Ustad Ahmed Jan Thirakwa (the Mount Everest of tabla!)

[GuillermodeLlera]

The man is like a God to me.

[jakemullick]

Look how he says a prayer before he starts playing. He is a very spiritual person who believes in a sanctity and purity of the music he is about to play. A true believer and a true muslim should be like that... not like the Pakistanis who deliberately belittle art and music and they are constantly after spreading mischief.

[toogood1960]

Oh really you are unbelievable. May God bless you and bring you every happiness you wish in life

[abhayndas]

wizard of tabla



[caspargrindcore]

4:30 i start raving up my house.

[SuperAaaaa123456]

O BOY GET ME A GLASS OF WATHER I CANT LEAVE IT TO GET WATER!!!

[diabolusX9]

Everytime I watch this I see the influence in Zakirji's playing. The best did influence the 'other' best. Tht flare in their playing is the exact copy. Though Zakirji has brought in a soothing soul thru hos bayan work, but the boldness in approach n presentation-exactly like each other. Wht a musician n wht a teacher. God bless.

[bamlani]

Just amazing

[sahirdonsocomeon]

WHOS THE SINGER AT 5:44 I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF SOMEONE TOLD ME.

THANKS!

[shankyxyz]

the last chalan is incredible. what a man? did he really exist in flesh and blood.

[2gautamc]

RE

1960-63 LUCKNOW AT AGE 6 MINE GR8LY IMPRESSED BY HIM. BHATKHNADE MUSIC COLLEGE LUCKNOW.

ADAB ARZ HAI

HARE KRSNA

[tamborero88]

Muy interesante.

[singhmanjeet13]

beautiful tabla man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



[SargonAnkro]

does anyone has got an mp3 of the tune at the very beginning of this movie? in HQ?

[KabirC]

Vah, ustaad, vah!

[nandihno]

just amazing excellent! interesting how the dayan on the older days had smaller diameter! ?

[yjvnz]

I think that's because of the different gharana styles...

[LaggardInLove]

Thanks much to the uploader - Samaroh!

[LaggardInLove]

Watching such vidoes give bittersweet feelings - cant stop admiring the talent :) and then cant stop lementing on its degeneration :(

[HindiUrduDillagi]

Happy new year.

[utsavmohanlakhera]

he is student of munir khan munir khan is very biggest tabla player in the world

[benji100008]

true musicians do not make comparisons, we listen

[seletabla]

excellent tablaplayer

[vmdave]

amazing posting....love to see and listen thirakawa saheb...these are the true bharat ratna....artist never die...he is in heart of art lover...

[PakistaniPathan786]

No wonder, he is THE GREAT ONE of tabla. Great job, Ustad G.

[vivirconrobots]

Namasté!

I´m so greatfull!

Blessed him!

Dhanyavad!

[Mamoni123]

I have heard same composition from zakir hussain anindo chatterjee and other great maestros but its a great experience to hear it from the creator itself

[Balraj50]

Isn't it the Rela Compostion composed by Ustad Ahmed Jaan Thirakwa but played by Zakir Hussain in Drut Teental?

[acepilotrjv]

Zakirt as a child had only one outside guru excluding his father who had came to stay with him for a period of time and had taught many compositions to him at a very young age.

[RatRaceAce]

I came across the following interesting snippet on Wikipedia:

"Thirakwa" is not actually his original name, but was an epithet he earned from his guru's father. One day, while watching him practise, his guru's father remarked that he played so well his fingers seemed to be "shimmering" on the tabla. This earned him the nickname Thirakwa (shimmering).

[RatRaceAce]

Great video.

Note that at 0.53 it says on the radio, "he is 90 years old". But you (samaroh) have given his dates as 1892-1976 (same as most web pages online), meaning he lived for only 84 years. Something wrong there.

One blogsite (by rohiniprasad) gives his birth year as 1878, which seems more plausible.

Surely the radio announcement cannot be wrong?

[simulators12]

There will be only one Thirakwa....The greatest tabla player of all time.....The clarity and expression of his playing is unique and can never be matched.....

[Rwadhwaji]

Gauche...where the hell people are getting these old gold from....thanks for putting legendary work from our past generation....

[ronoman88]

I've been playing western drumset for 42yrs and I'd say this man is extraordinary on his instrument. He seems to be at one with the tabla. Bravo. Thank God for Youtube bringing someone like Thirakwa closer to my mind. I enjoyed it very much.

[sublimeksaleel]

The two mount everests in one video - USTD AHMED JAN THIRAKWA accompanying the Great Bal Gandharv.(Relatively unknown to the world and to most non-marathi speaking people because he only performed and sang in marathi.

[4168341326]

he's the king tabla of the whole wrold......

[ssgpunjablahore]

He is not better than Legend Ustad Qadir Buksh Khan Sahib

[indianmusicdanceluvr]

amazing man!

[drsumantr]

Who r u ?? Where did u find this Diamond ?? Do u know what u have posted here is a stuff which is worth of Millions !!!??? Thanks for sharing ,,,, Who r u ??

[kakkaface]

i love all india radio

[bsingh01]

brilliant video thank youfor saring.. i wanted to know whos singing the vocals at 6:00+..... thank you for posing

[alextierno98]

Narayanrao Bal Gandharv. His guru Pt. Bhaskarbuwa Bakhale brought Thirakawa in to Maharashtra to appoint him as an accompanist in the play company @1910. Thirakawa stayed with the company for over 30 years.

[eaMusIk2008]

bah bah........wat a solo from 6:15-7:32

Ustad Ahmed JON Thirakwa introduced a new way of tabla!!!!!to all

[jigyasu1]

I have listened to his performance for the past 40 or so years. He's simply the best of the best.

[marathimaruder]

fantastic! so amazing!

[kstambe]

This is simply great piece I ever heard.

I happened to be a tabla player & great fan of Allarakha Khan sahab & our guruji Aamir hussain Khansahab. I have some recordings of allarakha khan sahab. I am seraching for his & Amir hussain khansahab's recordings (MP3) which are very rare to get. If anybody is having some of them then I will be very much greatful (link will do).

[BADBOYSBAND]

you r tiger of india real tabla tiger

[Bopalji]

I love Tabla, I like every true "Rasika"

Khansahab was a real Tabla-Rasika

Subhan allah

[afgpiece]

wow, powerful.

[akshaymusic25]

really,it's mind blowing...

he was god at that time..

[89123456]

real tabla .khan sahib ahmed jaan is the dad of all tabla players after his time

[mbsobat]

True, he was the first one who introduced tabla solo! he gave tabla a new image.

[babiichickk]

ik ben sunny

[carlosmangela]

can anyone help me out with Habibuddin Khansaheb's recordings? thanks.

[najnez]

This is what you call tabla....amazing tonal quality....amazing fluidness of strikes....unbelievable....and the compositions....Ustad Ahmad jaan...you were and still are at the top of the tabla tree.....May Allah bless u

[JasmineStefani20]

I'm interested to know when he plays the tabla how is that instrument in backround called?

[BuntyK]

Jasmine, it called  Sarangi.

[SkunkyBeaumont]

Some of this sounds a lot like some of the electronic music I have heard.

[jigyasu1]

He played long befor the electronic era, electronic is no match for people.

[daovietman]

i'm not agree :p

i love indian classic music but i also love electronic music, and there is place for people in both music, it only depends of the musician and the spirit...

[DaruDadu]

man this is amazing stuff...like others...u made my year. what a delight!!

[jaganperfect]

Just a personal opinion and a humble one at that, I have personally heard Zakirji playing a Qaayedaa of Ustad Wajid Hussein Khaleefa(Lucknow Baaj) in Bhopal about 20 years back. That day, I realized what Zakir ji was made of. The Bols were simple, yet not easy to play in the double or fourth speeds--which he did, Flamboyantly-- "Ghitaka, Ghitaka, Dhinna, Dhaagetraka Dhinaghina, Dhage-traka, ghitaka ghitaka dhinna taketraka" That was the composition.

[jaganperfect]

However, I have played with Zakirji in couple of Great concerts of his recently and feel, he is a "Genius of his own kind", probably he would have excelled even more than the stalwarts if he was born in that era?

[jaganperfect]

This is a Great Video of Ustad Ahmed Jaan Thirakwaa ji. I totally can agree with some comments about him being the "Incomparable Tabla player" of all times, every Tabla player tries to emulate his Tabla indeed. He is to North Indian percussion the same thing, what Paalghaat Mani Iyer was to South Indian drum Mridangam.

But, since I am not a Tabla player, I can't really measure these artists from just "Sound technology aspects"--Regards, Namaste, Jagan Ramamoorthy

[BanglaOcean]

Thank you from Bangladesh for putting up this gem from one of our Masters.

[sonofthedestroyer]

Players like Thirakwa, Amir Hussain, Habibuddin Khan are light years ahead of modern players like Zakir. Todays players are all about showboating to the audience, but for a connoisseur like me the old masters are the real deal.

[drumier]

tapa..the tag on this vid say's 1892-1976 which would make him 72 in 1964 which is still impressive for the beautiful recording i have of him from 64.

birth records everywhere were dubious if non existent back in those day's.

[jeet253USA]

THANKS BRO samaroh,for having this selection

[tapantabla]

Ustad Thirakwa-ji(born 1880) is like God. Even Zakir prays to him when he starts his concert. Alla Rakha-ji used to address him as ABBA meaning FATHER. Alla Rakha's guru QadirBaksh addressed him as HUZOOR meaning SIR. I just cant understand why a person of his stature/age/experience should even be compared to Zakir/AllaRakha. No doubt they're the best hyped tabla players. They agree in private too. Its like comparing Mozart/Beethoven with kids like Michael Jackson.

[kais01]

wow, he has golden hands.

[JhankarofAnnArbor]

Thank you very much for introducing a whole new generation of listeners to masters like Thirakwa!

[jagzter]

Absolutely magical!!!!

[gregoryburrows]

wonderfully evocative and odd. masterful music. yes! Thank you.

[nochemistry]

Godly Music!!

[bos9876]

music has no language.

[punjabimonkeyz]

this comment is for shortdevil2, the language in this video is urdu cuz im muslim n i speak b study urdu!!!

[feryaruon]

WOW THE BEST OF TABLAH I LOVE TABLA

[divisionby0]

perfect

[kwizit]

jaw hits the ground, most definately....perfect

[khandwekar]

awesomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee­eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee­eeeee

[TAAL77]

WAH USTAD KYA BAAT!

[sweetsurj]

the best ever.

[bsingh01]

Yeh baat hai! A tru GEM to tabla and sangeet

[wameqm]

wonderful, this is amazing, i have admired his table playing since a teenager, and my only regret is that i was not alive during his time to see him in person.

[drumier]

i think he was in his 60's in 1964. that 90 is folklore,allah was 20 years younger

[tapantabla]

Hi Drumier, Thirakwa was the same age as Fayyaz Khan and Mushtaq Hussain. The fact that he played with Allabanda-Zakruddin and Vilayat Khans' grandpa Imdad Khan, the fact that he saw his maternal grandfather at age 2, who died around 1880 should be enough to prove his age. Amir Hussein born in 1899 said that this gurubhai of his was nearly 20/25 years his senior. So he was around 84 in 1964. Do you want more calculations and history??? I'm ready.

[MalekTaus]

Brilliant!

[bizster]

This Ustad is by far the greatest tabla player! I got his one CD thats in the market but I can't find any other recording on him?...

[pzzzzz]

...

[DaVidofScandinavia]

My god, this man was incredible! and listen to the exquisit Urdu you can hear inbetween when the English commentary isn't dubbing over properly.

Awesome

[shortdevil2]

dude its not urud. its hindi. i no cuz im indian

[DaVidofScandinavia]

Im indian too, listen to the commentary Ustad Ahmed Jan thirakwa makes...it's pretty hardcore urdu dude.

[Chakradar]

sgupta6717 I agree with you totally. Everyone who wants to doubt Thirakwa in any way should first listen and get more understanding about tabla.

In general people interested about tabla should listen old masters like Thirakwa, Shaik Dawood, Habibuddin, Jahangir Khan, Wajid Hussain, Afaq Hussain and Ballu Khan.

[djshazam]

this is a beautiful little film, and highly impressive tabla playing!! so was there any relation, friendly or competetive between Thirakwa & Allah Rakha?

[simsg90]

he could play so well even at the age of 90+...

an amazing tabla player with great talent!!

[JSAGOO]

Fantastic!

[samaroh]

Check this out - you will need RealPlayer - http://www.sawf.org/audio/khap­rumama/thirakhwa.ram

[zyhz]

Breathtaking! Thanks for sharing!

Best wishes.

[vignokay]

neophyte dans cette musique mais enivrant et d'une beauté rare..Merci

[sgupta6717]

I think the better question may be how can you jump to the conclusion that he's NOT, when you haven't heard any recordings other than this video. I'm not using this video as the only basis for my comment, but it looks like you are, so I suggest you find the commercial recordings of Thirakwa, listen to the performancees then please share your comments.

[cyberthon]

Amazing! In one of those shots I recognised Ustad Bismillah Khan playing the shehnai, none better than him either.

However, and pardon my ignorance, how is Ustad Ahmed Jan better than Ustad Zakir Hussain or even his father Ustad Allahrakha?

[sgupta6717]

Zakirji will perform hours of Thirakwa compositions, so that definitely speaks volumes as to the great influence he has on Zakirji. Thirakwa also was the first artist to present tabla as an instrument for solo presentation. What I like Thirakwa over Zakir for, is his wide strident sense of lay "time", the power and clarity of his hand, his aesthetic way of developing solos, especially peskar, and his tone is one of a kind!

[kakkaface]

seriously i have not seen one single cassette or cd which has thirakwa's music on it, so how can you jump to the conclusion after watching this video that he is better that Zakir.

[sonofthedestroyer]

They didnt have the proper recording technology those days. Believe me kakkaface Thirakwa and some of the other old school masters are simply phenominal. The newer tabla players are no match for These real masters!

[VISWANAS]

Zakir would be the first to agree that Thirakwa was indeed "The Mt Everest of Tabla"

[RyanShah]

it will take a few years of listening to Tabla to be able even to recognize the differences in those players.

[sitariya]

There has been a lot hype around Zakir and alla rakha. Well they are really great artists. But there are and were many other accomplished tabla players in India who are really awesome. This man on the video probably the greatest of all for the mastery of the instrument. If you are not aware, Zakir has been disciple of Thirkawa and he was sent to Thirkawa for learning by his own father speaks volume about the greatness of this man. Zakir has been influenced by thirkwa considerably.

[lapsteelmando]

Talk about funky. That was insightful.

[sgupta6717]

KYAH BHAT HAI! This video has made my year!

[gt122388]

WOW!!WHERE U FOUND THIS FROM!!one of the greastest player ever

[mftorso]

I am so very thankful to see the great one!! Thank you!!

[piseema]

You made my day,, or may be the entire Year!! I am so happy finally to see the Greatest Tabla Player of all time, Thank you so much for this post.