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|---|---|
| Born | 1942 |
| Origin | India |
| Died | 1985 (aged 43) New York City, United States |
| Genres | Indian classical music |
| Instrument | Sarod |
Vasant Rai (1942–1985) was a Sarod player.
Personal life and education
Rai's family was from a small town in India called Unjha and he was born in Paris, France. Rai was the last student of Allauddin Khan, who is best known as the teacher of Ravi Shankar.
He died in his New York apartment shortly after a Carnegie Hall performance.
Career
Rai had been visiting the United States since his teen years but finally settled in New York City in 1969 and lived mainly in the Greenwich Village area and also for a short time at the Chelsea Hotel when he was not touring. From 1969 to 1985 he conducted the Alam School of Music in Greenwich Village. Alla Rakha, Mahapurush Mishra, Shamta Prasad and Zakir Hussain usually accompanied him on the tabla.
Rai had been signed exclusively by Vanguard Records from 1975 to 1982. Vasant's first commercial recording was by EMI and on the tabla was the late Alla Rakha.
During the early 1980s, Rai and the jazz flutist Herbie Mann jammed together live on weekend nights at packed venues such as The Bottom Line and Village Gate. Vasant Rai taught many Western musicians such as George Harrison, John Coltrane, Collin Walcott and other rock and jazz personalities of that time.
Rai also trained a number of Indian classical musicians. Vasant Rai's sarod was a gift from his guru Allauddin Khan, and was made by Allauddin Khan's younger brother Ayet Ali Khan in the 1930s.
References
- "Vasant Rai biography and interview". Raga.com. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
- 1942 births
- 1985 deaths
- Hindustani instrumentalists
- Sarod players
- French Hindus
- Indian emigrants to the United States
- French people of Indian descent
- American Hindus
- People from Satna
- Maihar gharana
- Vanguard Records artists
- 20th-century Indian musicians
- American people of Gujarati descent
- American male musicians of Indian descent
- American musicians of Indian descent