Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan on Sitar with Pandit Nikhil Ghosh on Tabla
“In the stillness of the night, I heard the notes of Raga Chaayanat on the sitar emanate from my neighbor’s radio. I immediately noticed that the tone of the sitar was completely different and the style of playing radically unique. I rushed to switch on my own radio...I was totally engrossed, very curious to know who this maestro [Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan] was.”
— Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma—
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“An important junction in [Bandra Reclamation] was named Padma Bhushan Ustad Halim Jaffer Khan Chowk…after sitar maestro Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, who lived in the area and taught scores of students over the years.”
— Scroll.in July, 2022
Halim Academy of Sitar Launches Khiraj, an annual festival of music dedicated to the memory of beloved Guru and sitar legend, Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, featuring concerts by Hindustani and Carnatic classical artists.
— Halim Academy of Sitar January, 2019
Classical World Remembers a Maestro: "The last of the great instrumentalists of his generation, Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan of the great Ustad Bande Ali gharana of Indore, passed away last week...An Iconoclast who experimented with genres.”
— The Asian Age January, 2017
His Baaj Had No Boundaries: “Ustad [Abdul] Halim Jaffer Khan was an innovator, who created an original style of playing the sitar, the eponymous ‘Jafferkhani Baaj’. Together with Ravi Shankar and Vilayat Khan, he made the sitar ubiquitous, taking it well beyond classical shores.”
— The Hindu, January 2017
Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan: Farewell from a Devoted Disciple: “To a culture that prides on preserving tradition, Khansahab’s contribution in the rendering of ragas such as Pahadi, Pilu, Kirwani is sublime. As an innovator he created new possibilities for sitar playing by subverting a servile adherence to the Gharana system.”
— Gargi Shinde, Director of Grant Programs, Chamber Music America, January 2017
United by the Love of Ragas: Indian classical music is a world where pluralism is a way of life. Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, the last surviving legend of his generation, is truly the living Dervish of pluralism and national integration.”
— The Hindu October, 2015
Reliving Memories with Sitar Maestro Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan: “How I got interested in music is known to only God. My father (late Ustad Jaffer Khan, the famous artist of Indore Gharana or school) used to teach music, and sometimes, while playing around the house, I heard him talking and teaching the students. I was just a little above four but caught a few lines that I hummed later. That is when my father made me a small sitar,” says [Abdul Halim Jaffer] Khan.... Just like his distinctive style of music, even his conversations are different. From time to time, the musician refers to old adages, popular couplets and poetry to elucidate the situations in his life.
— India Perspective October, 2014
Zunain Khan Presents a Scintillating Sitar Performance, Leaves Audiences Spellbound: Zunain Halim Khan, who has emerged as one of the foremost Sitar players of his generation, is the leading exponent of Jafferkhani Baaj, an innovation of his eminent father and guru Padmabhushan Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan. [Zunain’s] recital demonstrated his unique subtlety of the rendition of the raga.”
— Early Times February, 2014
“Our tradition is indebted to the style of the ancient beenkars as the Indore gharana.”
— Sri Zunain Khan Deccan Herald, December 2018
Sitarist Zunain Khan Performs at ICCR: “An ecstatic eve witnessed by the city musical lovers in an event Sur Manjari…noted and distinguished sitarist Zunain Khan played live before the Bhopalites at Sardar Patel Hall Sardar Vallabh Bhai Polytechnic. Zunain represents the fifth generation of the Indore Beenkar Gharana in the lineage of Ustad Ghairat Khan, Ustad Murawat Khan, Ustad Jaffer Khan, and his renowned father. Recognized for a unique subtlety is his approach and rendition of ragas, Zunain has developed national and international recognition leaving his audiences enthralled by truly delivering the legacy of the Jafferkhani Baaj and conveying the essence and the very beauty of his instrument.”
— Daily Pioneer December, 2013
The Ustad and the Long-Playing Sitar: “The term ‘walls speak’ holds true as one enters the humble residence of Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan in Bandra in Mumbai. The walls are adorned with photographs of the Ustad receiving awards from dignitaries including former President APJ Abdul Kalam. There are a host of such honours that have been bestowed on him over the decades, including the Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award as well as the Tansen Samman. it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
— MidDay February, 2013
“We were extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to ‘sit in’ with some of India’s best musicians. Of notable success was our attempt ‘to jam’ with Abdul Jaffer Khan on sitar and various Indian tabla players. We all left that given a few more days, we would either be playing Indian music or they would be playing jazz.”
— Dave Brubeck
America’s Original Ambassador of Cool: “One night in Mumbai, [Dave Brubeck Quartet] had a long discussion with prominent Hindustani classical musicians, including sitar player Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan. Then they picked up their instruments to put their new knowledge to work. ‘We all felt that given a few more days, we would either be playing Indian music or they would be playing jazz,’ Brubeck wrote.”
— The Hindu December, 2012
Hot Jazz and the Cold War in 1950's Mumbai: “One evening in 1958, the pianist Dave Brubeck and his quartet gathered in the home of a jazz-loving industrialist on Mumbai’s Malabar Hill to chat with a group of Indian musicians led by the sitar maestro, Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan.”
— New York Times November, 2011
Masters in Waiting: “An impressive line of senior Hindustani musicians has smoothly picked up where giants of the last century like Bhimsen Joshi and Gangubai Hangal left off. But behind them, in the wings, await some hugely talented youngsters. Times of India-Crest picks some musicians to watch out for in the decade to come...[including] Zunain Khan.”
— Times of India December, 2011
Playing a New Tune: “In the world of Indian music, sons and even daughters still follow their fathers into the family trade. But the children are making their way through the world of music —and perpetuating their fathers’ legacies —in a way that often takes their parents by surprise. Zunain started learning the sitar from his father when he was a five-year-old toddler. “I played the instrument and when he taught students I would sit through most sessions....”
— The Telegraph October, 2008
“Keeping Strings Alive: “[Zunain Halim Khan] is the principal exponent of the Jafferkhani Baaj which is a musical innovation of his eminent father and guru Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan. Zunain represents the fifth generation of the Indore Beenkar Gharana….” it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
— Mumbai Mirror May, 2011
Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan’s Extraordinary Music Released in a Book-CD Rom: This beautifully produced [multi-media book] is part of this extraordinary musician’s legacy.
— India Today October, 2005