kishan maharaj passes away

pandit kishan maharaj, an amazing performer and guru of the benaras tabla gharana, passed away on may 4th. he will surely be missed. here are some excerpts from news media regarding his passing:

"Tabla maestro Pandit Kishan Maharaj, who set the standard of Hindustani music after a public performance when he was only 11, died on Sunday night.

An outstanding tabla player... He was trained by his father Pandit Hari Maharaj and his guru and uncle, Pandit Kanthe Maharaj, one of the grand old masters of tabla.

His first public performance was at the age of 11. A few years later, he began sharing the stage with stalwarts like Ustad Faiyaz Khan, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Vasant Rai, Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

With his versatility and temperament, Maharaj was a musician's dream of a perfect
accompanist. He was delightful at solo concerts." times of india

"Maharajs ability to play cross rhythms and produce complex calculations, particularly in 'tihai' patterns has made him one of the most respected and popular tabla players of his time. He had immense versatility with regard to playing any kind of accompaniment, be it with the sitar, sarod, dhrupad, dhamar or dance." the hindu