Ali Akbar Khan - Journey (1990)

The classical music of North India is an uplifting and extraordinary music, dating back thousands of years. Ali Akbar Khan is one of today’s most accomplished Indian classical musicians. Considered a «National Living Treasure» in India, he is admired by both Eastern and Western musicians for his brilliant compositions and his mastery of the sarod (a beautiful, 25-stringed Indian instrument). (For a full biography and a detailed summary of Ali Akbar Khan’s various activities consult his official web page)

At 67, Ali Akbar Khan successfully blends tradition and technology on Journey, a moving CD produced by his protege and student Jai Uttal. Journey, however, isn’t modern secular Indian pop, but rather is best described as traditional Indian spiritual and devotional music using high-tech elements. Under Uttal’s direction, Khan’s sarod and other acoustic Indian instruments like the sitar, the tabla and the dholak successfully interact with electronic synthesizers (none of which sound forced or mechanical). Uttal had learned a lot from Khan, and showed his appreciation by seeing to it that technology was used soulfully throughout this album. (AMG)

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