Serenity

The shehnai (a double-reed wind instrument) has one of the richest and most mournful sounds in Indian music, but it’s a sound one associates almost exclusively with the late maestro Bismillah Khan, whose dedication and brilliance transported it from folk to classical music. His own descendants have shown little or no inclination towards his instrument so it’s great to see that the shehnai tradition is very much alive in other families. This recording features Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan, grandson of the late Wazir Ali Khan, who was reportedly the first musician to play the shehnai in London, early in the 20th century.

The three pieces played on this album are all very well suited to the shehnai – the light, romantic ‘Raga Jhinjhoti’ and the bright ‘Raga Madhumad – Sarang, a playful raga which has strong associations with the forest of Vrindaban, home of Lord Krishna. The concluding track is a dhun, (literally, tune, or any kind of melody) in ‘Raga Bhairavi’, a great favourite of modern audiences. Accompanied by two supporting shehnai players, tabla and surmandal (a kind of zither), Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan displays a distinct style of his own, with an emphasis on the gayaki (lyrical) mode with many intricate melodic passages akin to vocals. This is encouraging news for all fans of shehnai – and of Indian classical music – indicating that we are likely to get more recordings of this beautiful instrument.