Joe Walsh, Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash

the Eagles. He's joined forces with Maestro Amjad Ali Khan, the revered Sarad virtuoso and one of India's greatest musicians. Along with Amjad's sons Ayan and Aman, they've recorded a collaborative EP called Prayers. It's a seamless melding of their individual disparate sounds. Prayers isn't rock or classical Indian. I don't know what you'd call it, but the positivity is palpable.

Proceeds from the three track collection of a donated to Intra Health International, an organization that provides support to front line workers during the COVID nineteen pandemic. I grateful that all four Joe, Amjad Aman and Ayan took the time to speak with me. I hope you enjoy our conversation, Hi Jan, taking it all the way back to the start, How did this collaboration start for you? How did you first cross paths? I met Ayan? Some people I know in India said we have a people, we have somebody

that you should meet. So I met Ian and we sat down and visited, and he showed me his acts and I showed him mine, and we had a We had a great visit. We had a great visit, and I'm grateful that we were introduced to each other. And later on down the line, I met his brother and they said, hey, you got to meet our dad, and so eventually I did. It came to pass that I was explained the serroad and given some lessons with it, and so I had a little more understanding of what

it was. I did that because they're both string plucked instruments, so there's enough there to be able to comprehend the instrument and the other way around. And we played together, figured what that out that was, and it was all good and it was all positive, and we really enjoyed

each other's company. So eventually we decided maybe we should try and and make some music somehow, and eventually that led you, I have a studio here, and and the con family was in the States, and when they got to Los Angeles, we went into my studio and just played and roll tape, shall we say, uh, not knowing what to do anymore than just let's play and see what happens. And and that's what we've done, say and then let's just plain and see what happened. And that

of good music comes out of that mindset. Over the course of it, we did this project. It's this incredible marriage of Eastern and Western music. And on the surface, these two types of music seem like they couldn't be more different, in different modalities and a lot of different poly rhythms. When you got down to it, did you find that there was more common ground than you initially expected? No, no, no, I was. I was tontally confused at first because in what I do, all you have to do is count

to four. Yeah. Well, Indian music doesn't care about four, chef and seven, or chef and eleven. It's all kinds of stuff because they've been making music for hundreds of years. And I always thought it was a big, scary monster I could never do that as like jazz. I mean, I don't know what's going on. I don't know where one is. I don't know what's happening. And in in the Indian music, there's various scales, not just ours. We

have one that everybody uses. And in Indian music based on the century and based on the instrument, and if it's traditional or if it's spiritual music or whatever, there's all kinds of notes. There's notes flying all over the place. You know, there's notes we don't have. And so that was another thing, how is this ever gonna work? And I felt humble, and I felt like really insecure, and with that mindset, there's no way it will work. And I eventually just said, well, hell with all that, I'm

just gonna play. You know, I don't know what's going on. I don't have to know what's going on. I'm just gonna play. And that's when the music started. You know, my school, you get a legal pad and you sit down and write everything out and how many bars is this? And when do I play here? And what what are the notes? Uh? Not? In Adian music you can do that, but you won't get anywhere the best thing to do is just immerse yourself in the middle of it and

play along with whatever you hear. In my experience, that's the way to deal with it. Of course, eventually you'll start to understand what's going on as you learn more, but you don't have to know what's going on to participated. It's so fascinating, especially at a time when you know we as a culture, both in the States and in the world is at large, feels so divided. It's such a powerful statement to think of this, you know, marriage of two on the surface, dissimilar sounds, it's it's it's

so powerful. I'm sure. I know you worked with the I think it was a Scottish chamber orchestra in two thousand nine, writing a concerto for them. But was this your first involvement in the rock and roll world? How how was that for you working in this framework? You see, Fortunately, sarod and guitar they come from the same family. Sarah is a Persian word which means music, Sarod means music, and my forefather's they played and it's a it's an invention and it's a gift from our family to the world.

This instrument, inspiration of this whole project is my throdo Wolf and his beautiful studio, it's beautiful home and his gracious hospitality by his wife Marjorie, and it was such a beautiful atmosphere and all the other fellow musicians who worked with they come from l A. So our tracks you have you have heard them all we shall overcome and goddess and healing love. You see another tradition. We are taught vocal music also, so we we express ourselves.

We sink through our instrument. We sink through through that track. I'm sure you have had it. Dara ra da dara da da da da da da da dada. So as Joe said that we there was no agenda, there was no planning, what is going to happen, what will happen, but will be the outcome. So it's a collaboration, it's a contribution of all of all the musicians involved. My two sons, Ahman and i Am. They also played different tracks.

And I would like it's an interesting story. I would like I Am to tell however, so did not arrive in l A and how the old instrument roles you helped us. Well, I mean that's pretty much what happened because when we met mister Hold few years back, so he owned an instrument, so and that's when we presented that road to him. We ended up jamming. So this recording happened after a few years and my brother, my father and we we go on tour in the US and we arrived l A from Vancouver Islands. But our

bags and our instruments didn't land up. And this was the day one of the recording, so you know, we we I told Marjorie, I said, you know, our instruments are not here. Then we were like, wait, is that instrument that's a road still there at home? And it was so that Sta came to the rescue of session one and it debuts on the seat be as well. So yeah, it was an initiative bump. But then the

instruments arrived. But that's such a beautiful instrument that's still with Mysterwards, it's with him and we used it for this for this EP, which which made it so much more special. I mean, the whole session seemed to have this great sense of experimentation in there that has to been that that must be so exciting for for you all who have been making music throughout your entire lifetime. To feel that rush of doing something fresh and brand new for the first time, that must have been a

really wonderful feeling. Yeah, I I agree. No rule. You know, we had to learn as we were going along and try stuff out. And like I said, you know, on a professional basis, I would have really introverted and been afraid only commit myself to playing anything. You know, if there was people in the control room watching us, or if we're getting paid for it, I would have been doing But there's no rules. There were no rules, and everybody, you know, we we didn't know what was gonna happen.

We don't know, there was no rules. Nobody's ever done this. So we just went about our business as artists and using the command of our instruments that we've achieved and threw it all in a big pile of noise that turned into music. And it just we all just said, Okay, I'm gonna play here, and I'm gonna try this, and oh well, if you're doing that, I'm gonna do this, and oh well, hey, you guys are doing that, so this will work with that and no rules, And that

was the wonderful thing. And I think that mindset we don't have a plan. You know, there's no rules, you can't do anything wrong, so just play. And that's how it started. And gradually we started to comprehend the way it worked the best, and we learned what didn't work. And I'm a big believer in knowing what not to do. I would say most of my wisdom at my age is I know what not to do, and that saves a lot of time. So it just happened naturally and it came to be, and I think that's beautiful when

you can be a part of music like that. Music is a precious gift of good and music connects the only two worlds we have realized, the world of sound and world off words, the literature, and through sound, sound is very transparent. I mean, if I'm out of tune, you will come to know. But through language you can become whatever you want to. But language creates barriers. Unfortunately,

we were musicians. We would like to see world united, world connected, as I feel very sad to see in twenty one century we are still killing each other on account of religion or racial problems. And today we are seeing a lot of you know, black life matter, and so we have great regards for Martin Luther King and that's why we played this. We shall overcome, especially in this situation after this, during this pandemic, before the pandemic, and we have great regards for math Ba Gandhi nation,

father of nation of India. He became symbol of peace and harmony. So unfortunately, you know, education could not create compassion and kindness and a human thing. So we need more compassionate people. We need more. You know, we are very happy that we have President Biden today in our life and Vice President Kamla Harris. We have great expectation and we hope to invite them and perform for them

life soon because we're looking forward for life concerts. So it's a great honor and pleasure, uh for aman Ay and all of us to collaborate with mice thro Joe Wolsh. He's very kind, he's very humble, very gracious, so and his wife Marjorie. It is entirely because of them we could produce this album. Thought if not said, and you want to say something, man, would you like to say something? Well, when great masters are speaking, it's better to just listen.

As you know, I see you learn more when you hear but it's a pleasure not to be on the same platform with my soul wallsh and my father uh And it's a it's a sheer, which is a beautiful experience of just not the only music, which is of human behavior, of seeing the humanity side of such great maestros working together and giving people like us, bigness like us, an opportunity to be a part of this amazing album. It's a very humbling experience for my brother and me.

We never got into the Soul space thinking we're want to be a part of it. You're just there to observe maestro's performed And it just so happened that they were gracious enough to give us the room or the opportunity to be a part of this great project. And also, you know, I take a minute of saying that it's it's a late colamic album is because this was recorded way back before we arrived all these issues of black

life matters and all that in the world. We never knew what we're going into and it was walking into tsunami. We never knew were going to be doing that. It just so happened that the album was made and the name of the album was parmically called prayers, which is the need of the hour right now, at this point of time, I think we all as as my father and my so Waltz said, it's so important. I love what he just said. It's so important to know what you don't want to do. That is the best thing.

But but having said that, I'm happy he knew that this was good, so he spent time on people. He still spent time on my dad, my brother and me, and we've come out with this beautiful album. And I hope that in the months and the years to come, people do understand the whole concept behind the album, that it's it's for the it's for the earth healing, and to just tell everyone day, we all have the same race, and we all have the same sons of the same God,

and it's just about love and peace. You mentioned the healing properties of music. I've been for my own growth and search for peace. I've been exploring the physical properties of music through soulpeggio frequencies and sound baths about how the vibrations can resonate through the body and have healing effects. I wanted to ask you what is it about music that makes it such an effective healing tool. You can take a group of people that don't agree on anything,

have different religious beliefs. Uh, normally you wouldn't have anything to do with each other and shoot them down and play music and none of that matters while you're playing music, and everybody goes home happy and recharge. That's a great gift besides being a musician. Do you know that and now know that you can have acted people that way? I think music is spiritual is all I can say to get people that don't agree together to do anything

and they all go home happy. There's something spiritual in that, and and we feel it and we know it. And that's why I think live music is so important, because it really is healing for people. They get to get out of their own heads. They get to get out of their problems and there their likes and dislikes and just listen and sign out and stop their minds, stop their brains and just be and breathe, you know. And and that's where spiritualism is. Our wish is that this

music will do that for people. And I think that is part of why we all like to play live shows. A beautiful answer scientifically, scientifically, it has been proved that music is very, very important forever mind and body, forever good health. Appealing music tried on the plants. Plants grow faster with the peeling music, catch will give more milk with the feeling music. So I think this is the

time we really need healing, feeling music. And as you said that in this kind of collaboration, there is some universal interference. There is a spirituality. It's a very spiritual, it's very and everybody you know gave their the pure heart and soul. So it's our humble contribution towards the human race. And it's an appeal from us that please stop team, stop killing each other and stop this, you know,

fight for the racial problems. Just to realize the value of peace and harmony and think about the future of your children, because children of the world should achieve everything, what they want in their life, what they desire in their life, and music is a therapy. The entire medical world they have realized they are treating difficult, you know,

complicated patients with the music. So we are looking forward for our next collaboration and to visit the beautiful home of Mr by maestrodo Worlds and Margary and create something more appealing more healing for the world. You performed at the fourth annual vets A concert this year, which was a virtual event. Do you have any any concrete plans for any other concerts together in the in the months

to come. We are we are know. We just discussed with Joe that people are looking forward to once again participate on the fifteenth of November day. Yeah, but they're going to be in the US, so I've invited them to come to the vets Sage Shoe will be in Columbus, Ohio this year, and you know, we're not there yet, but it would be wonderful to surround ourselves with musicians with the same concept as we have and play in front of people, play live, and see where that goes.

Because we know that it works. It would be real fun to make an orchestra and go play. Uh, I don't know what to call it, East West music. I guess how has the last year been for you? Have you been holding up without being able to tour and get out there? Oh? Yeah, I mean it was rough. It was rough for everybody. I mean for years thought, oh man, I'm just doing this and doing that and doing this and doing that, and I'm on the road and and I'm rehearsing and I'd love to just have

nothing to do for a while. We'll careful what you pray for. Yeah, you got three months into it when it was time to go on the road and everything, and there wasn't that not possible. I wasn't a rock star anymore, you know. I was just Joe and he's pretty boring actually, so I had to get to know me. I was well, I was. It was strange, but it was good. It good. I think the whole world got a chance to shop and reflect and look at it

the big picture. And I hope we use that part of the experience intelligently when the world opens back up, because there's some stuff I looked at. I didn't like some stuff about me. I didn't like some stuff, you know, that needed fixing and and like that in the world around me. And I think maybe the world might be a better place for all of that, besides all the

the loss and misery. That's a good silver lining if you can say that there has been one in the last year and a half, ourselves better in making the world better. I think that is a beautiful message and a beautiful note to end on. Thank you all so much for your music and your time today and for all you do. Thank you so much. It's been such a joy and a pleasure talking to you. Nice one. You, thank you, thank you, thank you. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Inside the Studio, a production of I

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