Note: 31 July 2024: I was just considering initiating a new (second) page for my dear Ustad, Abdul Latif Khan, as it has been becoming unmanageable editing such a long page, and I have many more videos of him to upload. Then the internet made the decision for me. None of the fifteen or so videos that I embedded today were playing. I guess the internet can only take so much at once. So I've moved those videos to a new page, and here they are, happily playing. Many more films of Abdul Latif Khan are in the queue for procesing.
See the bottom of this page for films of Abdul Latif Khan accompanying vocalists in concert.
We begin with repeating the last four videos embedded in Abdul Latif Khan's first page, from the 10th of March, 1997. Ustad played rag Multani. He was accompanied by Iqrar Khan on tabla.
This was followed by an interlude of family chaos. Everyone chatted, a toddler sang into my microphone, ALK's son Farukh played the famous film song Paradesi, while Sarwar Hussain and I continued to practice Multani.
Then as we moved from afternoon to early evening, there was a sober rendition of Shri Rag:
This was followed by a thumri in Khamaj:
The next piece is from a sitting the next morning in which Ustad played rag Lalit. He was eventually joined by his friend Abdul Sayeed Khan singing. His two brothers-in-law Rassool Khan and Badal Khan were also in attendance, giving inspiration:
The next three pieces are from a sitting on the 13th of March of the same year, first Ustad played rag Yaman:
Then Khamaj. Towards the end he demonstrates, singing a beautiful thumri.
Then short excursions into rag Gavati and ALK's speciality rag Surti Vardani:
From the 15th of March, here is short take of Ustad teaching the rare rag Salag Barari Todi (Sa Re Ga Pa Dha Ni) to Sarwar Hussain and myself:
In the morning of 16th of March, 1997, Ustad sat with his son Nafiz Khan providing tabla accompaniment. First ALK again played rag Salag Barari Todi :
Followed by his favourite dadra in Bhairavi:
In the evening of the same day, ALK began his practice with another rendition of Shri rag:
ALK surprised me by switching to the morning rag Bibhas, which has similarities to Shri. He demonstrated the famous bandish "mora re":
This was followed by Kafi including a hori composition:
Ustad started off the morning of 19 March, 1997 with rag Jaunpuri.
Then a stream-of-consciousness visit to the rags Gavati, Brindabani Sarang, Shuddh Sarang, Madyamad Sarang, Gaud Sarang and Kamod:
In the evening he played rag Marva:
And then Bihag and a touch of Desh:
Then Ramdasi Malhar:
The evening of 19 March ended with rag Bageshri, which, very unusually, he played in D in "thath" tuning, Sa on the sarangi's middle string. After a long day, ALK also dipped into rag Kafi a couple of times.
Now an educational interlude: Abdul Latif Khan teaching his gransdon Hanif, a beginner, on April 29th, 1995. Hanif receives encouragement mixed with derision from elders in the room. Then ALK sings a beautiful Manj Khamaj thumri that he says he learned from his father, Chote Khan. He goes on discussing the relationship between sapaat and actual rags. He laments not having learnt all the material that his father knew, but is grateful for the style he inherited.
Here is a video of Hanif practising sarangi. ALK yells occasional corrections, and other children heckle. I enter the fray singing the Bhairav scale. All the children join in. This is the reality of growing up with sarangi in a traditional household. Today's biggest challenge is the note komal Dha.
Abdul Latif Khan accompanying vocalists
It is a great pleasure to recall my experiences at concerts in which Ustad fulfilled his traditional role as an accompanist, which was sometimes a joy for him. It was also sometimes tedious for him, suffering arrogant behaviour, sometimes being ignored—often by vocalists who had only a small fraction of his musical experience and knowledge. Keep an eye on his facial expressions for some clues as to what was going on inside him.
The firat videos below are from the famous Tansen Sangeet Samelan (festival) in Gwalior in 1994. We begin with Ustad accompanying Mita Pandit, grandaughter of the grewat Krishnarao Shankar Pandit, in a morning concert at the end of November 1994. First the complex rag, Lalit Pancham:
Followed by shorter renditions of the rags Deshkar and Brindabani Sarang:
Now we have two videos of ALK accompanying Jal Krishna Balpouria on December 2, 1994, also at the Tansen festival. First rag Kedar:
Followed by a tappa and a tarana, both in Kafi:
Now we see ALK accompanying Sulochana Brahaspati, widow of the scholar-vocalist and Director General of All India Radio, Acharya K C Brahaspati. To watch my Ustad sitting with her in the Green Room was a painful experience. She started with rag Malkauns:
This was followed by rag Suha:
She ended with a tappa in rag Bhairavi:
Now an afternoon concert, also at the Tansen Samelan by Krishna Hangal, the daughter of the great Gangubai Hangal. She sang rag Shuddh Sarang:
The video ends with some footage of Abdul Latif Khan's extended family in the place where they were staying during the Gwalior festival.
