Son of the legendary Sarode Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, Alam has been touching the hearts of audiences worldwide for the past 15 years. Since his initial training into the Maihar Seni Gharana at the age of seven, Alam was blessed to learn and live in the traditional stye of Guru and student. Ali Akbar Khan’s careful crafting and guidance shows in each note as well as in Alam’s imaginative way of expressing the ancient ragas passed down from the courts of Emperor Akbar by Mian Tansen in the 16th century. His is joined on this CD by Salar Nader, one of the youngest and most sought-after talents of his generation. A virtuoso tabla player with many recordings under his belt including the theatrical score for the stage premiere of Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner”. “Making “Shades of Sarode” was my attempt at playing shorter, improvised pieces of Indian classical music on Sarode. A raga’s duration can usually last up to an hour or longer when played in it’s entirety. There are many sections to a performance which can be greatly elaborated upon, but for this album I chose to present the listener with an array of ragas and different moods to experience in a shorter amount of time.” - Alam