Ali Akbar Khan

John Handy, Ali Akbar Khan – Karuna Supreme (1976/2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 41:02 minutes | 733 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © MPS

Recorded in 1975, Karuna Supreme is one of the finest examples of the fusion of Indian classical music and jazz. Ali Akbar Khan was a master of the Sarod, that magnificent string instrument with its 3000-year history. Khan was part of an Indian classical music family dynasty that traces its roots back to the 16th century. His father, the great Allaudin Khan, honored him with the title ‘Emperor of Music’, saying “give the message of the music as far as the sun and moon shine.” That is exactly what Ali Akbar did, moving to America and founding a school in California in 1967. Best known for his stellar work on several of Charles Mingus’ seminal recordings, alto saxophonist John Handy had already been playing with Khan, appearing together at both the Monterey and Berlin Jazz festivals. Tabla player Zakir Hussain’s father was the legendary Alla Rahka, and the player of the drone stringed instrument the tambura, Yogish Sahota, accompanied some of the greatest Indian masters. In Indian music, sound is God. Ganesha’s Jubilee Dance is a reference to the elephant-headed god of music and is based on a raga which means ‘vibrate your body’. Karuna Supreme, ‘a song of divine longing and love’, is the ‘jazziest’ piece. The Soul And The Atma is a dialogue between East and West in three movements. The Indian word ‘Atma’ stands for the innermost self which unites with God, and corresponds to the Western idea of soul. The first movement represents ‘longing for the union to come’, then there is a theme based on an Indian folk song expressing the love between East and West. The third movement represents genesis.
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Ali Akbar Khan, John Handy – Rainbow (1981/2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 46:37 minutes | 828 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © MPS

Five years after recording the amazing Karuna Supreme, John Handy and Ali Akbar Khan reconvened for a follow-up. This time out, Shyam Kane performs on tabla in place of Zakir Hussain, and Carnatic violinist L. Subramaniam is added as a soloist. Subramaniam turns in some fine playing, and Shyam Kane does a decent job in support on the tablas, but he lacks the excitement and attentive reactions that Zakir Hussain supplied. The addition of violin instantly changes both the sound and the dynamic, and some of the tracks have them sounding just a bit tentative. Perhaps there was too much deference in the studio, or perhaps the compositions didn’t have the same spark, but both the energy and the interaction on this date are at a lower level than Karuna Supreme. “Garland of Flowers” is essentially an improvisation over a drone, with each soloist taking a turn, then playing together for a time. Handy adopts a rougher tone at points, and gets into the upper register toward the end, but even so, the tune seems to lack fire. Only “Indian Boogie Shoes” and “Kali Dance” really capture a similar energy to Karuna Supreme, with inspired playing and tradeoffs by all. This album isn’t bad by any stretch, but it’s bound to suffer when compared to Karuna Supreme. ~~ AllMusic Review by Sean Westergaard

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