Khushboo: An Evening of Indo-French Music and Dance

Amaan Ali belongs to the sixth generation of a traditional musical family belonging to the Moradabad gharana. He is the son of Ustad Ghulam Sabir Khan - a well-known Sarangi Maestro in India. Amaan Ali started learning how to play the Tabla from the early age of 7 years old by Ustad Manju Khan – a renowned Tabla maestro and the son of Sangat Samrat (Late) Ustad Habibuddin Khan Sahab. His training incorporated a wide repository of traditional compositions from the Delhi and Ajrara Gharana, Lucknow, Farukabad, and the Punjab school of Tabla playing which enabled him to widen his horizons. Amaan has cleared one of the most prestigious examinations from the Sangeet Visharad - an institute akin to a benchmark in Indian music standards from Allahabad Prayag Sangeet Samiti. He has received accolades over the years from the cognoscenti and the general public by way of numerous awards including a scholarship for Advanced Training in Tabla instituted by the CCRT and a Gold medal by the All India Radio in 2002. His career promises to be illustrious and innovative. Years of training have exposed him the artistic aspects and nuances of diverse Gharana styles. His distinctive style is strongly rooted in Classical Music traditions which appeals to both the orthodox and the progressive ear. He displays a deep insight and understanding of different Taals by blending their purity with imaginative experiments

Dino Banjara is a Percussionist, Dancer and Artistic Director. he is son of the famous Kalbelia dancer Gulabo Sapera. He has founded two bands: Jaipur Beats and Gypsy Banjaraz.

Gulabo Sapera was born and raised in a family of snake charmers. The foremost performer in the Kalbelia style, she has taken the dance to new heights and has travelled the globe educating people about this little-known art form. Kalbelia is the traditional, celebratory dance of the snake charmers and an integral part of their heritage. She is very active in the musical work of Titi Robin. The Government of India awarded her the civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 2016.

Mahua Shankar, classical Kathak danseuse and a performing artist for over a decade, is an extraordinary young dancer, adding subtle innovations to the Kathak repertoire while preserving the tenets of the classical style. Mahua, with her enchanting stage presence, has earned acclamation for her intense, sensitive & graceful Kathak presentations. Mahua is an Empanelled artist of ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) and also a Graded artist of Delhi Doordarshan, New Delhi. She has been very recently certified by CID UNESCO (Paris, France) and has been made a member for the year 2019.

Murad Ali Khan Born in a family of musicians originally from Moradabad, Murad Ali Khan is a sixth generation sarangi player. The intensive training he had under his grandfather Ustad Siddique Ahmad Khan and father Ustad Ghulam Sabir Khan has stood him in good stead, and he is presently regarded as one of the leading sarangi players of the younger generation. His ancestors, Ustad Sagheer Ahmed Khan Sahab, Ustad Fakir Ahmed Khan Sahib, Ustad Rafique Ahmed Khan Sahab and his grandfather later Ustad Siddique Ahmed Khan Sahib were all renowned sarangi players, musicologists and gurus of the Moradabad Gharana. Beginning his performing career at the early age of ten, Murad Ali won the first prize in the All India Radio national music competition held in 1992. An 'A' grade artiste of the All India Radio, he has also been a frequent performer at several music festivals in India and abroad. He has received accolades for his accompaniment to many noted vocalists and tabla players. Unfettered by orthodox musical beliefs, Murad Ali has on several occasions participated in cross-cultural and experimental musical endeavours. He had honor and privledge of playing sarangi for Bharat Ratna Pt. Ravi Shankar ji And got Pt. Ravi shankar ji's Blessings. Murad Ali also has composed Music for his own Band Called SOUL- SAMVAAD and " 7 ESSENCE". A Classical Music and Dance Group. Maestros Vidushi Smt. Shubha Mudgal ji and Ustad Rashid Khan Sahab have played a great role in Murad Ali's musical journey. Murad Ali Khan also been fortunate to accompany Maestros of India like PT. Ajoy Chakrobarty, Pt. Rajan Sajan Mishra, Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan, Padma Vibhushan Smt Girja Devi Ji, Vidhushi Ashwini Bhide, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee, Ustad Sabir Khan, Ustad Akram Khan etc. He has received numerous awards like the Sarangi Ratna Award, Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar from Sangeet Natak Acadamy, Sanskriti Award, Aditya Vikram Birla Award and Kala Kiran Award.

Zohaib Hasan and Shuheb Hasan belong to the Moradabad Gharana and come from a long lineage of renowned musicologists, famous vocalists, and Tabla Maestros. They started their initial training in Indian Classical music with the Late. Ustad Siddique Ahmed Khansahab – an established Maestro of Sarangi and Vocals. They have also undergone rigorous training under the living legend of Sarangi Ustad Ghulam Sabir Khasahab through the traditional Guru-Shishya Parampara. Both are highly sought-after artists and have performed in respected festivals in India including the Taj Mahautsav (Agra), Kathak Mahautsav (Delhi), Jaipur Literature Festival, Delhi Youth Festival, World Sufi Spirit Festival (Jodhpur), Kala Ghoda Festival (Mumbai), and the Kumbh Festival amongst others. Their talent is also sought on foreign shores with performances in Paris, Istanbul, Senegal, Nairobi, Morocco, Germany, Switzerland, and Latin America under their belt.

Titi Robin is a French composer, musician and improviser. His style combines Mediterranean world including Gypsy, Oriental and European cultures. He plays guitar, Turkish buzuq, mandolin, Arabic ’oud and other instruments of both European and Moorish origin. Early in his career, he performed at Arab and Gypsy community festivals that gave him the opportunity to test his musical approach. The musicians accompanying him are almost exclusively from minority groups (such as Berber Moroccan Abdelkrim Sami). In 1984 he appeared (guitar, ‘oud and buzuq) in duet with Hameed Khan, an Indian tabla player originally from Jaipur. In 1987, he founded the "Johnny Michto" band, which combined Moroccan Berber rhythm with the electric buzuq, bass, clarinets and bagpipes. He has collaborated with Rajasthani gypsy, Indian, flamenco, and Pakistani musicians. He is a musical polymath equally at home in a variety of musical environments and cultures.