Renowned classical Indian musicians Amjad Ali Khan and sons play Albuquerque

Sarod grand master Amjad Ali Khan and his two sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, will perform at St. John’s United Methodist Church on the evening of Friday, May 23.

Ustad (maestro) Khan gave his first recital at the age of 6 and has been performing internationally since the 1960s.

“Khan is one of (the) last legends of Hindustani classical music,” Guardian music critic John Lewis wrote in 2019. “He is also the world’s best-known player of the sarod — a stockier cousin of the sitar, with a deep resonant tone.”

Khan has received numerous awards over the decades, including a Grammy Award, a UNESCO Award, multiple honorary doctorates and the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honor.

“My two sons, Amaan and Ayaan, are also very famous, established musicians,” Khan said.

The family has performed together at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Institution and WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) festivals on multiple continents. Recently, they performed on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert series, along with Grammy-winning classical guitarist Sharon Isbin.

“It was amazing,” Khan said of the Tiny Desk experience. “We really enjoyed that interaction.”

Khan joined the faculty of the University of New Mexico in 2016 as a visiting professor, and he said he looks forward to returning to Albuquerque.

“I’m just missing Albuquerque,” Khan said. “I spent so much time there while doing my residency at the University of New Mexico.”

Khan believes his ancestors invented the sarod, although that claim is difficult to prove. What’s indisputable is that his family has had an outsized influence on South Asian music for many generations. He can trace his lineage back to Ramtanu, popularly known as Mian Tansen (“the Learned One”), a celebrated 16th century musician in the court of Emperor Akbar.

“We are just humble representatives of Tansen,” Khan said. “He was a legendary musician.”

Emperor Akbar was one of the first leaders in the history of the world to promote interfaith dialogue and religious harmony, a mission that Khan and his sons continue through their music.

“Music doesn’t belong to any religion,” Khan said. “Like flowers, air, water, fire and fragrance, music is a precious gift of God.”

Khan’s broad-minded approach to religion extends to his personal life. Although he is a Muslim, his wife, Subhalakshmi Khan — Amaan and Ayaan’s mother — is Hindu.

“We believe in humanism,” she told Indian news site Awaz in 2021. “When you are an artist, you go to a different level of togetherness. Issues of caste, creed and religion do not hamper our life.”

Khan’s approach to the sarod is uniquely expressive, with a sound that resembles the human voice.

“When I’m playing, I’m singing through my instrument,” he said.

And while the music incorporates classical melodies and rhythms, it is always spontaneous.

“We improvise music like jazz musicians,” Khan said. “So, every concert is a new and fresh expression.”

Khan was proud to note that Ayaan has 12-year-old twin boys who are also sarod players. Although they won’t be joining the trio in Albuquerque this week, Khan said that they performed onstage together in New York last year.

“I am grateful to God that I can perform with my sons, and now with my grandchildren,” he said.

Renowned classical Indian musicians Amjad Ali Khan and sons play Albuquerque