Imrat Khan is a well-known Indian sitar master. He traces his lineage back through a family of musicians to the court of the great Moghul Emperor Akbar of the sixteenth century. He trained on surbahar with his uncle Ustad Waheed Khan, and studied sitar with his older brother, the celebrated Ustad Vilayat Khan.
Gayeki Ang (a vocal style of playing stringed instruments) has become a trademark of the gharana (musical tradition) of Imrat and Vilayat Khan. Gayeki Ang involves an extensive use of a technique called meend wherein a player pulls sideways across the frets and allows for an entire musical phrase to be produced with a single stroke of the plectrum.
Imrat Khan is renowned throughout the world, and maintains a busy travel and touring schedule. He performs regularly in the major cultural centers of Europe and the Americas, as well as in India, where he makes his home.
Discography:
The Great Heritage (His Master’s Voice, 1966)
Khan Sahib Imrat Khan (His Master’s Voice, 1967)
A Night At The Taj (Melodisc Records, 1967)
Ragas Marva · Sudda Saranga (His Master’s Voice, 1969)
Sitar & Surbahar (His Master’s Voice, 1969)
At The Playhouse – Recorded Live 19th June 1972 album (Merseyside Arts Association, 1972)
Nordindische Ragas-Live (Harmonia Mundi, 1974)
Raga: Sree (His Master’s Voice, 1974)
Raga Malkuns (STIL, 1975)
Great Heritage (His Master’s Voice, 1984)
Rāg Dārbarī / Rāg Chandra Kānhrā (Nimbus Records, 1988)
Rāg Mīyā Kī Todī & Rāg Bilāskhānī Todī (Nimbus Records, 1989)
Rag Jhinjoti, Rag Pilu – Sitar and Sarod Jugalbandi (Nimbus Records, 1989)
Ajmer (Water Lily Acoustics, 1990)
Maestro’s Choice – Series One – Surbahar (Music Today, 1991)
Ustad Imrat Khan and Shafaat Khan (India Archive Music, 1991)
Bahar Of Surbahar (T-Series, 1991)
Raga Marwa (Nimbus Records, 1992)
Rag Madhur Ranjani (Music Of The World, 1992)
Lalitā (Water Lily Acoustics, 1993)
Sitar and Surbahar – Indian Music For Meditation And Love (Lyrichord, 2001)
Legendary Legacy (Navras, 2006)
Yaadein – Memories (Sense World Music, 2006)
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.
