Interview| Ayaan Ali Bangash on sharing stage with dad Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, touring and growing up with music

Indian artists Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, sons of sarod virtuoso Ustad Amjad Ali Khan are passionate about their music, the message behind it and how they continuously reinvent their presentation style. No strangers to fame, the sibling duo, busy with their world tour, spoke about the influence of music on their lives and taking forward the legacy built by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

In an exclusive chat, Ayaan Ali Bangash spoke about sharing the stage with father-legendary sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, what it was like growing up in a house full of music and whether his kids plan to take up music as a profession.

Here are the edited excerpts of our chat:

Q: You and Amaan have a world tour planned for the summer. What can you tell us about that?

A: We started a spring tour in April. Through April and May, we are performing in the United States. We also have concerts in Europe. We have a lot of concerts where we will also perform with my father, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Sahab.

We always try to reinvent our style and change the way we present our music. It’s amazing to be able to do spend so much time together as a family when we are touring. In addition to that, we have some interesting projects which we are currently working on. Those should be out soon.

We recently performed with the Google Orchestra. Google, I think, is one of the few companies that has their own musical orchestra, which I was very impressed with. It was called the Google Orchestra. So they played my father's concerts. There are some concerts with Sharon the guitarist, whom we collaborate with a lot. These will all be in the US.

Working with legendary Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

Q: How does it feel like working with your father Ustad Amjad Ali Khan? Has anything changed in the way you both perform with him now vs when you started. Is he stricter or easier to work with now?

A: I think the relationship has become more of a guru and student now over the years. What can I say? I'm just so blessed to even sit alongside the stage with him. You know how they say that you remain a student till your last day? My father feels he's still learning, he's still reinventing himself. That way we are yet to be delivered, I think. So it's a very long journey.

I would like to add that all your life experiences reflects onto your music. So what I was playing 20 years ago or 10 years ago – it’s not the same today. When crafting music, you incorporate all those experiences and continue on your journey without diluting tradition. I believe that in order to be contemporary, you don't have to murder tradition. So in my opinion, things can exist beautifully. My brother and I continue with our contemporary collaborations but our soul is classical music.

Q: Does it ever get intimidating working with your father?

A: You see, when your Guru is your father, then it's a dual relationship you’re dealing with. There are moments when he suddenly turns into the Guru and it's a very seamless transition. But we have been able to manage it well. Luckily, he still hasn't thrown us out of his life.

We are just carrying forward on the journey that he took many years ago and we're just trying to flow along those along the river.

Music: First choice?

Q: Was music your first choice of profession?

A: The atmosphere at home was so musically charged, that the language spoken was music and the air we were breathing had music in it. Even if my father was travelling, we had students who were constantly in the music room. So we automatically picked up the sarod and were playing. We grw up with sarods. Music has been the greatest wealth we've had in our family. So I don't think it was something outside the box to teach it.

Like I have twins today who are 12. I didn't realize until recently that they'll eventually be sitting on stage with us. It was never planned in such a way and they have their academic commitments, their PS five commitments and yet I see them sit down to practice and pick up the instrument.

Q: Have your kids told you what they want to become and if they will choose music like you did?

A: My kids are 12 and they have already picked it up. We do concerts, which are called the Sarod Quintet, where it's my father, my brother, myself and Zohan and Abir performing. So we've done a lot of shows in India. In fact, we will be touring around India's Independence Day in August as well later. They also performed in Wigmore Hall with us in London. They played in Symphony Space in New York. They are just trying it out and seeking blessings at this point of time.

Eventually in the future if they want to do this, they will but right now, I think they're enjoying the process. They love the Q&A sessions their grandfather has with them on stage.