Shamim Ahmed Khan


Shamim Ahmed Khan was a sitarist and composer, and notably, a student of Pandit Ravi Shankar. His solo recording debut was at the age of 29. Shamim had performed in Carnegie Hall, at the Lincoln Center, at the Griffith Center, among other concert halls. Although an exponent of Indian classical music, he was also associated with western musicians such as Buddy Rich, and Paul Horn among others.

Biography

At an early age Shamim Ahmed was introduced to Hindustani classical music by his father, Ustad Ghulam Rasool Khan, a renowned music composer and vocalist of the musical Agra Gharana. However, after a bout of typhoid, Shamim Ahmed steered away from singing to turn towards his true passion for the sitar. In 1951, while studying at the Baroda Music College, Shamim Ahmed also moved to Mumbai to begin as a teacher at his guru's music institute, Kinnara School of Music. When Panditji moved to California in 1967, it wasn't long, before he invited the young teacher to visit Los Angeles.
In 1967-1968, for the recording of Rich á la Rakha, Shamim Ahmed played the sitar alongside tabla maestro Ustad Alla Rakha, and with renowned jazz drummer Buddy Rich. Shamim Ahmed Khan's US solo recording debut was along with then young Zakir Hussain as tabla accompanist.