Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash have carried the legacy of their illustrious father, sarod legend Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, forward through their music. In the process, they have also carved out distinctive identities for themselves in the world of Indian classical music. While one sees Amaan and Ayaan playing various ragas on the sarod, one also witnesses them collaborating with artists from different backgrounds and creating something unique and memorable with them.
In the recent past, one has seen Amaan and Ayaan working on a variety of projects. A while back, Amaan and Ayaan performed Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Ekla Chalo Re’ in front of the Honourable Prime Minister of India at the WAVES India Summit. Earlier this year, one also saw them collaborating with vocalist Malini Awasthi on ‘Holi Project: Colors and Celebration’, an album revolving around the theme of Holi. The album comprised five tracks which encapsulate the spirit of the festival.
In this interview, the musician brothers talk about their experience of collaborating with Malini Awasthi, the different elements that went into putting this project together, coming up with a new book, wish to compose music for films and more.
How was the experience of collaborating with Malini Awasthi on ‘Holi Project: Colors and Celebration’?
Amaan: A year ago, we had released an album called ‘We For Love’. For this album, we did a track with Malini ji. It was a folk-based track. Ayaan bhai and I then thought of taking this ahead and putting together a full-fledged folk album. Who can be a better fit for a folk album than Malini ji! We approached her for this album and she, very graciously, decided to be a part of it. Holi is one of the most popular festivals in our country. Iss tyohaar mein rang lagaya jaata hai bina naam aur audha puchhe. It’s a festival of unity and equality. The album has old folk songs which we have reinterpreted through the sitar.
You said in an interview that you made an effort to create a sensory experience through sound with this album. When one listens to the album, one realizes you have stayed true to that vision.
Ayaan: That’s really kind of you to say that. I feel whenever a musician tries to create something, he should give his hundred per cent to it. The effort was to create an album that sounds clean. We wanted every people from every age group to enjoy the album.
You recorded all the tracks for the album at Yash Raj Studios. You used vintage microphones and created a special acoustic environment for the recordings. You were also particular about the tonal quality it needed to have.
Ayaan: Everything sounds very digital these days. We wanted the album to have an analogue sound to it.
Amaan: We wanted the tracks to have a certain simplicity to them. We used several organic elements from Awadh and Uttar Pradesh in them.
There seems to be a plan to release the album on vinyl.
Ayaan: That is the plan. In the coming months, we hope to launch the album on vinyl. We released the album digitally on Holi as we didn’t want to miss the festival (laughs).
Amaan: I miss the physical hard copies. A lot of young people today might not resonate with the sentiment. However, I believe owning a physical copy of an album is a very special feeling.
Ayaan, your children Zohaan and Abeer are taking the musical legacy of your family ahead. What kind of journey do you want them to have?
Ayaan: I just wish everybody keeps blessing them. Music has been the greatest wealth in our family. This is the only thing we can share with them. Abba saab teaches them. Amaan bhai also guides them. They are surrounded by music all the time. I feel I, as a father, has to be stern (laughs). The other members in the family are not to stern with them. I want them to keep doing their riyaaz sincerely. The good thing is that they are enjoying the process. Now, they join us on the stage to receive blessings from the audience. I will be very happy if they pursue music. This is a journey driven by passion.
From to ‘My Father, Our Fraternity’ to ‘The World of Amjad Ali Khan’, one has read several books on the family and its musical legacy. Do you plan to come up with another book in the near future?
Ayaan: Publishers keep asking us to write something. Books are valuable. They stay for posterity.
Amaan: There is an idea. Once it is established fully, we will go ahead with it. We want youngsters to get attracted to music. We are planning to cover some topics connected to music in the next book.
Years back, both of you were shooting for a J. P. Dutta directed film as lead actors. You had also done the music for the film. It is always interesting to see classical musicians score the music for Hindi films. Do you plan to compose for a film in the future?
Amaan: We would love to compose for films. Maybe, people feel a little scared to reach out to classical musicians to score for a film. Not many have approached us in the past. I hope we can work with filmmakers like Ashutosh Gowariker and Sanjay Leela Bhansali who understand the value of music. In their films, one gets to hear music which is connected to the history of our country. I like music that is tune-oriented.
Is there a plan to come up with another album soon?
Ayaan: We are working on multiple projects simultaneously. Because of travelling for concerts all the time, things get delayed. Hopefully, we will release another album in the next few months. In 2003, we had worked on a film called ‘American Daylight’. That was the era of crossover films. It was a film by an Academy Award winning director called Roger Christian. We had done the background score for the film. Classical musicians and the film industry have always had very good collaborations.