In the guru’s footsteps
By MOHAN NADKARNI
The Economic Times, December 31, 1989
Ken Zuckerman in the 1980s.
Although it is an acknowledged fact that the scale of 12 notes forms the basis of international music of the East and the West, the Western system has evolved on the harmonic lines, while the music from the Orient, of which Hindustani music as well as Carnatic music form an integral part, came to be developed on homotonic lines. Thus the two systems of music are poles apart.
It, therefore, speaks eloquently of the genius, inspiration and hardwork of some of the Western musicians to have imbibed the very character of Indian music and be quite at home with both, when it comes to performing.
Take the case of Ken Zuckerman (37), a Western instrumental music exponent from Basel, in Switzerland, and still teaching at the Swiss Academy. He came under the influence of the sarod maestro, Ali Akbar Khan, and decided to learn Hindustani music under his guidance and direction. Under the maestro’s guidance, Zuckerman not only mastered the difficult technique of playing sarod, but also imbibed the very spirit of the ustad’s style and approach. All this, in a matter of 12 years or so!
Take the case of Ken Zuckerman (37), a Western instrumental music exponent from Basel, in Switzerland, and still teaching at the Swiss Academy. He came under the influence of the sarod maestro, Ali Akbar Khan, and decided to learn Hindustani music under his guidance and direction. Under the maestro’s guidance, Zuckerman not only mastered the difficult technique of playing sarod, but also imbibed the very spirit of the ustad’s style and approach. All this, in a matter of 12 years or so!
That is not all. With the blessings of the Ustad, Zuckerman set up an independent wing in his academy for imparting professional training in Hindustani vocal and instrumental music to those Westerners who wished to learn and benefit from him. Even while teaching, he managed to devote a good deal of his time to the newly established institution, named after his mentor as Ali Akbar College of Music.
What is more, he undertook concert tours as an exponent of the sarod from 1986. India has been his most favourite country where, as he says with great pride and delight, he finds the audiences most responsive. The fact that he has received plaudits from our listeners is a testimony to his high caliber as an exponent of Hindustani music.
Zuckerman is in India to give a series of concerts in Bombay and several other musical strongholds all over the country. Last week, he was billed to give performances for as many as three leading music circles – the Suburban Music Circle of Santacruz, the Sajan Milap in central Bombay and the centre functioning under the music department of Bombay University. There was, besides, his recorded interview by Bombay Doordarshan.
The fare he chose to offer at these different venues was both rich and varied, covering well-known as well as less known ragas, like Bhimpalas, Gorakh Kalyan, and Yamuan, all time-honoured melodies. Then we had Chandranandan (his Ustad’s famous innovation), Durgeshwari and Hemand (created by Allauddin Khan, who was Ali Akbar’s father and mentor). The lighter pieces were Khamaj, Kafi, Mishra Mand and Bhairavi, which conventionally marks the end of any Hindustani performance.
Detailed comment on the quality, content and presentation of the individual numbers seems neither necessary nor possible within the limited space of this column. Suffice it to say that Zuckerman moves his Indian audiences with the charm of his individual style, fecundity of his imagination, fluidity of expression and abundance of emotive content in whatever he played. In doing this, he showed the deep impress of his celebrated guru, specially the moving strain that marked his improvisations in slower tempo. And since the sarod is an instrument known for its plaintive tone, one felt that Zuckerman’s choice of the sarod as an instrument of musical communication was apt.
Not surprisingly, his listeners came away from his recitals with admiration for the Westerner’s achievements which came through his music so soulfully. Sadanand Naimpalli, Nayan Ghosh and Vaibhav Nageshkar, who gave percussion support to Zuckerman, attuned their playing ideally to his sarod music.