Master musician of India: Ustad Ahmed Jaan Thirakhwa

The video is a recording of a tabla performance by the tabla virtuoso Ustad Ahmed Jaan Thirakhwa. He is accompanied by Ahmed Raza on the sarangi. Ustad Ahmed Jaan Thirakhwa (1892-1976) is regarded as one of the most influential percussionists in the history of Hindustani classical music and is often proclaimed as the badshaah among tabla players. He was born in 1892 in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh to a family of musicians. He became a disciple of the tabla player, Ustad Munir Khan, at the age of twelve. He was called "Thirakhwa" by the father of his teacher because Ahmad Jaan’s fingers seemed to dance (thirakhna) when he played the tabla. Although he belonged to the Farukhabad gharana, his genius transcended the confines of the gharana system. He was an outstanding soloist who could take all the variations of the different gharanas and their styles in his stride.