Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan

Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan was born in 1927 in Jaora, near Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh. His father, Jaffer Khan, was a vocalist who also played sitar and veena, and belonged to the beenkar tradition associated with Indore. The young Halim accompanied his father to qawwali, ghazal and classical performances, and began broadcasting for All India Radio in the early 1940s.

He settled in Bombay, where his home in Bandra became a gathering place for musicians and students. In 1958 he played with the American jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, then touring India, and in 1963 appeared with the English classical guitarist Julian Bream — early meetings between Indian classical musicians and Western performers. He also wrote about music and taught throughout his life.

He received the Padma Shri in 1970, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 1987, and the Padma Bhushan in 2006. He died in Mumbai in January 2017.

His style, named the Jafferkhani baaj after him, is built on subdividing the beat and filling those fractions with ornament — chapka, ulti meend, zamzama, khatka, murki, ghaseet and others, some rarely used before him. The effect is dense and highly rhythmic, but he insisted the ornaments must suit the personality of the raga rather than be displayed for their own sake. Shivkumar Sharma recalled hearing his Chhayanat on the radio in the mid-1950s and immediately noticing that the tone and approach were unlike anything else on the instrument.