Ustad Vilayat Khan - Live In Montréal June 30, 1978

Ustad Vilayat Khan was probably the most talented sitar player of the 20th century. If Ravi Shankar was the most popular out of India, Vilayat's style was surely more impressive. His ability to make the sitar sounding like a voice have no equal. In indian classical music the voice is the reference, as said the famous benkar Ustad zia Mohiuddin Dagar:
-"voice is king, instruments is minister".
The sitar of Ustad Vilayat Khan was often reaching the level of the king, it is particularly true in this massive concert.
Ustad Vilayat Khan have recorded many albums but it is on stage that he is incredibly great. Despite an important discography most of his albums are studio recordings, he didn't like very much to be recorded live.
Last but not least, he refused almost all the distinctions that the various musical academy in India offered to him, considering that those institutions were not able to appreciate his music. For a while he also refused to play for the all India radio.

01 Raga Marwa, alap/jor/jala & composition
02 Raga Bageshree alap/jor/jala & composition
03 Raga Bhairavi alap/jor/jala & composition
04 Raga Miyan Ki Malhar (incomplete)

-Ustad Vilayat Khan: Sitar
-Avtar Singh tablas

A Second sitar player can be heard on both ragas Bageshree and Bhairavi, it is probably his son Shujaat Husain Khan who had eighteen at this time and who was already his disciple.

Recorded on June 30, 1978 in Montréal except Raga Miyan Ki Malhar recorded in Chicago in 1980