Sabir Khan

Hindustani Sarangi

3 minute read

Sabir Khan is a rising star of the sarangi. Born into a family of musicians stretching back eight generations, his grandfather Ustad Mehboob Khan was known as Sarangi Samrat (Emperor of Sarangi). He trained under his uncle Ustad Moinuddin Khan, a renowned Jaipur vocalist, studying alongside his cousin Momin. They have spent years working to uphold the family style on their instruments.

Sabir is an accomplished singer as well as a sarangi artist. His playing is influenced by the hypnotic loops of Sufi music, and also draws on the rhythms of Indian classical dance – a product of his time playing at the Jaipur Kathak Kendra dance academy. He became an All India Radio ‘A’ grade artist in his early twenties, and continues to expand his family’s already broad range of musical ideas.

Sabir Khan has graced the Darbar Festival stage multiple times, bringing the rich tradition of sarangi to audiences. He performed in 2019 and returned in 2022, collaborating with a diverse range of artists, including Satyajit Talwalkar, Bharathi Prathap, Aneesh Pradhan, and more. His soulful and intricate playing continues to mesmerize listeners, showcasing the depth and versatility of his instrument.

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Sabir Sultan Khan | Raag Jog

Recorded at Darbar Festival 2022, on 13th October at Milton Court, Barbican. Musicians: - Sabir Sultan Khan (sarangi) - Aneesh Pradhan (tabla) Raag Jog; Thaat: Kafi; Samay: Night Let's journey back in time to Darbar Festival 2022 when we were graced by the exceptional talent of Sabir Sultan Khan, accompanied by the very talented Aneesh Pradhan on Tabla. Khan is the musical genius son of legendary sarangi player and vocalist Padma Bhushan Ustad Sultan. The sarangi is one India’s oldest instruments mentioned first by Śārṅgadeva (1175–1247) and has been used in classical music since at least the 17th century. It is the vocalist’s choice of accompaniment, and also stands proud as a solo instrument. Khan explores ragas through the lilting and captivating sounds of the sarangi weaving and bending raga notes to a hypnotic trance. Khan has developed a style which gives the audience deeply stirring and richly coloured sounds. A global traveller, he regularly accompanies Ustad Zakir Hussain. Pradhan is a disciple of the late illustrious tabla maestro Pandit Nikhil Ghosh from whom he inherited a rich and varied repertoire of traditional tabla solo compositions from the Delhi, Ajrada, Lucknow, Farrukhabad and Punjab gharanas. He provides sensitive and roaring tabla accompaniment to match the power of the sarangi. Pradhan’s latest book is entitled Chasing the Raag Dream: A Look into the World of Hindustani Music. He has also directed and produced a short film entitled Pratidhvani: Reverberations of the Nanasaheb Panse Pakhawaj Tradition. Subscribe to the Darbar Player to access the full, uncut performance.