Patna's crowd is musically inclined: Amaan Ali

In a chit chat with musician siblings Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash on their recent trip to Patna
Falling in love with Patna
Siblings Amaan and Ayaan Ali say that with each subsequent trip to the city they seem to fall in love with the Patna audience. “Patna’s crowd is musically inclined. We have been to places where people aren’t half as enthusiastic for a music concert as Patnaites are.Their enthusiasm is contagious,” said Amaan Ali. His younger brother Ayaan could not agree more. “The crowd is extremely courteous and enjoys music. They are the kind of crowd that is a musician’s delight. This was their thrid trip to the city.
From composers to inventors
“When I was introduced to the concept of an electric sitar I saw the same vision for the sarod too. Then Sanjay Rekhi Ram, son of Bishan Das ji who presented me with my first sarod at the age of five, worked on the concept for a year and we came up with the E-rod. It goes through a guitar processor and creates more than 100 tones of sarod. It is attached to an amplifier and has a magnetic pick up.” And when Amaan was looking for a name for the instrument Ayaan christened it E-rod. “I have already played it twice, first in Mumbai and then in Delhi. The response was great. Acoustic sarod remains my first love, but E-rod, when fully evolved, will come close to that, I am sure,” says Amaan. According to the two the concept is still evolving right now, how well it delivers remains to be seen. “It is still in its evolution stage,” adds Ayaan.
Dad's not cool.. not yet
The two have experimented with fusion, Sufi and lounge, but remain rooted in their classical tradition. However the sharp contrast among generations is too conspicuous to be missed. Their father Amjad Ali Khan however finds the instrument a bit too loud. Says Amaan, “My father has played the instrument and he really enjoys it but he finds it a bit too loud with the amplifier effect and all. He tells me to work a little more on it and he is totally supportive of the idea.”
Making music
Apart from E-rod their upcoming album is keeping the two busy these days. “After 'Rang' we both are working together for another album. This one is based on popular music and will be released by the end of this year,” says Amaan.