Biography
Ustad Rais Khan (25 November 1939 – 6 May 2017) was a Pakistani sitarist from Karachi, Pakistan.
Rais Khan was the torchbearer of the Mewat or Mewati Gharana (lineage), which is connected to Indore and the "beenkar baj gayaki ang" (singing style combined with rudra vina approaches) carried out by Rais Khan's father Mohammed Khan, a rudra vina (been) player and a sitarist. Despite his extensive meend work and the gandhar pancham sitar style he uses, Rais Khan's alapi, gatkari and gamaki work was different in approach, pacing, and even technique, from the Etawah style. Amongst the Khayal and dhrupad doyens, Rais Khan's gharana was a lineage containing the masters Haddu Khan, Hassu Khan, Bande Ali Khan, Nathan Khan, Babu Khan, Wazir Khan, Waheed Khan, Murad Khan, Latif Khan, Majid Khan, Nazeer Khan, Amanat Khan and Rajab Ali Khan of Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, India.
As Rais Khan's mother was a singer and his father was a beenkar, a unique combination of khayal (the most popular classical vocal style), dhrupad (the older and most orthodox classical form) and thumri (lyrical semi-classical form) – 'angs' (approaches) developed in his playing.
He gave his first public concert at Sunderbai Hall in the presence of the then Governor of Bombay Sir Maharaja Singh.
He was also a vocalist and was the first sitar player to record the super-hit geet 'Ghungroo toot gaye' for BBC London in 1978 as an instrumental song with the sitar. This song was originally written by Qateel Shifai, music by Nisar Bazmi for a Pakistani film Naz (1969). Like his uncle Ustad Vilayat Khan, he often sang and demonstrated compositions by his accompanying sitar playing. Ustad Rais Khan (sitar player) and the great Bismillah Khan (shehnai player) used to get together and do live concerts together as a duo, called 'Jugalbandi' as they did in a live concert in New Delhi on 23 November 2001.
He had been touring extensively throughout the world.
For sometime, Khansaheb had stopped playing concerts of classical music. He returned in the 1980s and was invited by Ali Akbar Khan to perform in California.
Rais Khan moved to Pakistan after marrying a Pakistani singer named Bilqees Khanum. He has four sons: Suhael Khan, Cezanne Khan, Farhan Khan and Huzoor Hasnain Khan. Farhan often performs with his father as he did in a 2009 performance for Pakistan Television (PTV) produced TV show 'Virsa- Heritage Revived', accompanied by Ustad Tari Khan on tabla.
Rais Khan was awarded the Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 2005.
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