Ud. Bismillah Khan, 1916-2006

Sadly, yet another great has passed...

The player Ustad Bismillah Khan passed away on Monday of a heart attack. He was a musician's musician whose technical mastery and inventiveness elevated his instrument, the shehnai, from its traditional setting of street festivals and weddings to the world's most renowned concert stages.

Emusic has an array of his recordings from Saregama/EMI India on offer, including jugalbandi (duet) recordings with sitarist and longtime colleague Ustad Vilayat Khan, with whom he often performed. Some good later recordings are also available on the UK label Navras.