Ustad Alla Rakha | |
|---|---|
 Alla Rakha in 1988 | |
| Born | Allah Rakha Qureshi (1919-04-29)29 April 1919 |
| Died | 3 February 2000(2000-02-03) (aged 80) |
| Occupation(s) | Tabla,Pakhawaj player |
| Known for | Hindustani classical music |
| Notable credit(s) | Performed withRavi Shankar,Zakir Hussain,Aditya Kalyanpur |
| Children | |
| Awards | Padma Shri Award by theGovernment of India in 1977 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1982 |
| Website | allarakhafoundation |
UstadAlla Rakha Qureshi[1] (29 April 1919 – 3 February 2000) was an Indiantabla player who specialised inHindustani classical music. Widely revered as one of history's most iconic players of the tabla,[2] he was a frequent accompanist ofsitar player PanditRavi Shankar and was largely responsible for introducingtabla to the Western audience.[3]
Allah Rakha Qureshi was born on 29 April 1919 inGhagwal village in theJammu Province of the princely kingdom ofJammu and Kashmir underBritish Raj; today located in theSamba District of theunion territory of the same name in India. His mother tongue wasDogri and his family wereMuslim Dogras, although most of the Dogra clan around them were Hindus.[4] Growing up on a farm, Ustad Alla Rakha was always in awe of music, praising the travelling musicians he would occasionally have the opportunity to witness. His father, at that time, looked down upon singing or learning to play a musical instrument as a profession for his boy, due to his family's origins asDogras of Jammu.[3][4][5]
At the age of 12, Ustad Alla Rakha ran away from home to stay with his uncle in the nearbyGurdaspur city to pursue his passion for music.[6][7] Finding little chances for grooming and appreciation, the determined young lad began his training in tabla with Mian Kader Baksh of thePunjab gharana of tabla players. Mian Kadir Bakhsh, who had no sons, formally adopted Alla Rakha and called him the next head of thePunjab gharana of tabla players (a 'gharana' is a community of musicians sharing a distinctive musical style).[3][5][4][8]
Alla Rakha also took vocal training in classical music andRaag Vidya under Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan of thePatiala gharana. His regimen of practice and dedication were legendary: hours upon hours of hard, disciplined practice, that would later pay off. He performed atAll India Radio inLahore as a staff artist in 1936 and was later transferred to All India Radio in Bombay in 1938.[3] In 1943, he quit that job and started working for the Bombay film industry, also known asBollywood these days, and composed music for nearly two dozen Urdu/Hindi and Punjabi films.[5][3] By 1958, he had become disillusioned with the film industry and started focusing more on classical music.[3]
He was married to his cousin Bavi Begum and the couple had three sons,Zakir Hussain,Fazal Qureshi andTaufiq Qureshi;[3] two daughters, Khurshid Aulia née Qureshi and Razia; and nine grandchildren. They all survived him except Razia; it was the news of her death a day earlier that is thought to have caused his fatal heart attack.[9][4]
Allah Rakha had a third daughter namedRoohi Bano (1951–2019) who was born inPakistan and achieved a "legendary" status in television and film acting in that country.[7][10][11]
Ustad Alla Rakha began his career as an accompanist inLahore and then as anAll India Radio,Delhi staffer in 1936 but later moved toBombay in 1940, playing the station's first ever tabla solo and elevating the instrument's position in the process. Soon after, he also started composing musicfor Hindi films under the name A. R. Qureshi. He composed for a total of 23 films between 1943 and 1964.[5]
However, he still played as an accompanist, for soloists likeBade Ghulam Ali Khan,Allauddin Khan,Vilayat Khan,Vasant Rai,Ali Akbar Khan, andRavi Shankar.[5] The venerable master achieved world renown as 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.
His musical partnership with Ravi Shankar was particularly successful and lasted nearly three decades, and their legendary and spellbinding performances at theMonterey Pop Festival in 1967 and theWoodstock Festival in 1969 served to introduce classical Indian music to general worldwide audiences.[3]
Alla Rakha also was a devoted music teacher. He founded 'Alla Rakha Institute of Music' inMumbai in 1985.[3]
Alla Rakha popularised the art of tabla, playing across the globe, elevating the status and respect of this instrument. "Abbaji" (as he was affectionately known by his disciples) also bridged the gap betweenCarnatic music andHindustani music by playing with both renowned Carnatic musicians and other Hindustani stalwarts. Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha duo represented India at several international music festivals.[4]
Leading American percussionists inrock n' roll, such as theGrateful Dead'sMickey Hart, admired him and studied his technique, benefiting greatly even from single meetings. Hart, a published authority on percussion inworld music, said: "Allah Rakha is the Einstein, the Picasso; he is the highest form of rhythmic development on this planet." Rakha also collaborated with jazz drummerBuddy Rich on their 1968 albumRich à la Rakha.[3][12]
Alla Rakha's partnership withRavi Shankar began in the early 1950s.[4] He was part of the ensemble accompanyingRavi Shankar duringGeorge Harrison'sConcert for Bangladesh shows, held inNew York City in August 1971. The success of the live album and concert film from this event presented Indian classical music to a wide audience in the West. He also collaborated and shared the stage with many leading figures in Indian music like sitar playerVilayat Khan andsarod playerAli Akbar Khan.[5]
He was also featured in aGoogle doodle on 29 April 2014, on the occasion of his 95th birthday.[8]
Qureshi died on 3 February 2000 at his Simla House residence onNepean Sea Road following a heart attack, which he suffered on learning of the death of his daughter, Razia, the previous evening during cataract surgery.[5][4]
In his obituary,The New York Times called him "the most important tabla drummer of his generation". The newspaper further stated that Alla Rakha was given the title Ustad or master musician and teacher of the art of tabla playing. Alla Rakha... "used his skill to invigorate every musician who shared the stage with him."[5]
The Then-Prime Minister of IndiaAtal Bihari Vajpayee also issued a formal statement regretting the loss in his death.[5]
Media related toAlla Rakha at Wikimedia Commons