Ustad Vilayat Khan - Live In Montréal June 30, 1978
Ustad Vilayat Khan was probably the most talented sitar player of the 20th century. If Ravi Shankar was the most popular out of India, Vilayat's style was surely more impressive. His ability to make the sitar sounding like a voice have no equal. In indian classical music the voice is the reference, as said the famous benkar Ustad zia Mohiuddin Dagar:
-"voice is king, instruments is minister".
The sitar of Ustad Vilayat Khan was often reaching the level of the king, it is particularly true in this massive concert.
Ustad Vilayat Khan have recorded many albums but it is on stage that he is incredibly great. Despite an important discography most of his albums are studio recordings, he didn't like very much to be recorded live.
Last but not least, he refused almost all the distinctions that the various musical academy in India offered to him, considering that those institutions were not able to appreciate his music. For a while he also refused to play for the all India radio.
01 Raga Marwa, alap/jor/jala & composition
02 Raga Bageshree alap/jor/jala & composition
03 Raga Bhairavi alap/jor/jala & composition
04 Raga Miyan Ki Malhar (incomplete)
-Ustad Vilayat Khan: Sitar
-Avtar Singh tablas
A Second sitar player can be heard on both ragas Bageshree and Bhairavi, it is probably his son Shujaat Husain Khan who had eighteen at this time and who was already his disciple.
Recorded on June 30, 1978 in Montréal except Raga Miyan Ki Malhar recorded in Chicago in 1980
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16 comments:
https://1fichier.com/?c6c9pf4nkseac9uw41qa
One could argue that Nikhil Banerjee was at least his equal but that would be just splitting hairs. Any posts from those great masters is always welcome. Thank you.
@Farosaenderson
You are totally right, in fact when I wrote the text I had in mind the popularity of Ravi Shankar and wanted to mean that the notoriety is not always equal to the musical importance but I forgot Nikhil Banerjee who is also one of my favorite I particularly appreciate the lowest tone of his sitar, something that is not present on the sitar of Vilayat Khan. I can't post anything of Pandit Nikhil Banerjee because I only have regular recordings. I can suggest all his discography still available on raga records, all live and all great.
my preference goes to Nikhil Banerjee, exactly for that lowest tone and a unique touch. Of corse just a matter of personal taste.
I don't know if links are still alive at https://oriental-traditional-music.blogspot.com/search/label/Nikhil%20Banerjee if not I can reup, I guess it is also a way to keep alive all the job and knowledge that tawfiq share with us.About Vilayat Khan I have some Performances Recorded by His Students a double CD I thought I got it from tawfiq too, but it is not present on OTM, so if there is interest i can upload it.
But Vilayat Khan have also sometimes a low tones on his sitar, a very low tone: Imrat Khan :) In fact for some years listening to Vilayat Khan was a bit difficult to me, i found his sound very hard and spartiate but after repeating listen I discovered his melody that is concentrated on very few notes.
Unfortunately all the links of oriental traditional music are dead now. If the sound quality is good I would be interested to hear the recordings of Vilayat Khan that you talk about Magogiallo.
@ correct silence sorry I did a mistake when I archived the files, the recordings I was talking about is not by Vilayat Khan, but this one https://oriental-traditional-music.blogspot.com/2016/08/vilayat-hussain-khan-1895-1962-great_11.html.
As the tawfiq links are dead I should have the most of them, I have a couple of VK live recordings, both at Royal Festival Hall in London, one recorded in 1994 with Sabir Khan and the other in 1993 with Shujaat Hussain on surbahar and Sabir Khan on tabla. Probably you already have them.
Thank-you so much
@Magogiallo
Checking all the Vilayat Khan published by Taofiq i don't see the two you are talking about. If the one with Shujaat Khan contains raga Shahana & Bageshree, it is an official recording, the other I don't know.
@ correct silence sorry I didn't explain well, both the live at royal festival hall are not on OTM and are official recordings, the one with SK is the one you know, the other one is this https://www.discogs.com/Ustad-Vilayat-Khan-Raga-Hameer/release/9781876. exist also a different edition, I don't know if they are available on the market.
The duet between Vilayat and his son is really good, there is just a problem of mixing in my opinion because the surbaar of Shujaat Khan is a bit behind. For the second cd there are still few copies left on the market but they are second hand, I think I will buy one. Both have been published on navras records, it was a good label but it seems that this label is not operating anymore, one more victim of the very bad music business.
I guess, as Navras doesn't exist anymore, I could upload it, unless you prefer to buy it. I am checking my HD, also this is an official live recording https://www.discogs.com/Aftaab-E-Sitar-Ustad-Vilayat-Khan-Dhyaan-Raag-Maand-Bhairav/release/11891947 and this is a very interesting recording https://www.discogs.com/Ustad-Vilayat-Khan-Inayat/master/1131682 still on Navras.
not all the links are dead at https://oriental-traditional-music.blogspot.com
the mediafire links and the dropbox links are still active. the adrive links appear to be dead.
thanks correct silence for this one.
i like both sitarists being discussed they are so different players
roberth
@Magogiallo
yes of course you can post the Vilayat Khan on navras because they are out of print. my opinion was just for my personal choice, I always try to have the physical cd when it is possible. I think I will buy one or two of the ones that you have due to the fact that Ustad plays without the supporting tampura, it is unconventional but I appreciate it.
Anyone who is interested in the Oriental Traditional Music Blog links should check out this for details of a mirror site:
http://www.flatblackandclassical.com/2020/04/the-oriental-traditional-music-blog-is.html
Sorry...I can't find the recording.
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