Episode 11, Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Alam Khan is the son of Mary Khan and sarode master, the late Ali Akhbar Khan. He was trained in the Indian classical music tradition since the age of seven. Also a sarode player, Alam has played alongside India’s tabla masters in venues throughout the world. He has also collaborated and performed with a wide range of artists, including the Tedeschi Trucks Band, the San Francisco Symphony, Bob Weir, and his hiphop project, Grand Tapestry. Alam is a techer of advanced instrumental instruction at the Ali Akhbar College of Music in San Rafael, California.

I spoke with Alam Khan about his family’s artistic legacy, growing up as a fan of gangsta rap and Seattle grunge, making connections between Indian classical music and hiphop, and his aversion to modern sitar samples.