W Senders 14 March 2004

"A great one is gone, friends!  I heard Vilayat perform many years ago in Boston, and it remains one of my life's musical
high points.  Throughout India and everywhere the sounds of raga are heard, people are remembering the sound of Vilayat
Khan's sitar.  He had a touch like no other; the instrument laughed, cried, and sang in his hands.

"To Vilayat Khan!  May he rest in peace!"
 

Kerry (Toronto) 16 March 2004

Having followed the news about the illness and death of Ustad Vilayat Khan, I felt a sense of deep loss and
sadness when the final news came. Although I never had the privilege of meeting Ustad Vilayat Khan, I felt in
some ways I did meet him. You see, I have to start at the beginning. In the early 90's as I was exploring
Indian Classical Music, I had no idea of whom any of the great artists were. Searching thru the World Music
Sections at the chain stores yielded very little. One day quite by chance, I caught the Classical Indian
Radio show on U of T Radio. I was not sure what I was hearing but it sounded really good. The following
week, I called into the show and asked what was playing and where would be a good place to start (in
terms of listening). The host suggested to me I get a copy of Ustad Vilayat Khan playing Raag Darbari Kanada
(1968 EMI release) at the Indian Record Shop on Gerrard Street in Toronto. At that, the next stop was
the Indian Record Shop in India Town. There I found a buffet of music (mostly on tapes - Cd's were just
becoming popular) from which to choose. With a suggestion in hand, I picked up Ustad Vilayat Khan
playing Raga Darbari Kanada on tape. To put in simply, my ears could not believe what they were hearing. The
passion and musicality of that recording really did it for me. I was sold ! Sign me up ! I wanted more ! What
began as a simple exploration Of Indian Classical Music turned into a weekly pilgrimage to the Indian
Record Shop on Gerrard Street. The owner would set aside Ustad Vilayat Khan recordings for me ahead of
time. Again, most of the recordings were on tape. Alot of the recordings were small pieces from the 60's
that were put together on tapes with other artists as part of a musical series. I felt like Indiana Jones in
search of the holy grail of musical treasures (Gems to be sure). Over time, my collection and appreciation
grew. Although I did and do collect music of other sitarists and musicians, no one could and has not
given me that same experience. In fact, all these years later, this still holds true. Before I got on
the Net, the only information about Ustad Vilayat Khan that I could find was from the Tape and CD liner
notes. After I got on the Net, another world was opened to me. What do you think was my first "keyword"
search ? Today, one can find many interesting and detailed articles about Ustad Vilayat Khan. His
musical discographies are documented and available.
Treasures to be sure !
What really did it for me, was the Mind of Ustad Vilayat Khan. He could interpret and give us what we
really wanted to hear. And here we are today in 2004, Ustad Vilayat Khan has
passed away. May God grant his soul eternal rest.
Thank you Ustad Vilayat Khan.

Balbir SJ

When it comes to Sitar music Ustad Vilayat Khan has contributed and expanded its horizons greatly over last the 60-70 years. Gayaki (vocal)
style of sitar playing was started by his father Ustad Inayat Khan, but Ustad Vilayat Khan and his brother Ustad Imrat Khan have taken it to
new heights and irreversibly influenced all of their, and subsequent generation of sitarists.
Yes, there are many recordings of their father and grandfather and of a few others. (HMV had released recently some of these recordings) and
the development of gayaki ang and other forms are clearly evident in their playing. Their completeness of scores of variations of strokes
and meends, un-imagineable variations of tans and toras, their "pure" and clean pre-chikari jhalas are mainly to be noted, but their
renditions and vistar development of each raga in it's alap, jod, intelligent layakari, with reminiscences of old masters always become
hallmarks for other musicians to follow. Vilayat Khan's recordings (since his early teens) have become hits for
about 3 generations. These are serious and major musicians who have contributed greatly on sitar and surbahar with little or no commercial
viewpoints but have won the hearts of musicians (including vocalists) and listeners alike. There is no dispute on the immense contributions
of this Imdad Khani gharana to Indian Classical Music for many generations. The proof can also be seen in the scene of all the leading
sitarists of India today as they all belong to the Imdad Khan gharana of sitar players.
Pandit Ravi Shankar started his career as a dancer in the group of his brother the great Uday Shankar, who also introduced him to the West.
After this, he made his name in India mainly while playing duets with his jugalbandhi partner (and teacher!) Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. By then
Vilayat Khan was already a celebrity and a source of inspiration for him. I do have high regard for Ravi Shankar for his then successes in
the West. He happpened to be the first Sitarist to go to the West, only as he was sent by the Indian government, and so he associated with many
famous stars of Western pop and classical music, which was widely covered by Indian media. There is no doubt on the contributions of the
Ministers and the Beatles to Ravi Shankars success (untill today). But his only contribution to Sitar itself that I can think of is perhaps
the invention of the "secret clip" tied to the fret (which is no more a secret as all his followers now use it), which he uses to clip away the
lower drone strings after the alap, as it might be difficult for him to control and maintain these strings!! Along with many other flaws I find
his playing very full of Krintans and Tihais - and always the same Krintans whether playing thumri or a serious raga!! He was perhaps the
first to increase the input of the tabla playing to un-limited proportions in order to generate lost of "claps " and to "modernise"
our Indian Classical Music!!!
Pandit Ravi Shankar has also been wrongly claiming credit for ragas created by other masters, including the borrowing of some South Indian
ragas e.g. Kirwani and Charukeshi. (This view and complaint was also expressed by the Sarod player Ustad Ashish Khan on this newsgroup last
year). In spite of the above however, all are great masters with great individual achievements and deserve respect. It highly upsets me when,
naive or biased people insults and abuses them on the Net. They might have their own opinions but donot have any right to insulting with
abusive and foul language against our great and internationally revered masters of Indian Classical music. I (or anybody) have no time to read
insults, personal quips or abusive remarks, specially to our master musicians.
 

Kalavant Centre for Music & Dance 16 March 2004

The Kalavant Center for Music and Dance family is deeply saddened by the news of Ustad Vilayat Khan's passing. In the fall of 1998, it was a great honor to have Ustad Vilayat Khan inaugurate Tha Kalavant Center with a brilliant performance in New York in Cooper Union's Great Hall.

The contributions Ustad Vilayat Khan made to the sitar and Indian classical music influenced each and every one of his contemporaries, and will undoubtedly continue to influence each and every sitarist for generations to come. He faithfully carried forward the musical legacy of his forefathers, and the musical greatness and innovations he achieved through his love and labors has left the world a  musical landmark. It is The Kalavant Center's hopes that his legacy will be faithfully carried into the future.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and close friends.