Cassius Khan

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Image:Cassius khan.jpg
Cassius Khan in his element: The only musician in the world who plays Tabla and sings Ghazals simultaneously (photo courtesy of Keven Fedirko[1])

Cassius Khan[2] (born on June 7th 1974 in Lautoka, Fiji) is the only known Indian Classical musician in the world who has combined Tabla playing and Ghazal singing simultaneously, thus a remarkable feat in the Indian Classical music scene.

[edit] Biography

Khan was born to Muslim parents, Naimatullah and Razia Khan, his family moved to Canada in 1974 and moved back to Fiji Islands in 1983 at the age of nine, and returned in 1987. He met his teachers in Vancouver, BC, Canada, emminent Ghazal singer Mushtari Begum (Dec 25th 1934-March 14th 2004) who received the title "Malika-e Ghazal" (Queen Of Ghazal) in 1973 by the Indian High Consulate, Harmonium/Qawaali singer Sheikh Mohyudean (1920-) and Tabla player Ustad Rukhsar Ali (1945-) and started learning Ghazal singing, Harmonium playing, and Tabla playing.

He was also influenced by great stalwarts of Indian Classical music such as Ustads Mehdi Hassan, Zakir Hussain, Altaaf Hussain Khan Tafo, Begum Akhtar, Farida Khanum and others.

Playing the tabla requires immense skill and concentration, and tabla players usually are able to articulate only tabla playing in their skill. Khan, however, had the ability to sing Ghazals and play tabla simultaneously, therefore making him a unique contribution to Indian Classical Music. Many revered musicians of India have agreed that Khan is the only musician in the world who is able to blend both aspects seamlessly. It is also a rare treat for audiences to be treated with a ghazal recital and a full tabla solo recital by the same artist in their concert.

Khan's other greatest attribute was that he could sing the "Tarrannum Gayaki" or recitational style of Ghazal singing while playing the tabla which is a phenomenon in itself. (The "Tarranum Gayaki" involves the vocalist playing the timing sequence, taking longer measurements before arriving at the "sum point" or the first beat of the rhythm cycle. Most vocalists find this style very difficult because of the confusion on the spaces with the tabla.Tabla players also find it difficult to accompany a vocalist with this style).

At the young age of 14 Khan recorded his first album "Cassius Khan, Young Tabla Wizard-A live Tabla Solo" and sold an undisclosed amount of copies. His manager at the time took all the rights to the album and Khan did not earn a penny. Bad promoters plagued his career as a musician in his early stages. Most managers took advantage of the "Young Tabla Wizard" and stole money from his concert earnings and contracts. Khan had to start his career over with a clean slate. Money was always tight, as thousands of dollars were taken right under his nose with these bad promoters.

After completing his BA from college, Khan decided not to take a career in Law and focused only on improving his tabla playing and singing. He started touring the folk festival scene in North America as a collaborater with artists of all world genres. He also lent his voice and hands in pop, heavy metal, country, bluegrass, and rock music.

In 2001, Khan composed the "Asia" Music for the World Track and Field Championships under the guidance of composer Jan Randall. The piece he composed gained him international recognition as a composer.

Khan's first album in world music was with the Late D"arcy Greaves called "Angel of Sevilla." (1995) and then recorded with artists such as Pavlo ("I Feel Love Again"-2002), "Mani Licks" with Dan Mani (2002), "A Demon's Dream" with Dave Martone (2002), and "The Alchemists" with Dave Martone (2002).

In 2005, Khan was the only Indian solo artist invited to perform Ghazals and a tabla solo recital at the prestigious Albertascene[3]Festival in the nation's capital, Ottawa. His concert was received with rave reviews in the nearly packed National Arts Centre.

After years of performance in collaboration, Cassius Khan was invited by the Salmon Arm Folk Festival to present his very first Classical Ghazal and Tabla recital concert in any Canadian Folk Festival in 2006. It was a momentous occasion for the young maestro who dedicated his life to the Ghazal.

In 2008, Cassius Khan was also selected to sing ghazals at the prestigious South By Southwest Festival in Austin,Texas. The selection process was out of over 8000 applicants. Very few artists are accepted every year, and for Khan, it was a major accomplishment, as he is the very first Ghazal/Tabla artist to be showcased in this festival. His set received world wide coverage and rave reviews.Afterwards, he was also invited to perform at the prestigious Juno Awards in Calgary, Alberta, where once again his talents shone throughout the night.

More recently, he has released an album " Dark Clouds" (2006) with famed Jazz Pianist Stu Goldberg [4] (Mahavishnu Orchestra) and "Mystic Bridge" with Slide Guitarist Ellen McIlwaine. Khan recalls fondly in his live concerts on how he used to listen to McIlwaine's record, "We the People" when he was in his teens, and thought " if only this song had tablas..."

Khan has also accompanied the famed Mohan Veena exponent, Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, who won a Grammy Award in 1995 for his album "A Meeting By The River" with Ry Cooder, has worked with Afghani Rubab Maestro Ustad Majid Qiyam[5], Ustad Aashish Khan Debsharma, a Sarode player of the Maihar Gharana and son of famed Sarode player Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Dholak master Sashi Roy, and more recently with Pt Salil Bhatt, an internationally acclaimed Satvick Veena player and son of Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions of Indian Classial music, Cassius Khan was awarded the "SALUTE TO EXCELLENCE AWARD" by the City of Edmonton for bringing honour and prestige to his country.

The Ghazal album, "Mushtari" due to release in 2008, is a tribute to his guru and teacher, the late Mushtari Begum, with a selection of choice Classical Ghazals and a Tabla solo recital. To listen to a demo sample of Cassius Khan's ghazals, please go to this link:http://www.mysticismofsound.com/cassius.html The accompanying musicians to Khan's recording in this demo are Amika Kushwaha on Harmonium and Ustad Majid Qiyam on the Sitar and Rubab.

Cassius Khan is married to Kathak dancer Amika Kushwaha in 2006, who is also a brilliant Harmonium player who accompanies Khan in his Ghazal/Tabla solo concerts.

Khan is currently signed by the Vancouver based Yarlowe Artist Group and enjoys an international career in music.

[edit] External links

Cassius Khan demo samples*http://www.mysticismofsound.com/cassius.html