Roll of Honour

“An honour is an honour,whatever point of time it may be in one’s life. Though it doesn’t change much,I hope it will help the sarod gain a more mainstream recognition. At present,it is associated more with folk music,” says Khan,who is pitted against albums like ‘Double Play’,‘Douga Mansa’,‘La Guerra No’ and ‘ Drum Music Land ‘ at the 52 Annual Grammy Awards that will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on January 31.

“I was in Kolkata for a concert when I got a call from my sons Amaan and Ayaan who were performing in Bengaluru that day. My first reaction was to thank God and my parents for their blessings,” says Khan.

“For Ancient Sounds”,I had the option of using electronic sounds but decided instead to keep it all acoustic to keep the folksy tone alive. Folk music is the most natural form of music in the world,” he says about the six-track album,five of which have been composed by Khan. The album was recorded in New

Mexico and has tracks based on various ragas.

Khan looks back pleasantly on the collaboration with the oud maestro. “The sarod and the oud share a common history and are both fretless. This is the first time such duet between the two instruments has happened,” he says.

Apart from Khan,two other Indian artistes have won Grammy nominations. AR Rehman has two nominations for the multiple Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire in “Best Song Written For Motion Picture,Television Or Other Visual Media” and “Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture,Television or Other visual Media,” categories. Tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain,who won a Grammy in February 2008 for The Global Drum Project ,has been nominated in the “Best Classical Crossover Album” category for The Melody of Rhythm (E1 Music). His album,a collaboration with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra,will have

to beat contenders like Craig Hella Johnson,Paquito D’Rivera Quintet,Quartet San Francisco and Theo Bleckmann to get the award home.

But,as Khan agrees with a smile,India’s chances to win the convoluted gramophone never looked stronger.