AACM Family

Born into a musical family and immersed in music from early childhood, Bruce began his studies with Khansahib at the AACM in 1974. After five years of learning sitar and vocal music, he switched his main instrument to sarod. He pursued a direct and continuous study of vocal and instrumental music with Khansahib for 35 years until Khansahib’s passing in 2009.

I am honored to offer a recording of my music on the occasion of Maestro Ali Akbar Khan’s 100^th birthday. I have been a disciple of Ustad Aashish Khan for 30 years, and during that time, also learned for many years at the Ali Akbar College of Music from Swara Samrat Ali Akbar Khan and his senior disciples, including Dr. George Ruckert. I am also a humble servant of the College as a board member, carrying on the family tradition of membership that started when my father Jahar started to take lessons in 1977.

One of the first American disciples of India’s great Maestro Ali Akbar Khan , Peter van Gelder first appeared on the San Francisco music scene playing bass guitar and soprano sax in the seminal Great Society rock band with then unknown Grace Slick.

Rita Sahai is a rare Hindustani vocalist residing in the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States. Ritaji’s uniqueness comes from her being simultaneously a soulful performer, a brilliant and prolific composer and a venerated music teacher. She is a senior disciple of Sangeet Samrat Ustad Ali Akbar Khan Saheb, and is the only vocalist and composer to carry forward the heritage of the Seni Allaudin Gharana. She has served as an ambassador of India’s rich musical heritage over the three decades that she has been in the United States.

Richard Russell (AKA: Rick Henderson)) is a long-time disciple of world-renowned master musician Ali Akbar Khan, having spent many years studying the vocal and instrumental styles of Hindustani classical music. In 1977, after earning his BA in music composition at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, he began study at The Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, CA.

For the past half century Jody Stecher’s deep and vivid music has inspired four generations of musicians and music lovers on five continents.  He is a renowned singer and a multi-instrumentalist, whose recordings have been Grammy finalists, Indy Award winners and perennial favorites.  Reviewers consistently remark on Jody’s “ability to capture the essence and core of traditional music” and “to crystalize the spiritual essence of a song while making it his own”. Accolades include “ a creative master”, “achingly expressive” and  “a national treasure” ; Jody Stecher’s personal favorite: Instant Lonesome.

Recognised for his “delicacy mixed with dexterity” Anindya brings a “distinctive touch and refreshing approach to his music”. Anindya Banerjee’s style of presentation is heavily influenced by traditional styles of sarod playing. He has successfully integrated Rabab, Sursrinagar and Beena elements into his style. He prefers to play often rare ragas and compositions. He has made a special effort to collect old compositions and has done research in the repertories of many old masters of instrumental music.

For more than three decades, Grammy®nominated composer Silvia Nakkach has been an exhilarating if unique bridge between European, South American, and Indian classical musical traditions and an inspirational leading voice at the intersection of music and the healing arts. Transcending boundaries between different genres, Silvia’s art-music draws elements from ambient and contemporary aesthetics on one hand, and the classical Hindustani poetics of melody on the other.

David Trasoff is a senior disciple of the late maestro Swara Samrat Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. David was privileged to have studied sarode performance and North Indian classical music with his guru since 1973. David is also a senior student of Ustad Zakir Hussain, and continues his study of sarode and vocal music with Pandit Rajeev Taranath.

Tim White began learning from Ali Akbar Khan in 1975 and is currently an instructor at the Ali Akbar College of Music, where he received the Vadya Alankar degree in 1978.

As a solo sitarist, Tim has performed in India, Europe, Canada and the U.S., and is a regular performer at the Ali Akbar College.

George Ruckert joined the MIT faculty in 1992, and has taught western music, world music, popular music, music fundamentals, folk music, and harmony and counterpoint. But his major field is the classical music of North India, which he studied with the eminent Indian sarod master Ali Akbar Khan for more than twenty years.

Jai Uttal is a Grammy nominee, passionate singer, kirtan artist, and multi-instrumentalist. He is considered a pioneer in the world music community with his combined influences from India and American rock and jazz.  Jai has been leading, teaching, and performing World Music and Kirtan—the ancient yoga of chanting or singing to God—around the world for over 50 years, creating a safe environment for people to open their hearts and voices.

Ken Zuckerman, Grammy-nominated and internationally acclaimed as one of the finest sarod virtuosos performing today, has also been called “…one of the world’s most eclectic masters of improvisation.” .” He completed thirty-seven years of training under the rigorous discipline of India’s legendary sarod master Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, up to the maestro’s passing in June 2009. He also performed with Maestro Khan in numerous concerts in Europe, India, and the United States.

Christopher Ris began his study of sarod and vocal music in 1971 under Maestro Ali Akbar Khan.  He has since performed as a soloist, with Ali Akbar’s orchestra The New Maihar Band, composed music for 3 films on life in India and an episode of the television series Young Indiana Jones.

I was born in 1942 in Rome, Italy. My father was an excellent musician; he played the piano. I started piano lessons when I was five years old. I came to the United States in 1950, and shortly after that my father gave me a ukulele, which was the first instrument that really worked for me. In subsequent years I graduated to the guitar, and studied flamenco, some classical, and I played folk music.

 Gaayatri is a Hindustani vocalist hailing from the Maihar-Senia gharana, having trained under the late Ustad Ali Akbar Khan for 13 years, beginning her vocal training from him in the traditional Guru-Shishya parampara at the age of 4. She has had the fortune of living an extraordinary musical life, growing up with and receiving the blessing of many greats of Hindustani music such as Pt. Swapan Chaudhuri, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Smt. Annapoorna Devi, Pandit Jasraj, and many others. She also studied at the Sangeet Research Academy under Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, and in LA with the late Smt. Lakshmi Shankar.