Sharda Sahai began his study of tabla at an early age from his father, the late Pandit Bhagvati Sahai. Following his father’s demise in 1946, he became a disciple of the inimitable Pandit Kanthe Maharaj, himself a disciple of Sharda Sahai’s grandfather, Pandit Baldeo Sahai.
Sharda Sahai started his professional career at the age of nine, performing both as a soloist and as an accompanist. Throughout his career he has performed in over one thousand concerts worldwide.
He has accompanied almost every major artist of North Indian classical music including sitarists Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan, and Nikhil Banerjee; sarodists Ali Akbar Khan and Amjad Ali Khan; and dancers Gopi Krishna and Birju Maharaj. He is one of the most highly respected musicians in India and since the 1970 when he first toured Europe and North America with Amjad Ali Khan that respect for him has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. Many Indian musicians and students look him on as an authoritative model of the Benares tradition.
Discography:
The Art of the Benares Baj (Audiorec, 1983)
azon.com/gp/product/B0072M89Q6?ie=UTF8&tag=musidelmund-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=B0072M89Q6″>The Spirit of Benares (Audiorec)Compositions Of Benares (Audiorec Classics)
Gurukul (Sense World Music, 2005)
DVD
Play Tabla: A Video Guide to Playing Tabla
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
