Pune : For renowned sarod player, Ken Zuckerman the best part while listening to Sarod maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan for the first time in a concert in the US was his engrossment in the rhythm and the way the involved musician reacted to it.
“I was impressed and that was something that drew me to Indian classical music,” said Zuckerman who was speaking during an interactive session with renowned vocalist, Amarendra Dhaneshwar held at 'Sawai Gandharva Smarak' today.
Ken Zuckerman was speaking at a special program called ‘Antaranga’ that has been a part of the iconic 'Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav, which has been scheduled between Wednesday, December 11 and Sunday, December 15, 2019 in Pune. Zuckerman also delighted the audience with a brief performance playing the sarod.
Zuckerman who belongs to the Maihar Gharana is one of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan’s senior-most students and an outstanding sarod player and educator.
“I showed interest in music from an early age. I played guitar and listened to Pop, Rock and Folk music. Once, I read an advertisement in the university in Iowa of a concert of the Ustad and attended it just out of curiosity. I had no exposure to such kind of music but attending that concert was the best introduction for me to Indian classical music. I initially started learning Sitar, but I liked the sound of sarod and even had a dream of Ustad urging me to play the instrument and that was when my journey as a musician began,” he concluded.