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Maestro Ali Akbar Khan Performs at July Retreat

by Duncan Soule

"I've never seen another human being who can become the music. And in whose company the music comes from everywhere." Swami Chetanananda

One of the highlights of our July retreat was a concert of Indian classical music performed by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, master of the sarod. He was accompanied by Pandit Swapan Chau-dhuri on tabla, his son Alam Khan on sarod, and his wife, Mary Khan, on tanpura. Khansahib learned the sarod from his father, Padmavibhushan Acharya Baba Allauddin Khansahib, starting at age three. He first performed in the United States in 1955 and made the first commercial recording of Indian classical music later that year. He has performed throughout the world and has received many awards and honors for his work. When he is not on tour, Khansahib maintains a busy schedule of composing, archiving, and teaching at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California.

Unlike European classical music, the music of India is largely improvised around a particular melody, scale, and rhythmic pattern. The music is never planned in advance. The pieces in a concert are chosen by Khansahib just before the performance, based on the time of day and the mood of the moment. As a result, it is not possible for the musicians to practice specific melodies in advance. They must be ready for anything. Khansahib routinely spends the day before a concert preparing himself by becoming very quiet and deeply open, so that he can be attuned to the highest vibration and make that experience available to us through his music.

The concert in Portland started with a piece called Hembihag, written by Khansahib's father. The mood of this rag is peace, pathos, and joy. It is based on a scale similar to the major scale in western classical music. It began with a long alap, a slow solo section played with great beauty and depth by Khansahib. Right from the start, Khansahib's amazing artistry and mastery of his instrument were revealed.

He was soon joined by Alam, who played a counterpart to his father's melody. It was a very sweet interaction, providing clear evidence of Alam's emerging skill and musicianship. As in our meditation practice, the student's attunement to the teacher is a vital part of the interaction, and the means by which the indescribable can be transmitted from teacher to student. Throughout the rest of the evening, there was a wonderful musical interplay between Khansahib and his son. At times Alam would reflect the melody played by his father in a lower register, and at times he would take the lead, creating his own variations on the theme.

After the alap, the sarod players were joined by Swapan on tabla. The music was never crowded or cluttered, reflecting the innate sensitivity of the musicians. As the tempo increased, Swapan got a chance to demonstrate his virtuosity and artistry as a soloist. He played some wonderfully fast and intricate passages without ever losing the subtlety and grace of the music. The rag ended with a series of dramatic exchanges between the players during which one literally felt the music take wing and fly.

After a short intermission, Khansahib returned to play a rag called Pilu, a light classical piece designated for the late afternoon or evening. Included in this performance was what Khansahib calls a "Ragmala" or garland of ragas, which links a number of related melodies to the principal melody of the piece, giving the musicians a wealth of melodic textures to draw from. The scale of Pilu is similar to the minor scale in western music. It began with a plaintive alap, started by Khansahib and embellished by Alam. Then Swapan joined in, and together they took us through varied musical landscapes, from sweet and introspective to fiery and intense.

As the piece came to a close, the audience jumped to its feet with joy and appreciation. We had all been given an experience of divine love, transmitted through the hands of a master musician. As Swamiji said the morning after the concert, "Listening to him is like listening to a mantra or prayer. Every one of us is still buzzing from the vibration of the music, and what an exalted vibration it is. It's just so beautiful." We thank Khansahib, Swapan, Alam, and Mary for an unforgettable evening, and look forward to their return to Portland next year.

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