East meets West: Grammy winner Sharon Isbin teams up with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and sons

The music is an amalgamation of classics wherein listeners will get to witness the magical combination of the sarod and the classical guitar in an eclectic East-West fusion.
Sharon Isbin (Photo: IANS)
Sharon Isbin (Photo: IANS)

New Delhi, May 14 (IANSlife): A unique collaboration between sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, his sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash and multiple Grammy-winning classical guitarist Sharon Isbin, allows viewers to listen to the two music instruments being strummed together.

The album titled Strings for Peace is slated for release next week on the ZOHO label (ZM 202004).

The music is an amalgamation of classics wherein listeners will get to witness the magical combination of the sarod and the classical guitar in an eclectic East-West fusion, the organisers said.

"Each of the artists brings the spirit of sharing the great unique treasures of their own artistic traditions, as well as finding common ground in ragas and medieval modes. The idea is to achieve a cross-fertilisation at both the cellular and cosmic levels of two classical music traditions, which are often held to be radically different," Khan said.

The album's four tracks cover a wide range of expression, lyricism, colour and virtuosity. The ragas composed by Amjad Ali Khan receive their world premiere in settings for guitar and sarod: By The Moon-Behag, Love Avalanche-Mishra Bhairav, Romancing Earth-Pilu, and Sacred Evening-Yaman.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Sharon, who have known each other for over a decade, have contemplated a collaboration for years which has now come to fruition.

"It took a long time to get the right partners to realize this unique vision on the guitar. Our instruments have so many interesting similarities and differences. Combining the sarod and guitar results in an extraordinary blend. It's a pleasure and inspiration to perform with the finest. Strings for Peace is a beautiful compilation of music that successfully interweaves the rhythms of sarod and guitar. Listeners will experience a remarkable spiritual and emotional journey," Sharon Isbin shared.

"It's been a real pleasure and an honour to make this album with Sharon. She's a world-renowned artiste who recently won the award for Best Acoustic Guitarist and we've done many shows with her. We also had around 30 shows lined up together in the United States, which due to the ongoing situation will probably be postponed for next year. It's been an honour to work with her," says Amman Ali Bangash.

The recording will be released May 22. CDs and digital copies can be pre-ordered now from Amazon and other retailers.

Related Stories

No stories found.
Indulgexpress
www.indulgexpress.com