Al Gromer Khan 

Press 

The press about the music of Al Gromer Khan 

Reviews - Awards - Interviews 

Idries Shah foundation asked me some questions. My humble answers are below. Idries Shah´s work accompanied me all through my adult life and has given me spiritual support. 

https://idriesshahfoundation.org/interview-with-al-gromer-khan/ 

Cultural Crossroads: Al Gromer Khan 

29/09/2018 

1 – You’re an award-winning artist who works with music, words and visual images. You’re a Westerner who has fully integrated into Eastern traditions. In many ways you’re a prime example of someone who breaks through generally accepted categories. Did this come naturally to you, or was it something you learned and developed? 

Yes, it did somehow came naturally – but it didn’t come easily.  It’s an intoxication, really, in terms of peak experience. Doesn’t everybody follow the thing that made them feel best in life and along the way? According to one’s disposition, one wants to go back to the place where one’s heart first opened. 

For full interview open link 

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Interview Yoga Mates California mit AGK 31.03.2009 AL GROMER KHAN 

interview_yoga_mates.doc 

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"...state of grace...one of the most profound artists of our time." DEEP LISTENINGS, ROME, ITALY 

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SPACE_HOTEL_web.pdf 

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AL GROMER KHAN/Far Go: Anybody that's recently, reluctantly been forced to add stretching and breathing exercises to their daily chore list will immediately be glad to hear the latest pioneering work by new age pioneer Khan as he takes ambient to new levels of the game (something you probably didn't think possible) and moves healing music to different realms. As any newbie to stretching and breathing exercise that gets flummoxed by how much harder it is than it looks to get it right (yeah, I know, doing something is better than not doing anything at all), this low key, low impact musical crutch is just what you need to make it go better. Sure, it's no replacement for anyone that likes EDM, but you can bet if a big enough check comes around, you'll hear this sped up, chopped and channeled into the next Deadmau5 wannabe mix. For now, go with the flow, especially if this is something you need, it‘s on the new age/ambient money throughout.. 
CHRIS SPECTOR - MIDWEST RECORD 

“Now this is the REAL new age music, and a far cry from the bouncy pap that clogs the racks ... “ 
KEYBOARD MAGAZINE 

“Like Eno, only warmer” 
KEYBOARD MAGAZINE 

“... like a whisper and a smile between lovers” 
TREND MAGAZINE 

“... full of poetry and magic” 
THE NEWS, SAN FRANCISCO 

“A sitar pro that’s been at it for a few generations shows that sitar is more than just hitting some stringed notes while smoking dope, you can use this for yoga and ambient sounds as well these days. Fleshing out what could have been an exercise in gringos getting frustrated while looking for traction, Khan makes music that’s music. An engaging world beat date that’s suited to everything from listening to thigh slapping, the malleable sounds are like an audio wave machine that’s just right for shaking off whatever kind of day you had” 
CHRIS SPECTOR, MIDWEST RECORD 

“This would be yet another excellent addition to a “meditation music” library. If you like the sitar and are looking to add an ambient Indian mood to your meditations, this would be an excellent choice” 
DAIYLY BUDDHISM 

“ ... Al Gromer Khan has produced a mystical, sensual and experimental album which stretches the 'speech' of the sitar to new heights. Freeing himself from former rules of play, he dialogues with the listener through some very accomplished performances. Standouts include 'Raga Sarasvati' (where this dialogue is most notable), the very moving, mysterious and deeply resonant 'A Tantric Song,' 'A Bageswari Poem,' and the charming 'Caru Caru,' which makes use of ambient 'ahs' amidst Mr. Khan's joyous strains” 
MARK MAXWELL ABUSHADY, CREATIONS MAGAZINE 

“... His skill is inspired by Vilayat Khan and Gromer is definitely a seasoned expert and a tasty player who is not out to blow you away with his speed or skill, but interested in melody with a more accessible approach to the instrument. He allows the feel of the strings to do that for him and the production is polished. Sitar Secrets would work well for anyone looking for some Indian ambient music to spice up a room” 
LA YOGA 

“Al Gromer Khan brings a globally awake and chilled feel to this deeply soothing and ethereal album. Sitar Secrets is based on the sitar, as the title implies, with long tracks of spiritually hallucinatory ragas with the sitar at its most spine-tingling. Kahn uses traditional frameworks as points of departure into surreal soundscapes: disembodied cooing voices and electronic synthesizer pads help create an album ideal for meditation, Reiki, relaxation, or whatever else you have in mind. Many of the tracks such as the hallucinatory "Raga Sarasvati" follow their own path, with solo sitar creating vast inner landscapes that are populated by dancing Shivas in the flames. Sarker's tablas join in for "Raga Tilak Kamod", along with spine-shivering tamboura, to create an effect that's ancient, timeless, and somehow very modern. Khan has brought us over the course of this gently transformative album. Indian sitar music is by definition and style very different from western melodic structures, but Khan finds the root of both, deep in the romantic heart of hearts, in a land outside of space time. These Secrets are worth keeping” 
DAILY OM 

“Rising to prominence after his debut CD Mahogany Nights, “ambient” sitar player Al Gromer Khan has carved out a singular niche, combining the rich traditions of Indian sitar music with exotic yet accessible ambient electronica textures and rhythms. On Sitar Secrets, Gromer Khan explores his authentic Indian music persona more directly—four of the nine tracks are straight-up ragas, whereas the other five explore the merging of the ancient (sitar) with the modern (synthesizers and beats). Sitar Secrets may introduce the Indian raga musical form to the artist’s ambient fans, as Gromer Khan performs not just the ambient-like alaap phase of the raga, but the more active rhythmic passages as well, aided by tabla player Suman Sarkar. Mingling the two approaches makes for an exotic amalgam” 
BILL BINKELMAN, NEW AGE RETAILER 

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Clemens Jürgenmeyer und Al Gromer Kahn erhalten den Rabindranath Tagore Kulturpreis 2015 

(lifePR) (Stuttgart, 07.11.15) Die Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaft e.V. verleiht auf Vorschlag des Auswahlausschusses (Jury) unter Vorsitz von Christian Weiß den Rabindranath Tagore-Kulturpreis 2015 in diesem Jahr an den Indologen und Politologen Clemens Jürgenmeyer sowie an den Musiker, Komponist, Schriftsteller und Maler Al Gromer Khan. Das Preisgeld stiftete dieses Jahr die Daimler Benz AG, Stuttgart. 

Die Preisverleihung findet, anlässlich der diesjährigen Jahreshauptversammlung der Deutsch-Indischen Gesellschaft e.V. am 7. November 2015 um 16.30 Uhr im Großen Saal des Stuttgarter Rathauses statt. 

Der in München lebende Musiker, Komponist, Schriftsteller und Maler Al Gromer Khan ist im deutschen Sprachraum der bedeutendste Vertreter einer Generation, die klassische indische Musik nicht nur theoretisch erforscht, sondern auch als ausübende Musiker verbreitet haben. Zudem ist er nicht nur ein Interpret der Sitar und Surbahar von höchstem Rang, sondern auch als Komponist und als Autor einiger Romane hervorgetreten, die sich in sehr eindrücklicher Weise mit der Problematik der Aneignung einer indischen Tradition durch einen Deutschen befassen und arbeitet mit visueller Kunst. Eine besondere Anbindung an Tagores musikalisches Wirken besteht darin, dass Al Gromer Meisterschüler der Kalkuttaner Musikerfamilie von Vilayat und Imrat Khan ist. 

Der Sitarvirtuose Al Gromer Khan wurde 1975 nach jahrelangem Studium der indischen Musik bei den Sitarmeistern Imrat Khan und Rais Khan in die Vilayat Khani Gharana, das berühmte indische Musikhaus von Sitarspielern aufgenommen. Er war in Projekten kontemplativer und Welt-Musik für Radio, Fernsehen, Film- und Schallaufnahmen beteiligt. Mit seinem umfassenden kompositorischen Werk gilt er als Initiator und Schlüsselfigur von Musiksparten, die heute unter den Genres Ambient oder Weltmusik, New Age bekannt sind. Reisen und Konzerte mit klassischer indischer Musik in Indien und Europa. Außerdem Texte und Dokumentationen über Musik für verschiedene ARD-Radiosender.