Ali Akbar Khan

Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos

I heard this news today. Very sad as I have been listening to him for years now. Ali Akbar Khan, Indian classical musician has died at the age of 87. He was most known for his sarod playing.

Timeline taken from Here
AWARDS, TITLES & RECORDINGS

1955 * Released first western LP recording of Indian classical music: Music of India; Morning & Evening Ragas on Angel label
* First Indian musician to perform on US television: Omnibus with Allistair Cooke

1960 * Best Musician of the Year Award for film music - Hungry Stones (Taipan Sinha) * Released one album

1962 *Released two albums

1963
* President of India award, India's highest award for the arts
* Released one album

1964
* Released one album

1965
* Released five albums

1966
* Performed at Carnegie Hall and Newport Jazz Festival
* The President of India award, for the second time
* Released five albums

1967
* Released four albums

1968
* The Grand Prix du Disque
* Released two albums

1969
* Released four albums

1970

* GRAMMY Nomination for Shree Rag
* Released one album

1971
* Montery Jazz Festival
* Gold Disc award for Concert for Bangladesh sales,recorded at Madison Square Garden
* Padma Bhusan award from the Government of India
* Released one album

1972
* Released two albums

1973
* Degree of Doctor of Literature - Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta, India
* Released two albums

1974
* Degree of Doctor of Literature - University of Dacca, Bangladesh
* Released threee albums

1977
* Released one album
1979

* Released one album

1980
* Released six albums

1981
* Released three albums

1982
* Released four albums

1983
* GRAMMY Nomination for Misra Piloo
* Released two albums

1984
* Degree of Doctor of Letters - University of Delhi, India
* Released four albums

1985
* Released three albums

1986
* Released six albums

1988
* Padma Vibhusan award - the highest honor presented to a civilian in India
* Released one video

1990
* Released five albums

1991
* Kalidas Sanman award - by the Madya Pradesh Academy of Music and Fine Arts
* Honorary Doctorate Degree in Arts from the California Institute of the Arts
* First Indian musician to receive MacArthur Foundation Fellowship ("genius grant")
* Released one album

1992
* The Mahatma Gandhi Cultural Award in London

1993
* The Bill Graham Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bay Area Music Awards Foundation (Bammies)
* Titles: Hathi Saropao and Dowari Tajeem, from Maharaja of Jodhpur

1994
* Founded the Ali Akbar Khan Foundation and Baba Allauddin Khan Institute

1995
* Released one album

1996
* GRAMMY Nomination for Then and Now
* Released two albums

1997
* GRAMMY Nomination for Legacy for

1998
* GRAMMY Nomination for Passing on the Tradition
* Doctorate Degree - Viswa Bharati University in Shantiniketan, India (pioneered and founded by Tagore)
* Governor's Award for Outstanding Achievement from NARAS (National Academy
of Recording Arts and Science)
* Indira Gandhi Gold Plaque from the Asiatic Society of Calcutta
* Compositions commissioned - Meet the Composer / Arts Endowment Commissioning Music / USA - and performed by Khansahib's new AACM Orchestra (made up of 40 senior students and guest artists--vocalists and instrumentalists on a variety of Indian and Western instruments), conducted by Khansahib
* October 18th "Ustad Ali Akbar Khan Day" as proclaimed by Willie L. Brown Jr., Mayor of San Francisco

1999
* "Sangeet Samman" title from the Dover Lane Music Conference in Calcutta
* Appointment: Adjunct Professor to the Department of Music at the University of
California at Santa Cruz

2000
* Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts, Honoris Causa from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston (in May)

NY Times
Times of India