legacy of their grandfather.

One would witness soulful pieces such ‘Raag Purya Kalyan’, ‘Raag Bageshree’, ‘Raag Tilak Kamod’, and ‘Vande Mataram’ amongst others at this much-awaited musical soiree. In this conversation, Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan along with Amaan and Ali Bangash talks about why this concert is special in many ways and all about classical music.

Excerpts from the conversation:

1) What is it about classical music that makes you feel passionate and inspired

Amjad Ali Khan: My idea has always been to share the unique treasures of our artistic traditions and find a common ground to preserve the essence of Indian traditions and explore its musical DNA. Thus achieving a lot at both the cellular and cosmic levels. I cannot remember a particular day that I was initiated into the world of music. It was a part of me from as early as I can remember. Indeed, I can not think of a moment when music has been separated from my life.

Amaan: The journey called life evolves you. It’s the combination of experiences, the highs the lows, all of that combined is what you are or even what your music is. I always question my musicality and my thoughts. I am in a constant search to keep challenging myself and doing things differently.

Ayaan: All your highs and lows of life are reflected in your music as your music is who you are so the journey itself is the greatest inspiration. I reality is that you are a student till the last day you walk this planet. You aren’t the first or the last. You are only a humble custodian of an art form that is a timeless journey of legacies and traditions.

2) How has Indian classical music evolved over the years in India and the west? What are some of the developments or trends one can look forward to?

Amjad Ali Khan: These seven notes are the 'alphabet' of a universal 'language'. Of the seven notes, the first and the fifth are fixed while the remaining notes have sharps and flats, making a total of 12 notes. Music has been in practice for at least 5000 years, yet we have not been able to discover a 13th note! Musicians and listeners of music have been communicating with each other across all barriers through this 'language' from time immemorial. As we use flowers in worship, welcoming, honouring, departure, and celebration no matter what our race, origin, religion, or language, we similarly arrange musical notes into 'bouquets' or compositions that display all our human feelings and emotions.

Amaan: Musical vibrations can convey moods and emotions and have the ability to mould and shape our consciousness. Different types of music can have different effects on the mind-both positive and negative. Our mind is like any living organism. It must be nurtured and needs stimulation to develop and grow. Music is one of the most important 'foods' for the intellect. Each musical note is connected to this most important part of our minds.

Ayaan: I’m all for change and relevance. However, a trend is just a trend. Therefore the magnitude of sustainability is very bleak. Now we have come to 30-second reels but that doesn’t mean that the takers for a 6-minute track are gone. So the changing times impacts who we are as a human being and as people because music is a reflection of who we are. Therefore anything that works is because it’s liked and loved so we have to respect that. The universal concept of togetherness and unity has a beautiful message throughout the world. Today, the audience knows what they like and also what they don’t like… As long as it’s appealing, you are sorted.

3) Would you like Indian classical music to garner more of a mainstream music pedestal in the coming times given that it's still a very niche genre of music? 

Amjad Ali Khan: Music has many faces. Conversation, recitation, chanting, and singing are all part of the music. Music can be either vocal or instrumental. Vocal music appeals to most of us because of its poetical or lyrical content. Instrumental music on the other hand, such as what I play on the Sarod, is pure sound. It needs to experience and felt. Since there are no lyrics, there is no language barrier between the performer and the listener, and that is why instrumental music transcends all barriers.

Ayaan: Let’s understand that this was always a genre meant for intimate gatherings however the game changers of the field made it accessible to a whole new world but getting it to concert halls and now even stadiums. So the field is at the peak of its powers. However, let’s not compare cricket with chess or sushi with butter chicken.

4) Has the classical music industry changed in the post-pandemic world about tours and audience participation amongst other things?

Amaan: Like all industries, even the music insisted has reinvented itself and has adapted to so many new facets to its ongoing way forward. Even now, some venues like Carnegie Hall need a Covid test for artists, just to be safe. It’s been a challenge for Festivals and venues but now thankfully things are almost back to normal. One only has gratitude that we can be back in the row and do what we love doing.

Ayaan: I think the industry has been a trooper in the times the world went through. Many venues did hybrid events with like audiences and online links. Change is a constant phenomenon so I do see every era making live vents their own and giving it a new spin.

5) How would you describe the 'One Nation, Three Generations' concert and how did this come about? What makes it special for the Bangash family?

Amjad Ali Khan: I am so glad that my grandchildren Zohaan and Abeer can present their first public performance in Mumbai, on February 16, a city that has hosted generations of our family. They need blessings and love to take forward the precious gift of music. Teaching music is an incomparable journey where the guru leads you from the visible to the invisible, from the material to the divine, and from the ephemeral to the eternal.

Amaan: The responsibility of taking forward a legacy puts a certain kind of pressure on children. I do feel that standards and expectations are quite set. They are so blessed to get so much love from all music lovers. I feel so thrilled to be performing on stage with both my twin nephews. They are both the love of our lives and we feel so blessed to see them start performing with us.

Ayaan: Zohaan and Abeer are very blessed to have received so much love and blessings from music lovers so early in their life. They are also so fortunate to be sitting on stage alongside their grandfather. I really hope that they build their own legacy and take forward the universal message of the music. This is just a beginning for them to seek blessings and refine their craft which itself is a big blessing. I am so grateful. During the lockdown, I was able to spend a lot of time with Zohaan and Abeer and that was great progress for them, musically. They played their first track, called Our Love, for my father's birthday in 2020, which was the greatest birthday present for him.

6) How does it feel performing with one another and preserving the sanctity of your musical lineage?

Amjad Ali Khan: Music is who we are and our nature reflects in our music. If we focus only on the music, this is a meeting of living musicians across cultures and it is as feeling human beings that we can understand and appreciate each other and thereby heal this divided world, and what better way is there to achieve this ideal than through the joy and spiritual nourishment that music brings.

Amaan: Growing up in a household where the language spoken was of music, the air we breathed was that of music so we took the shape of a vessel just like water. Our father being a traditionalist who is adaptable to change. Though our father has been a very strict traditionalist, he’s always believed in adapting to change. In all honesty, Indian classical music has no rules about how it should be presented or executed. That’s very individualistic.

Ayaan: The relationship with our father was more Father-Son than Guru-Student initially. Of course the change in role for us and for him to guru to father and back to the guru is somewhat effortless; He has been the most patient teacher and the most loving father. Abba saheb’s teaching and philosophy is beyond music. Music is who we are and our nature reflects in our music. It’s a blessing to be on stage with my father. I make humble suggestions but it’s entirely up to him to agree or not. Though, he’s very open to it. It’s different with my brother. Any form of music is individualistic and till you play solo you'll never know what is good and what is bad. Our mother’s role has been immense in our lives. Being an artist herself who learnt from the great Rukmini Devi Arundale, she sacrificed her career for the family. Today what we are, and who we are is all her contributions. As our father says, a mother is every child’s first guru.

7) What can the audience expect from this wonderful upcoming performance?

Amjad Ali Khan: This is just kind of making music lovers meet the new additions to our ensemble. They have a long journey depending on what they eventually do in life and everything. They are playing today, they are working hard, and they enjoy themselves, which is most important. Their parents haven't forced them. But they need everyone's blessings and good wishes.

8) Your favourite touring destination or concert of all time and why?

Amjad Ali Khan: Every region, continent, and country has its own magic, colour, and charm. It’s very hard to choose one.

Amaan: needless to mention, the validation from your own country is special but I enjoy performing all over the world as every venue has its own magic.

9) Who is your biggest inspiration currently from the music industry?

Amjad Ali Khan: My father and guru Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan who was extremely far-sighted and ahead of his times as an artist. Along with him, all his contemporaries whom I have mentioned in my book Master on Masters.

Ayaan: All cultures and artists of so many genres have inspired us no end, however closer to home, we mentioned all our inspirations in our book 50 maestros 50 Recordings released in 2010

10) What advice do you have for people entering this field now?

Amjad Ali Khan: The scene is extremely bright. The number of youngsters who have made music their profession are doing so well. I see so much talent that perhaps I hadn't seen twenty years ago. Young artists today are also very fortunate to have so many platforms wherein they can project their hard work and skill. I wish every youngster the very best in life to achieve their goal. Every era incorporates a new flavor and colour to an existing canvas. Music also finds a new method and new feel with every passing year. There is no method or technique to what is the right way as classical music is an oral tradition and no book or shashtra says how it should be executed. So, playing one Raga for two hours doesn't make you a genius! Appreciation for Indian Classical Music has been changing according to different eras. The Western world could manage and maintain the importance of Beethoven, Opera Choir singing, Jazz music, or Hollywood. Classical music is like Sun and Moon which will always be there. The Sarod today is in sync with both tradition and contemporary times

11) Tell us about your upcoming projects?

Amjad Ali Khan: The Rock and roll star Joe Walsh and I have come together with a 3 song EP named ‘Prayers’ as a tribute to doctors, frontline workers and for everyone who is going through these trying times. It's a wonderful project where the East meets West with an idea to bring the spirit of sharing the great unique treasures of their own artistic traditions, as well as finding common ground at both the cellular and cosmic levels of two musical traditions, which are often held to be radically different. I am also currently a visiting Professor at the University of Chicago. I look forward to my Tour in the US with Sharon Isbin and also to my collaboration with Atlanta Symphony.

Amaan: We recently released Sand and Foam with our collaborator and Grammy winner Kabir Sehgal. We have fused East and West artistic traditions and turned to the eclectic works of Kahlil Gibran, the Lebanese writer, and painter, for inspiration. The album and almost all tracks are named after Gibran's works. The eight tracks are an unfolding fusion of classical Indian music, with jazz harmonies, trap drums, and neo-synths. Special guest appearances by Claudia Acuna (vocals), Latin Grammy nominee; Tivon Pennicott (sax); Caliph (rap), Oran Etkins (saxophone), Malini Aswathi (vocals), Sudha Raghunanthan (vocals).

Ayaan: We just released Music for Hope a few days ago where we are partnering with the brilliant, multiple Grammy nominee, Chinese pipa soloist Wu Man. This cross-cultural project supports the AAPI (Asian-American and Pacific Islander) movement, raising awareness to the discrimination, victimization, violence, and racism this group has been subjected to in America. I also look forward to our concerts going on in the US and in Europe in the coming months.