Alam Khan, The Sonic Prayer

Alam Khan talks about the Maihar gharana as taught by Baba Allauddin Khan, who taught Alam's own father, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and the late Pandit Ravi Shankar, both of whom took Indian raga music to every part of the world.

Yehudi Menuhin once described Alam's father as ‘the greatest instrumentalist of the 20th century.’ Being born into the finest Indian classical music family can be a curse. However, after his father’s passing Khan navigated his path through his father’s musical archives to become one of the most authentic sarod players.

In this special lecture demonstration, Khan talks about the ethos of his father; how he would approach raga playing as a form of spiritual inner work with his head bowed, praying to the cosmos. He believes his music isn’t about creating fireworks, but for audiences to feel the energy of the musician.