Tradition

Tradition brings together three generations of legend: sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan, his son Hidayat Khan on sitar, and Ustad Zakir Hussain on tabla.

The album opens with Raga Marwa, a sunset raga of intense, searching character: an alap of almost 11 minutes, then a gat in teental where sitar and tabla build together. The second half is a 35-minute ragamala in Khammaj that moves through a garland of melodies and ends in a Bhatiyali dhun, from the boatmen’s songs of Bengal.

Vilayat Khan was one of the most distinguished musicians India has produced, creator of the gayaki ang, the singing style of sitar. Hidayat Khan learned from his father from the age of four. Zakir Hussain was the most celebrated tabla player of his time. A rare document of father and son with one of the great percussionists. Released by Aimrec in 2010 (AIMCDIM901).