LATEST NEWS FOR ALLA RAKHA

WHO IS ALLA RAKHA

Qureshi Alla Rakha Khan popularly known as Alla Rakha (29 April 1919 – 3 February 2000) was an Indian tabla player. He was a frequent accompanist ofRavi Shankar.

Alla Rakha

Qureshi Alla Rakha Khan popularly known as Alla Rakha was an Indian tabla player. He was a frequent accompanist of Ravi Shankar.

Born: April 29, 1919, Jammu

Died: February 3, 2000, Mumbai

Spouse: Bavi Begum

Children: Zakir Hussain, Taufiq Qureshi, Fazal Qureshi, Khurshid Aulia, Razia Khan

Albums: Rich à la Rakha, Drums of India, Shared Moments,etc

CAREER HISTORY OF ALLA RAKHA

Alla Rakha began his career as an accompanist in Lahore and then as an All India Radio staffer in Bombay in 1940, playing the station's first ever tabla solo and elevating the instrument's position in the process. Soon after, he composed music for a couple of Hindi films from 1943–48.

However, he still played as an accompanist, for soloists like Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Allauddin Khan, Vilayat Khan, Vasant Rai, Ali Akbar Khan and most notably, Ravi Shankar. The venerable master achieved world renown as Ravi Shankar's chief accompanist during his apex in the 1960s, delighting audiences in the West with his percussive wizardry, not only as an uncanny accompanist with flawless timing and sensitivity but also as a soloist where he was a master of improvisation, a prolific composer and an electric showman. The partnership was particularly successful, and his legendary and spellbinding performances with Shankar at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and the Woodstock Festival in 1969 served to introduce classical Indian music to general Western audiences.

He became a Guru (teacher) to Sankha Chatterjee (in 1962), Yogesh Samsi, Prafulla Athalye, Aditya Kalyanpur,Anuradha Pal, Nishikant Barodekar, Uday Ramdas, Shyam Kane, and his sons Taufiq Qureshi and Fazal Qureshi. His eldest son, Zakir Hussain is also an accomplished tabla virtuoso.

Leading American percussionists in Rock n' Roll, such as the Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart, admired him and studied his technique. Hart, a published authority on percussion in world music, said "Alla Rakha is the Einstein, the Picasso; he is the highest form of rhythmic development on this planet." Alla Rakha also collaborated with jazz drummer Buddy Rich, on their 1968 album Rich à la Rakha^[2].

In 1985, he founded the Ustad Allarakha Institute of Music to train young tabla players in the tradition of the Punjab gharana.

Ustad Alla Rakha Khan was awarded the Padma Shri in 1977^[3] and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1982

Google doodle celebrates Ustad Alla Rakha's 95th birthday

Internet search titan Google, on Tuesday, celebrated the 95th birth anniversary of Indian tabla maestro Ustad Alla Rakha with a doodle dedicated to him.

The Google doodle has Alla Rakha playing tabla with the two instruments representing the letter 'o' in Google's logo. All the letters of the word Google have been given a very circular and rounded shape except for the letter 'l'.

Alla Rakha was born on April 29, 1919 in Phagwal, Jammu. His full name is Allarakha Qureshi Khansaheb. He was a frequent accompanist of Ravi Shankar. According to Wikipedia, Alla Rakha became fascinated with the sound and rhythm of the tabla at the age of 12, while staying with his uncle in Gurdaspur. Finding little chances for grooming and appreciation, the determined Alla Rakha ran away from home, became a disciple of and began studying tabla with Mian Kader Baksh of the Punjab gharana.

Alla Rakha began his career as an accompanist in Lahore and then as an All India Radio staffer in Bombay in 1940, playing the station's first ever tabla solo and elevating the instrument's position in the process. He also composed music for a couple of Hindi films from 1943-48.

Ustad Alla Rakha was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1977 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1982. He founded the Alla Rakha Institute of Music in Bombay in 1985. His three sons - Zakir Hussain, Fazal Qureshi, and Taufiq Qureshi - are also respected tabla players.

Alla Rakha died on February 3, 2000 in Mumbai following a heart attack.