Arshad Ali

Arshad Ali is one of the few prodigies to live up to their initial promise. Arshad, the grandson of the legendary sarangi maestro late Padmashree Ustad Shakoor Khan, was absorbed into the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata, as a scholar at the age of six. Born in the family of the principal Kirana Gharana musicians, he received extensive taleem from his maternal uncles, Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan and Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan in the true guru-shishya parampara system of training, steeped with exclusivity of ragas and unheard bandishes.
GHARANA : Today, Arshad is hailed as a maestro par excellence. He is one of the few contemporary singers of the Kirana Gharana to have assimilated the essence of the meer-khand vistar or development, typical to the gharana. His style, while strikingly original in its creative exposition of the Raag, is steeped in a traditional mould. His ability to balance his performances with sensitive alap / vistar,note by note delineation of swaras, complex sargams , an onslaught of lightening fast multifarious taans with emotive yet meditative pukaars has set him a class apart from his fellow vocalists. He is hailed as among the greatest virtuoso vocalists of the country, given his repertoire and competency in all aspects of Khayal gayaki. As a child, he became one of the most celebrated "Little Ustad" of our country. In the year 1993, at the age of nine, he was described as "the biggest sensation of Sawai Gandharva Sammelan" following his performance on a special invitation from Bharat-Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi on the occasion of his 75th birthday celebrations. No wonder that Pt. Bhimsen Joshi showered his blessings on the young maestro saying that he sees a consonance between his own musical thoughts and ideation and that of Arshad Ali Khan,the notably true progeny of the blue blooded kIrana Gayaki, carrying the baton of the Goldenheritage of Kirana Gharana on his young shoulders.With the judicious usage of the distinctive style of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan and Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan, Arshad Ali Khan is emerging as the leading vocalist of Kirana Gharana across all nations worldwide.Today his performances across continents of Europe , Asia and Africa are hailed with credit of offering a sound , polished and individualistic voice which is capable of reaching a wide spectrum of audience starting with a teenager to that of a nanogenarian.