Pakhawaj Ang

The characteristics of the Punjab Baaj of tabla are said to have been based upon a strong foundation in the pakhawaj with many senior practitioners and musicologists unanimously agreeing that the initial evolution of Punjabi tabla was abriged from pakhawaj based compositions.

The Punjab gharana itself is often referred as a ‘Gharana of Pakhawajis’ as the earlier exponents were reputed pakhawaj players accompanying the musical form of Dhrupad, popular in North India up until the first half of the 20th century. Mian Faqir Bukhsh, Mian Qadir Bukhsh, Baba Malang Khan, Bhai Naseera and Bhai Santoo are some of the illustrious names associated with the Punjab tradition of Pakhawaj playing. Mian Qadir Bukhsh and Baba Malang Khan are in fact considered as bridging forces between the Pakhawaj orientated tradition moving over to a recognised style of tabla playing.

With the paradigm shift in popularity of dhrupad towards khayal, musicians focussed purely on the tabla. Senior tabla players based in Pakistan state that the Pakhawaj was restricted only to initial training to strengthen the hand of young students, a practice no longer followed.

The following link is of a performance by the last recognised master of the Punjabi Pakhawaj tradition, Ustad Talib Hussain, who was tragically murdered in 1993. The clip was recorded in the late 1980s at the Lok Virsa studios in Islamabad.



The lack of popularity of the pakhawaj has meant that there are currently only a handful of musicians performing the Punjabi style of Pakhawaj. However, as a result of social media websites there is now growing awareness of this great tradition and of its remaining masters.

The triumvirate of Sukhwinder Singh Namdhari, Bhai Baldeep Singh and Allah Lok in particular have attained recognition and exposure through concerts and presence on media portals such as www.youtube.com creating a resurgence of interest amongst youngsters.

Ustad Sukhwinder Singh alias ‘Pinky Singh’ is considered amongst the foremost tabla players in the world, having been trained in the Benaras Baj by the legendary Pandit Kishan Maharaj. Alongside his prowess over the tabla, Sukhwinder is an outstanding pakhawaji, having been groomed by Ustad Nihaal Singh, a leading disciple of the legendary Bhai Nasira.

Realising his responsibility of being a vital custodian of an exclusive tradition, Sukhwinder Singh has been devoting a greater amount of energy in propagating the Punjabi Pakhawaj also known as Jori Pakhawaj or Saath to audiences and his students.

The undernoted link from the Darbar Festival in 2009 showcases Ustad Sukhwinder Singh’s mastery over the Jori-Pakhawaj.



Bhai Baldeep Singh is associated with the Sultanpur Lodhi- Amritsari Baj and is regarded as the tradition’s authoritative head or khalifa. Bhai Baldeep boldly claims that the Amritsar gharana is an independent entity to the widely recognised Punjab gharana and that certain members of his gharana were responsible for training some of the doyens of the Punjab gharana, primary amongst them, Ustad Bhawani Das/ Din, widely regarded as the founder of the Punjab Baj.

Bhai Baldeep is a multifaceted individual with immense knowledge of both vocal and instrumental music and is presently foreseeing activities as the Head of the Anad Conservatory in Sultanpur Lodhi, Kapurthala. Further information can be obtained via his website www.bhaibaldeepsingh.com and www.anadfoundation.org

A clip of Bhai Baldeep Singh performing in Delhi, Asif Ali Khan accompanies on the sarangi.



Here are a couple of clips from youtube posted by anadfoundation of Sukhwinder Singh and Bhai Baldeep performing a rare duet.






The pakhawaj Punjab tradition in Pakistan is solely being represented by Ustad Allah Lok. A gifted tabla player, Allah Lok took up the Pakhawaj rather late in his career when aged in his early 40s as a reaction to the tragic death of Ustad Talib Hussain in 1993. He was trained under Ustad Inayat Khan, a disciple of Baba Malang Khan. The following link consists of an interview conducted with the Pakhawaj maestro in Moti Mahal, Lahore in 2003 for the Sadarang Archives website

Allah Lok has won immense respect amongst classical music listeners for persisting with a tradition in a country without any takers. Here is an excerpt of the ustad performing the 9 beat rhythm cycle at a concert organised by the Lahore Music Forum in February 2012.



The trio of Sukhwinder Singh, Bhai Baldeep and Allah Lok represent an important gateway to the Punjab legacy and are working diligently in training up the next generation of talented students such as Gyan Singh, Parminder Singh Bhamra and Qamar Abbas. It would be a great service if somebody could bring the three together to join hands and produce an audio-visual document safeguarding the priceless repertoire they possess, if only......

Sajjad Ali- A premature end

The news of Sajjad Ali’s death on the morning of 29th December 2008 sent a sense of disbelief to all who heard it. Questions, comments and tributes immediately followed; “Which Sajjad Ali are you talking about?”, “Are you sure?”, “How did this happen?”, “He was so young”, “We’ve lost a great musician".

Sajjad was arguably the finest tabla accompanist in Pakistan following the death of Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan and the migration of Ustad Tari Khan and Ustad Ghulam Abbas to the United States. Being born and raised in a renowned musical family, Sajjad received his initial training from his father, Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan, and later became the disciple of the illustrious Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan. Natural talent, dedication and the added benefit of guidance from a legendary master were conducive in fully realising his musical potential and emerge amongst the most talented musicians of South Asia.

The main qualities in Sajjad’s tabla playing were an impeccable balanced tone, an understanding of the requirements of the main performing artiste, and most important of all, he possessed the essential attribute epitomising all great musicians of the Punjab, ‘ruhdaari’. Ruhdaari, loosely denoted as improvisatory ability cannot be taught but is inherent from birth. Sajjad was blessed with ruhdaari in abundance. His performances were marked by constant improvisation and a sense of freshness. The theka embellished with subtle flourishes, the laggi perfectly executed and total command over an intricate tihai. He had the rare ability to add life to the performance of even a mediocre artist.

There were three major influences identified with Sajjad’s tabla playing; Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan, Ustad Tari Khan and Ustad Zakir Hussain. He showed great reverence to the above and would often be heard giving endless praise. Tari saheb in particular was considered Sajjad's role model and he spent a considerable period under his tutelage.

Those who knew Sajjad were enamoured by his friendly personality, humble nature and a wonderful sense of humour. I vividly remember being dazzled as an impressionable teenager by his performances on PTV during the late 80s, a time when he was dubbed as the “junior Tari Khan”. It was not until 2001, I heard him live for the first time during his tour to the UK with Ustad Ghulam Hassan Shaggan. His accompaniment was as usual outstanding, but what grabbed me was his restraint and sensitive approach in accompanying the principal musician, Ustad Shaggan, a staunch veteran of the Gwalior gharana. His impeccable performance to Shaggan saheb’s rendition of Raag Purvi at the Noor Jehan Centre is afresh in my memory.

Apart from his prowess over accompaniment, Sajjad was an accomplished soloist in his own right. His solo performances clearly highlighted his training under Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan and Ustad Tari Khan. There were many occasions during Barsis or musical gatherings at the shrines of Sehwan Sharif and Bari Imaam where Sajjad's performances have said to have overshadowed even the most recognised of tabla soloists.

Two solo performances which clearly stand out for me on a personal note and highlight Sajjad's potential, date back to 2004 when he gave a series of performances at my residence in Lahore. The first solo was a mehfil in which he accompanied his talented nephew, ghazal singer Shahzad Ali Khan and the duo of Chand Khan - Suraj Khan. He delighted us with a 45 minute solo. The next day was a scheduled mehfil with a leading classical vocalist, however the vocalist cancelled at the last minute, Sajjad requested to have another mehfil of solo tabla. I hesitantly agreed due to having only heard him the previous evening, thinking he would more or less play the same material. However to my surprise, the solos in Teentaal and Roopak on that afternoon surpassed the performance of the previous day in terms of both quality and content.

His perfectionist nature and devotion to tabla was evident in my final meeting with him in June 2008 at tabla maker Qaiser Hussain's shop in Lahore. He had performed a wonderful solo the previous evening. After I praised his performance, he said 'Saqib bhai, I wasn't happy with yesterday's performance. I want to re-record lengthy solos for you in Matt Taal and Jhap Taal without any fee'. Unfortunately that session never took place.

The greatest tragedy is we never got to see how this potentially great tabla player would have been in his prime. Taken away from us at the young age of 41, the loss of Sajjad Ali is nothing short of a disaster. In a country devoid of genuine musical talent, the loss for Pakistan and music lovers is unaccountable. He leaves behind a widow and two young sons. Sajjad bhai, you shall be forever missed.

Innah Lillah Wa Ina Elayhay Rajioun.

Welcome

A warm welcome to all.

This resource is a labour of effort, dedication and devotion to one of the major recognised schools of traditional tabla playing known as the Punjab Gharana.

The term gharana can be summarized as a symbol of stylistic tradition or a school of thought by which a musical style is preserved within a family and passed down from one generation to the other. In terms of traditions of solo tabla performance, it is widely recognised that there are six gharanas each representing a distinctive style, technique and repertoire, namely; Delhi, Ajrada, Lucknow, Farrukhabad, Benaras and Punjab. Each gharana is named after a city, town or region of where its founder hailed from.

Over the course of past 50 years, the tabla has attained huge popularity and mass appeal mainly due to the efforts of the late Ustad Allah Rakha and his precocious son, Ustad Zakir Hussain in projecting solo tabla to a global audience. Although both maestros are icons of the Punjab Gharana, there is a lack of understanding and awareness of the tradition they represent. The majority of analysis and consensus on the stylistic features of Punjabi tabla is simply constricted to both these remarkable musicians.

With the creation of this blog, we aspire to share our thoughts on this stylistic tradition and its wonderful practitioners. Music is an evolving entity and the opportunity for knowledge never ceases, we would therefore welcome suggestions, comments and words of wisdom from you all.