Pandit Sanjeev Abhyankar, the maestro from the Mewati Gharana, is an artist of international acclaim in the field of Hindustani Classical Music. An extremely popular artist, he is the inspiration for the young generation. With his magical singing, he has attracted the young generation towards the Indian Classical music. In a career spanning more than 25 years, he has assumed the mantle of a role model of dedication, hard work, patience and perseverance.
Blessed with an exceptionally sweet voice, his vocation in life was clear right from the age of 3. Born in 1969, Sanjeev started learning Hindustani Classical Music, from the tender age of eight. He has been groomed by his mother Smt. Shobha Abhyankar, Pandit Pimpalkhare ji and Padmavibhushan Pandit Jasraj ji. Though his aim had been to pursue a career in music since childhood, he has acquired a bachelor's Degree in Commerce.
Sanjeevji rendered his first stage performance in Mumbai , at the age of 11. Since then, he has traveled extensively all over the country, performing in all the prestigious conferences and art circles, several times. He has spread the fragrance of Indian Classical music in U.S.A. , Canada , Australia , Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
He has received many awards which include the President's award from the All India Radio in 1990, the prestigious F. I. E. Foundation National Award 1996, The coveted National Award 1998 as the best male playback singer , for the Hindi film 'Godmother', the title 'Sur Ratna', Rotary Vocational Excellence Award 2002 and Pandit Jasraj Gaurav Puraskar, to name a few.
He has several cassettes and compact discs by reputed music companies like HMV, Music Today, Sony Music, Times Music, Navaras Records U.K., Neelam Audio Videos U.S.A., Sona Rupa U.K., BMG Cressendo, Ninaad Music, Fountain Music & Alurkar Music , which have been highly acclaimed all over the world .
He has also given playback for films such as ' Maachis', 'Nidaan', 'Sanshodhan' , 'Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar' and 'Banaras'.
Sanjeevji's award winning performance in 'Godmother' as also his impassioned rendition of Marathi Abhangs and Hindi Bhajans reflect his easy grace and versatility.
By adding his own classical compositions, he has contributed to the already existing vast repertoire of Mewati Gharana compositions (Bandishes).
Besides performing in all the prestigious art circles throughout the country, he has performed in well known conferences such as Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Samaroh - Pune, Baba Harvallabh Samaroh - Jalandhar, ITC Sammelan and Doverlen Conference - Calcutta, Vishnu Digambar Paluskar Jayanti Samaroh, International Melody Foundation's Ustad Amir Khan Samaroh and Gunidas Festival - New Delhi, Swami Haridas Sammelan - Vrindavan, Pandit Motiram Sangeet Samaroh - Hyderabad, Lucknow Mahotsav, Ganga Mahotsav and Budhva Mahotsav, the Maha Kumbh Mela - Uttar Pradesh, Ustad Allauddin Khan Samaroh and Ustad Amir Khan Samaroh - Madhya Pradesh, Saptak Conference - Ahmedabad, Master Dinanath Sangeet Mahotsav - Goa, The Indian Fine Arts - Madras, Hindustani Kalakar Mandali Conference - Bangalore, Kalidas Samaroh - Nagpur , the prestigious Radio Sangeet Sammelan, Spirit of Unity Concerts for National Integration, and the Concerts organised by Sangeet Natak Academy and ICCR.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was born on October 13, 1948 in the city of Faisalabad, Pakistan. He was the fifth child and first son of Fateh Ali Khan, a musicologist, vocalist, instrumentalist, and Qawwal. Khan's family, which included four older sisters and a younger brother, Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan, grew up in central Lyallpur. In 1979, Khan married his first cousin, Naheed (the daughter of Fateh Ali Khan's brother, Salamat Ali Khan); they had one daughter, Nida.
Khan began by learning to play tabla alongside his father before progressing to learn Raag Vidya and Bol Bandish. He then went on to learn to sing within the classical framework of khayal. Khan's training with his father was cut short when his father died in 1964, leaving Khan's paternal uncles, Mubarak Ali Khan and Salamat Ali Khan, to complete his training.
His first performance was at a traditional graveside ceremony for his father, known as chehlum, which took place forty days after his father's death.
In 1971, after the death of Mubarak Ali Khan, Nusrat became the official leader of the family Qawwali party and the party became known as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan & Party.
Khan's first public performance as the leader of the Qawwali party was at a studio recording broadcast as part of an annual music festival organised by Radio Pakistan, known as Jashn-e-Baharan. Khan sang mainly in Urdu and Punjabi and occasionally in Persian, Brajbhasha and Hindi. His first major hit in Pakistan was the song Haq Ali Ali, which was performed in a traditional style and with traditional instrumentation. The song featured restrained use of Nusrat's sargam improvisations.
Early in his career, Khan was signed up by Oriental Star Agencies [OSA] of Birmingham UK to their Star Cassette Label. OSA sponsored regular concert tours by Nusrat to the U.K. from the early '80s onwards, and released much of this live material on cassette, CD, videotape and DVD.
Later career
Khan teamed with Peter Gabriel on the soundtrack to The Last Temptation of Christ in 1985, with Canadian musician Michael Brook on the albums Mustt Mustt (1990) and Night Song (1996),[3] and with Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder in 1995 on two songs for the soundtrack to Dead Man Walking. He also contributed to the soundtrack of Natural Born Killers.
Peter Gabriel's Real World label later released five albums of Nusrat's traditional Qawwali, together with some of his experimental work which included the albums Mustt Mustt and Star Rise. Nusrat provided vocals for The Prayer Cycle, which was put together by Jonathan Elias, but died before the vocals could be completed. Alanis Morissette was brought in to sing with his unfinished vocals. Nusrat also collabrated with Michael Brook to create music for the song 'Sweet Pain' used in the movie Any Given Sunday. He also performed traditional Qawwali before international audiences at several WOMAD world music festivals and the single Dam Mast Qalandar was remixed by electronic trip hop group Massive Attack in 1998.
His album Intoxicated Spirit was nominated for a Grammy award in 1997 for best traditional folk album.
Khan contributed songs to, and performed in, several Pakistani films. Shortly before his death, he recorded a song each for two Bollywood films, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya (in which he also sang the song onscreen) and Kachche Dhaage. He sang the title song of the film, Dhadkan. He also sang Saya bhi saath jab chhod jaye for Sunny Deol's movie, Dillagi. The song was released only in 1999, two years after Nusrat's death.
Khan contributed the song "Gurus of Peace" to the album Vande Mataram, composed by A.R. Rahman, and released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of India's independence. Rahman, who was a big fan of Khan could not do further songs with him. As a tribute, Rahman later released an album titled Gurus of Peace, which featured "Allah Hoo" by Nusrat. Rahman's 2007 song "Tere Bina" was also done as a tribute to Nusrat.
After his death, the song "Solemn Prayer", on which Nusrat provided vocals, was used on the Peter Gabriel song "Signal to Noise" (on the album Up), and on the soundtrack to the Martin Scorsese film Gangs of New York.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan holds the world record for the largest recorded output by a Qawwali artist—a total of 125 albums as of 2001.
Death
Khan was taken ill with kidney and liver failure on August 11, 1997 in London, England while on the way to Los Angeles in order to receive a kidney transplant. He died of a sudden cardiac arrest at Cromwell Hospital, London, on Saturday, August 16, 1997, aged 48. His body was returned to Faisalabad, Pakistan and his funeral was attended by the public.
Composition of Nusrat's qawwali party
The composition of Nusrat's ensemble — called a party (or Humnawa in Urdu) — changed over its 26 years. Listed below is a snapshot of the party, circa 1983:
1. Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan: Nusrat's first cousin, vocals 2. Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan: Nusrat's brother, vocals and lead harmonium 3. Rehmat Ali: vocals and second harmonium 4. Maqsood Hussain: vocals 5. Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: Nusrat's nephew & pupil, vocals 6. Dildar Hussain: percussion 7. Majawar Abbas: mandolin and guitar/chorus, handclapping 8. Mohammed Iqbal Naqvi: secretary of the party, chorus, handclapping 9. Asad Ali: chorus, handclapping. Nusrat's cousin 10. Ghulam Farid: chorus, handclapping 11. Kaukab Ali: chorus, handclapping
The one significant member of the party who does not appear on this list is Atta Fareed. For many years, he alternated with Rehmat Ali on vocals and second harmonium. He is easily identifiable in videos since he plays the harmonium left-handed.
This snapshot is non-representative in one respect: harmoniums were usually the only instruments. Only rarely were instruments like mandolin or guitar used.
Legacy and influence
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is widely considered to be the most important qawwal in history. In 2005, Nusrat was awarded the "Legends" award at the UK Asian Music Awards. TIME magazine's issue of November 6, 2006, "60 Years of Asian Heroes", lists him as one of the top 12 Artists and Thinkers in the last 60 years. Alexandra A. Seno of Asiaweek wrote:
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's voice was otherworldly. For 25 years, his mystical songs transfixed millions. It was not long enough .... He performed qawali, which means wise or philosophical utterance, as nobody else of his generation did. His vocal range, talent for improvisation and sheer intensity were unsurpassed.
Jeff Buckley cited Nusrat as a major influence, saying of him "He's my Elvis", and performing the first few minutes of Nusrat's hit "Yeh Jo Halka Halka Suroor Hai" (including vocals) at live concerts. Many other artists have also cited Nusrat as an influence, such as A.R. Rahman,Sheila Chandra, and Alim Qasimov.
Films Documentaries
* Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: le dernier prophète (1996). Directed by Jérôme de Missolz. * Nusrat has Left the Building... But When? (1997). Directed by Farjad Nabi. (This 20-minute docudrama focuses on Nusrat's early career.) * A Voice from Heaven (1999). Directed by Giuseppe Asaro. New York, NY: Winstar TV & Video. (This 75-minute documentary, available on VHS and DVD, provides an excellent introduction to Nusrat's life and work.) * Samandar Main Samandar (2007). A documentary aired on Geo TV detailing Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's career. * The King of Qawalli (2009). A short film aired on Dawn News about Nusrat's life and career.
Concert films
* The JVC Video Anthology of World Music and Dance (1990). Video 14 (of 30) (South Asia IV). Produced by Ichikawa Katsumori; directed by Nakagawa Kunikiko and Ichihashi Yuji; in collaboration with the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka. [Tokyo]: JVC, Victor Company of Japan; Cambridge, Massachusetts: distributed by Rounder Records. Features a studio performance by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Party (two Urdu-language songs: a Hamd, and a Manqabat for Khwaja Mu`inuddin Chishti. Filmed in Tokyo, Japan, September 20, 1987, for Asian Traditional Performing Arts). * Nusrat! Live at Meany (1998). Produced by the University of Washington. (87-minute recording of a January 23, 1993 concert at Meany Hall, University of Washington in Seattle, during Nusrat's residency at the Ethnomusicology Program there.) * Live in Concert in the U.K. (DVD, vols. 1-17) [OSA]; recorded between 1983 and 1993; first thirteen listed below: o Live in Concert in UK (DVD vol. 1) o Live in Concert (DVD vol. 2) o Live in Concert (DVD vol. 3) o Live in UK (DVD vol. 4) o Live in UK (DVD vol. 5) o Live in Concert (DVD vol. 6) o Live in UK (DVD vol. 7) o Live in UK (DVD vol. 8) o Live in UK (DVD vol. 9) o Live in UK (DVD vol. 10) o Live in UK (DVD vol. 11) o Digbeth Birmingham 12 November 1983 (DVD vol. 12) o Digbeth 30 October 1983 (DVD vol. 13) * Akhiyan Udeek Diyan (DVD) [Nupur Audio] * Je Tun Rab Nu Manauna (DVD) [Nupur Audio] * Yaadan Vicchre Sajan Diyan Aayiyan (DVD) [Nupur Audio] * Rang-e-Nusrat (DVD, vols. 1-11) [Music Today]; recorded between 1983 and 1993 (same material as the OSA DVDs) * VHS videotapes, vols. 1-21 [OSA]; recorded between 1983 and 1993 (same material as the OSA DVDs) o Luxor Cinema Birmingham (VHS vol. 1, 1979) o Digbeth Birmingham (VHS vol. 2, 1983) o St. Francis Hall Birmingham (VHS vol. 3, 1983) o Royal Oak Birmingham (VHS vol. 4, 1983) o Private Mehfil (Wallace Lawley Centre, Lozells Birmingham, November 1983) (VHS vol. 5) o Private Mehfil (VHS vol. 6, 1983) o Natraj Cinema Leicester (VHS vol. 7, 1983) o Live In Southall (VHS vol. 8) o Live In Bradford (VHS vol. 9, 1983) o Live In Birmingham (VHS vol. 10, 1985) o Allah Ditta Hall (VHS vol. 11, 1985) o Harrow Leisure Centre (VHS vol. 12) o University Of Aston (VHS vol. 13, 1988) o Aston University (VHS vol. 14, 1988) o WOMAD Festival Bracknell (VHS vol. 15, 1988) o Live In Paris (VHS vol. 16, 1988) o Poplar Civic Centre London (VHS vol. 17) o Imperial Hotel Birmingham (VHS vol. 18, 1985) o Slough Gurdawara (SHABADS) (VHS vol. 19) o Imran Khan Cancer Appeal (VHS vol. 20) o Town Hall Birmingham (VHS vol. 21, 1993)
Devaki Pandit (Marathi: देवकी पंडित, Hindi: देवकी पंडित) is a playback singer from Maharashtra, India. She is also a trained classical singer.
Besides Marathi, she has also sung songs in Hindi. Career
Devaki was introduced to music at the age of two, and is a third generation musician from the Pandit household. She received her initial music training from her mother Usha Pandit.
She gave her to her first stage performance at age nine. In 1977, at the age of twelve she recorded her first song - a balgeet (translation: a song for children) for Polydor Records.
In 1986, she recorded her first playback song for the Ardhangi which went on to win her the Maharashtra State Award for "Best Female Playback Singer".
Gurus
After initial guidance by her mother, Devaki trained under Vasantrao Kulkarni for 10 years, Jitendra Abhisheki for twelve years and from Kishori Amonkarfor four years. For the last eight years, Devaki has been receiving instruction from Babanrao Haldankar.
Awards and recognitions
* Kesarbai Kerkar Scholarship - the only person to receive it twice consecutively * 1986 - Maharashtra State Award for "Best Female Playback Singer" (Film Ardhangi) * 2001 and 2002 - Alpha Gaurav Puraskar * 2002 - Maharashtra Government Award for "Best Female Playback Singer" * 2002 - Mewati Gharana Award * 2006 - Aditya Birla Kala Kiran Award
Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi (Marathi: पंडित भीमसेन गुरुराज जोशी, Kannada: born February 4, 1922) is an Indian vocalist in the Hindustani classical tradition. A member of the Kirana Gharana (school), he is renowned for the khayal form of singing, as well as for his popular renditions of devotional music (bhajans and abhangs). He is the most recent recipient of the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, awarded in 2008
Early life
He was born into a Kannada Brahmin family in the town of Gadag in northern part of Karnataka state. His father, Gururaj Joshi, was a school teacher. Bhimsen is the eldest in a family of 16 siblings. Some of the siblings still live in their ancestral home in Gadag. Bhimsen lost his mother when he was young, and his step mother raised him.
Musical Training
Until the first half of the 20th century, Khyal was principally taught in the Guru Shishya (master-disciple) tradition. Bhimsen's guru Sawai Gandharva was the chief disciple of Abdul Karim Khan, who along with his cousin Abdul Waheed Khan was the founder of the Kirana Gharana school of Hindustani music. Search for a Guru
Pt. Joshi heard a recording of Utd. Abdul Karim Khan's Thumri "Piya Bin Nahi Aavat Chain" in Raag Jhinjhoti when he was a child, which inspired him to become a musician. In 1933, the 11-year-old Pt. Joshi left Dharwad for Bijapur[disambiguation needed] to find a master and learn music.[3] With the help of money lent by his co-passengers in the train Bhimsen reached Dharwar first and later went to Pune. Later he moved to Gwalior and got into Madhava Music School, a school run by Maharajas of Gwalior, with the help of famous Sarod player Utd. Hafiz Ali Khan. He traveled for three years around North India, including in Delhi, Kolkata, Gwalior, Lucknow and Rampur, trying to find a good guru.[5] Eventually, his father succeeded in tracking him down in Jalandar and brought young Bhimsen back home. Bhimsen Joshi is also popularliy known as Anna (elder Brother) or Bhim-Anna.
Pt. Sawai Gandharva
In 1936, Pt. Rambhau Kundgolkar (alias Sawai Gandharva), a native of Dharwad, agreed to be his guru. Bhimsen Joshi stayed at his house in the traditional guru-shishya (teacher-student) tradition, gleaning knowledge of music from his master as and when he could, while performing odd-jobs in his house. Another renowned vocalist from the Kirana Gharana, Gangubai Hangal, was a co-student of Bhimsen during this time. Joshi continued his training with Sawai Gandharva till 1940.
Career
Pt. Joshi moved to Mumbai in 1943 and worked as a Radio Artist. He first performed live at the age 19. His debut album, containing a few devotional songs in Kannada and Hindi, was released by HMV when he was 22.
Hindustani Classical Music
Bhimsen's music has been hailed by both the critics and the masses. His performances have been marked by spontaneity, accurate notes, dizzyingly-paced taans which make use of his exceptional voice training, and a mastery over rhythm. He was ever the wanderer, engendering brilliant phrases and taans more intuitively than through deliberation. Never the one to be controlled by the rigours of theory, he sailed high, sometimes floundering, nevertheless reaching out to the stars. He makes occasional use of sargam and tihaais, and favours traditional compositions of the Kirana gharana. Over the years he has specialized in a few ragas, which he usually performs. Some of Pt. Joshi's more popular Raags include Shuddha Kalyan, Miyan Ki Todi, Puriya Dhanashri, Multani, Bhimpalas, Darbari, and Ramkali. Other than Utd. Abdul Karim Khan, Pt. Joshi has been influenced by many musicians, including Smt. Kesarbai Kerkar, Begum Akhtar and Utd. Amir Khan. Pt. Joshi's own style emerged over the years after assimilating various elements from what he liked in different musical styles and Gharanas.
Devotional Music
In devotional music, Pt. Joshi is most acclaimed for his Kannada, Hindi and Marathi Bhajan singing. His commercially successful CDs Daaswani and Enna Paliso included Kannada Bhajans, and Santawani included Marathi Abhangs.
Patriotic Music
Pt. Joshi is revered in India for his work in the Mile Sur Mera Tumhara music video (1985), which begins with him. Pt. Joshi was also invited to sing for the Bharat Bala production of the Indian National Anthem music video (2000).
Playback Singing
Joshi has sung for several films, including Basant Bahar (1956) with Manna Dey, Birbal My Brother (1973) with Pt. Jasraj and Nodi Swami Naavu Irodhu Heege. He also sung for films Tansen(1958)[citation needed] and Ankahee(1985).
Sawai Gandharva Music Festival
Pt. Joshi organized the Sawai Gandharva Music Festival as an homage to his guru, Pt. Sawai Gandharva, along with the Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal in 1953, marking Pt. Gandharva's first death anniversary. The festival has been held ever since, typically on the second weekend of December in Pune, Maharashtra and has become not only a cultural event for the city, but an annual pilgrimage for Hindustani Classical Music lovers all over the world. Pt. Joshi conducted the festival annually since 1953, until his retirement in 2002.
Students
Pt. Joshi has taught many students, several of whom have gone onto commercial success.
* Pt. Madhav Gudi * Shrikant Deshpande * Pt. Vinayak Torvi * Upendra Bhat * Shrinivas Joshi, Pt. Joshi's son. * Pt. Rajendra Kandalgaonkar * Anand Bhate
Personal life
Pt. Joshi's family arranged his marriage at his early age to a girl named Sunanda Katti; she was his cousin. They had four children together; two sons and daughters.Later, Pt. Joshi married Vatsala Mudholkar with whom he had two sons, Jayant and Shrinivas, and one daughter, Shubhada. Sunanda died in 1992 and Vatsala passed away in 2005. Elder son Jayant is a painter and younger son, Shrinivas is a vocalist and composer and has issued a few commercial recordings. Pt. Bhimsen Joshi has been a very private and down to earth person. He likes to lead a very quiet and simple life.
Awards and Recognitions
* 1972 - Padma Shree * 1976 - Sangeet Natak Akademi Award * 1985 - Padma Bhushan * 1985 - National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer * 1986 - "First platinum disc" [8] * 1999 - Padma Vibhushan * 2000 - "Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar Puraskar" [9] * 2001 - "Nadoja Award" from Kannada University [10] * 2002 - Maharashtra Bhushan [11] * 2003 - "Swathi Sangeetha Puraskaram" by Government of Kerala[12] * 2005 - Karnataka Ratna * 2008 - Bharat Ratna * 2008 - "Swami Haridas Award" [13] * 2009 - "Lifetime achievement award" by Delhi government[14] * 2010 - "S V Narayanaswamy Rao National Award" by Rama Seva Mandali, Bangalore
Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki (Devanagari: पंडित जितेंद्र अभिषेकी; 21 September 1929 – 7 November 1998) was an Indian vocalist, composer and scholar of classical, semi-classical, and devotional music. While he distinguished himself in Hindustani music, he was singlehandedly responsible for the revival of the Marathi musical theatre in the 1960s with his beautiful compositions.
Early life and background
Abhisheki was born in a priestly Padye brahmin family in Mangeshi, Goa. His family was traditionally attached to the Mangeshi Shrine of Lord Shiva in Goa. His father, Balawantrao aka Bikambhat, was a nephew and a disciple of Master Deenanath Mangeshkar, and the temple priest and a Kirtankar. Balawantrao taught Jitendra the basic principles of Hindustani classical music.
Abhisheki then went to Mumbai and sought advanced training in vocal music from Pandit Jagannathbua Purohit and Ustad Azmat Hussain Khan of Agra Gharana, and Gulubhai Jasdanwala of Jaipur Gharana.
He developed a distinct style of rendering khayal, and was also well-known for his renditions of Marathi Natyasangeet and devotional songs.
Career
After a degree in Sanskrit literature, Abhisheki joined All India Radio (AIR) at Mumbai for a brief period, when he came in contact with several musicians and also got an opportunity to display his musical talents by composing several pieces for some radio programs.
Around this time, Abhisheki received a scholarship from the Indian Government for advanced training in Hindustani classical music under Ustad Azmat Hussain Khan.
He composed vocal as well as background scores for 25 Marathi plays. After receiving a Homi Bhabha fellowship in the late sixties, he taught at a music school run in the USA by sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar.
Abhisheki maintained his ties to his homeland of Goa through his association with the Kala Academy, counseling and guiding students from that state.
Legacy
Besides son Shounak Abhisheki, the following are Pandit Abhisheki's well-known musical disciples:
Jasraj was born in Hissar, Haryana in an orthodox brahmin family to Pandit Motiramji, a classical exponent. His family is well known for singing in the Mewati Gharana style. Motiramji died when Jasrajji was only four, on the day he was to be appointed as the state musician in the court of the Last Nizam. Jasraj was initiated into vocal music by his father. He also received training from his elder brother, Pandit Maniramji, and later from Maharaja Jaywant Singhji Waghela. He was also greatly influenced by the voice of the famous ghazal singer, Begum Akhtar, whom he used to listen to, skipping school, at a small hotel that played her songs all day. This inspired him to learn vocal music. In 1960, when Jasraj went to visit Bade Ghulam Ali Khan in hospital, Khan asked him to become his disciple, but Jasraj declined saying that he could not accept Khan's tutelage since he was already Motiram's disciple. As a means of livelihood, Maniramji took Jasraj as an accompanying tabla player. However, at the time, just like sarangi players, tabla players were looked down upon as minor artists. At the age of 14, unhappy with his treatment as an accompanying artist, Jasraj left and vowed not to cut his hair until he learned to sing.
Performing career
Jasraj at the Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroh, Hyderabad, in 2007 Jasraj's vocal range extends across three-and-a-half octaves. His vocalizing is in perfect diction and clarity, a trademark of the Mewati Gharana's style of Khayal. He has also done extensive research in Haveli Sangeet under Baba Shyam Manohar Goswami Maharaj to create numerous innovative bandish (composition). His greatest contribution to Indian classical music is his conception of a unique and novel jugalbandi, styled on the ancient system of Moorchana, between a male and a female vocalist, each singing in their respective scales and different ragas at the same time. In his honor, this legendary jugalbandi is known as The Jasrangi[3]. Jasraj has many students, and is ensuring the longevity of his genre. Amongst his flag-bearing disciples, Rattan Mohan Sharma, Sanjeev Abhyankar, Suman Ghosh, Tripti Mukherjee, Radharaman Kirtane, Pritam Bhattacharjee, Gargi Siddhant and Kala Ramnath are well-known exponents of the Mewati Gharana. Sadhana Sargam, a well-known Bollywood singer, is one of his disciples. In memory of his late father, he organises a musical festival every year called the Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroh in Hyderabad, India. It completed 36 years in 2008. He has graced the Savai Gandharva Music Festival's stage innumerable times over the last forty years, and continues to do so even today; his legendary 1992 presentation of Raag Ahir Bhairav, in the unmistakable Mewati Style, is a favorite among listeners even today. He is also recognized as a master of the Bhairav family of Raags, along with the legendary Raags Darbari Kanada, Miya ki Malhar, and Jog.
Personal life
In 1962 he married Madhura, the daughter of the legendary film director V. Shantaram, who he had first met in 1955 during the filming of Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje, as Jasraj then employed with AIR as a freelance artist wanted to join V. Shantaram’s production company as a musician. After marriage the couple lived in Kolkata for some time. They have a son, Sarang Dev, and a daughter, Durga Jasraj, a television anchor and presenter. Madhura Jasraj has directed documentaries, children’s plays, apart from directing and producing acclaimed ballets, Geet Govind, Kaan Kahaani and Surdas and the TV series, Faster Phene. She made a film, Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj on Pandit Jasraj, in 2009 and in 2010, directed her first Marathi film, Aai Tuzha Aashirwad, in which Lata Mangeshkar and her husband have sung in Marathi
Music composers Jatin-Lalit are his nephews
Awards
Padma Vibhushan, (art-classical music-vocal) in 2000 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987 Sangeet Kala Ratna Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Award Lata Mangeshkar Puraskar Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar Surer Guru Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
Discography
Raga Symphony (2009) Baiju Bawra (2008) Upasana (2007) Tapasya Vol. 1 (2005) Darbar (2003) Maheshwara Mantra (2002) Soul Food (2005) Jasraj, Pandit Vol. 2 - Haveli Sangeet Inspiration (2000) Ragas Triveni and Multani Live Ragas Bihada and Gaud Giri Malhar Worship By Music/Live Stuggart '88 Ornamental Voice Filmography Ladki Sahyadri Ki (1966, music by Vasant Desai) Birbal My Brother (1973, music by Shyam Prabhakar) 1920 (2008, music by Adnan Sami)
