Ustad Vilayat Khan (28 August 1928 – 13 March 2004), commonly known as Vilayat Khan, was an Indian classical sitar player. Ustād (abbreviated as Ust., Ut. or Ud.; from Persian استاد) is an honorific title for a man used in the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is used in various languages of the Muslim World, including Persian, Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi, Pashto, Turkish, Indonesian, Malay and Kurdish. Along with Imdad Khan, Enayat Khan, and Imrat Khan, he is credited with the creation and development of gayaki ang (an attempt to mimic vocal music) on the sitar. He recorded his first 78-RPM disc at the age of 8, and gave his last concert in 2004 at the age of 75.
Links to Peel[]
During the late 60's, classical Indian music started to gain popularity in the west, especially amongst the hippie movement, which Peel was a follower of. George Harrison's use of Indian classical instruments, especially the sitar, on some Beatles tracks was later copied by other artists, folk guitarists like Davy Graham, Robin Williamson and Andy Roberts experimented with Eastern tunings and scales, and groups like the Butterfield Blues Band ("East-West") and Country Joe & The Fish ("Eastern Jam") played extended "raga-rock" instrumentals.
Peel responded to the trend by playing many classical Indian tracks, including some from Ravi Shankar and Vilayat & Imrat Khan, mostly on Night Ride. although he often had to fade them out early due to time constraints. JP saw Ustad Vilayat Khan and Imrat Khan at the Royal Festival Hall on 23 March 1968 and described it as "an amazing concert" on the Night Ride of 27 March 1968. He eventually had both Imrat and his brother Vilayat record sessions for Top Gear and played their long pieces in full, previewing Vilayat's session in his International Times column: "In a few weeks Ustad Vilayat Khan will be on "Top Gear" and will play a raga lasting about twenty minutes. Those who don't like Indian music will not appreciate this much but it really is a conspicuous breakthrough...."[1]
He also saw Vilayat Khan perform at the Odeon, Swiss Cottage on 28th July 1968 after that day's Top Gear. No doubt as a result of Peel's support, Vilayat Khan became fashionable enough to be interviewed in International Times[2] By the middle of the 1970's, however, classical Indian music was going out of fashion in the west, at least in pop music circles, and in later decades Peel rarely played the genre that he briefly espoused in the late 60's.
Sessions[]
1. Recorded: 1968-08-02. Broadcast: 01 September 1968, repeated 06 October 1968. No known commercial release.
- Shankara / Snudh Malu
Other Shows Played[]
- 24 July 1968: Raga Yaman (part of part 3) (LP - Music From India Series No.7) EMI
- 1969
- 18 May 1969: Concert in the Haunted Palace (LP - The Guru - An Original Soundtrack Recording) RCA Victor
See Also[]
- Gigography 1968
- The Collection (Peel Acres - Sarathy Korwar)
- International Times: Perfumed Garden Column