By Teresa
07-Aug-2007

Irshad Khan  Nice album for relaxation and meditation. Irshad Khan playing the sitar shows how diverse Indian traditional music is and how rich and captivating its melodies are. The music has survived the years and retains the flavor that will draw the average listener's attention. Irshad Khan played great as always and brought out the beauty of the sitar sound. more....

By James Lien

The stimulating, improvisational quality of Irshad Khan's music is the perfect antidote to a mid-summer musical slump. These evening and twilight ragas give a glow of peace and contemplation perfect for absorbing at the end of the day. Admittedly, it takes a sizable chunk of the average world music radio show to air one piece, but the rewards are well worth the effort.

Jazz Times
01-Oct-2000

"The Naxos label has been a boon to various corners of the music universe, from their stellar budget line of classical recordings to the more recently launched jazz division. They're also throwing their hand into the world market, with integrity intact. One title from a recent batch of releases comes from sitarist Irshad Khan, "The Magic Of Twilight." With all due and proper respect to Ravi Shankar, his high international profile has tended to overshadow other fine sitarists. Khan is one of them. Part of a longstanding and highly respected musical lineage, and the son of Ustad Imrat Khan, Irshad lives in both Bombay and Toronto, where he teaches. On this recording, done in a small town outside Toronto, he displays his measured skills and musical grace on the 43-minute "Twilight Raga," and the 22-minute "Evening Raga," which showcases his impressive abilities and, more importantly transports the listener to an alternately still and exhilarating place."

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
14-Sep-1999

"If there is a superstar in the world of Indian classical music, Irshad Khan is it. Khan appeared Saturday evening at Vogel Hall in a concert presented by Classic Sounds. He played both the sitar and the surbahar, a bass version of the sitar. Khan, known as one of the finest sitar and surbahar players of his generation, is the latest in a 400-year family tradition of traditional classical music. The surbahar, an enormous, resonant instrument that takes great hand strength to play, was invented by his great-great-grandfather, Ustad Sahabdad Khan. He performed a selection of raags, traditional Indian melodies, that ranged from somber to playful, and from lighthearted and jazzy to dignified and spiritual. Some were accompanied by a string drone and tablas played by Nancy Lesh and Shyam Kane. Khan is an absolute master. His hands fly over the three-foot long neck of the sitar and the longer neck of the surbahar, bending pitches with perfect accuracy, and creating intricate ornaments and grace notes."