SWARA SADHANA: Ustad Abdul Haleem Jaffer Khan
A 75th Birthday Tribute
Ustad Abdul Haleem Jaffer Khan – Sitar
Sadashiv Pawar - Tabla
Raga Zilla Kafi
1. Alap
2. Gat in vilambit teentaal, gat in drut teentaal
3. Gat in drut teental (continued)
The Music
Raga Zilla Kafi: This performance features the romantic, thumri-oriented raga Zilla Kafi. This is a hybrid of two light modes sharing the same scale, Kafi thaat, which has the 3rd and 7th notes flat (Ga and Ni komal). Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni
Ustad Abdul Haleem Jaffer Khan
This release is a welcome opportunity to hear the distinguished sitarist Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan in his prime. Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan was born in 1929 in Jawra, Madhya Pradesh. Through his teacher Ustad Babu Khan he traces his musical lineage to Ustad Murad Khan and Ustad Bande Ali Khan of the Indore beenkar gharana, a distinguished instrumental tradition with links also to khyal singers, particularly those of the Kirana gharana. Despite these connections, Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan has been known throughout his career as something of an individualist, an artist who added his own methods and techniques to the instrument's repertoire to produce a unique style. Since he adhered to the norms of neither the Maihar nor the Imdadkhani gharana (as exemplified by his contemporaries Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan respectively) his style has often been regarded as unsystematic, even erratic, yet none could deny his brilliance and artistry. He was awarded the prestigious Padma Shree in 1970 and the Sangeet Natak Academy award in 1987, amongst numerous other honours.
