Ustad Bismillah Khan’s Shehnai Vadan cast a spell on the listeners and even today when the records of his Shehnai are played, those who have watched him play could easily conjure the image of Ustad Bismillah Khan, the irresistible pied piper with twinkling eyes and a winsome grin, holding his beloved instrument to his lips and playing to his heart’s content.
Born on March 21, 1916 in Dumrao (Bihar) Ustad Bismillah Khan, also known as the Shehnai Maestro, ruled the Indian Classical scene for more than eight decades and was famous …

Abida Parveen, as we all know is an exceptional singer of Sufi music and is universally renowned for her Sufiyana Kalaam. Kalaam meaning ‘Talk’ in Urdu language, and in Sufi language it is generally used in the spiritual context, such as talking with God, and Sufiyana means ‘the Sufi style.’
She is loved and appreciated by young and old alike. That is perhaps one of the best parts of her singing. Her voice and her music appeals even to the young generation fed and brought up on the so-called Pop culture.
She …

One of the regulars at Park street and avid fans of 60s underground culture, Gautam Chattopadhyay later went on to form Moheener Ghoraguli (Moheen’s Horse) and in the process sowed the seeds of Calcutta’s most personal form of cultural expression – Bangla Rock.

The music of Suman Chatterjee

Strings exemplifies the superiority of Pakistani pop.

Published on April 28, 2006 for All About Jazz.