Ustad Ali Akbar Khan : The Jodhpur Years/Ramlal Mathur and Malati Mathur. New
Delhi, Indialog Pub, 2008, 144 p., 45 black and white photographs, (pbk). ISBN 81-8443-019-1.
Ustad Ali Akbar Khan : The Jodhpur Years/Ramlal Mathur and Malati Mathur. New
Delhi, Indialog Pub, 2008, 144 p., 45 black and white photographs, (pbk). ISBN 81-8443-019-1.
Contents: Message. Preface. 1. Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Ummed Bhawan Place, Jodhpur. 2. Ali Akbar Khan: Sarod maestro extraordinaire. 3. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan's musical lineage. 4. A glimpse of Jodhpur. 5. Advent of the Ustad in Jodhpur. 6. My first sight of the Ustad. 7. Accepted as a disciple: my first lesson. 8. Formation of an orchestra. 9. The next lesson. 10. First meeting with Baba. 11. Some intimate moments. 12. Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan. 13. My first sitar lesson. 14. Celebration at the fort. 15. A meeting with Baba in Gwalior. 16. Nikhil Banerjee. 17. Jaidev. 18. The Jodhpur Music Conference. 19. The radio station. 20. Journey to Calcutta. 21. Onwards to Bombay. 22. Life in Bombay. 23. Scattered moments. 24. Hanwant Singh. 25. Conclusion. 26. Reflections.
"The renowned sarod maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan began his career at the court of Maharaja Ummed Singh of Jodhpur, where Ramlal Mathur was associated with him as one of his earliest disciples, learning both vocal music and sitar from the Ustad in the Guru-Sishya Parampara. His position in the Ustad's house was also that of an intimate friend and as such he was privy to certain personal and endearing moments in the Ustad's life during that time. Ramlalji was fortunate enough to meet the erstwhile greats of Hindustani classical music including the formidable Baba Allauddin Khan, the Ustad's father and guru and he offers fascinating glimpses of these characters straight out of a Music Who's Who. This book is an account of the faded period of royal patronage of the arts, accompanied by rare photographs and musical notations."