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Ustad (literally meaning "Master") Kadar Khan was born in Rajasthan, India into a family of professional musicians. His ancestors, for generations, served as Royal Court Musicians for the rulers of India. Kadar Khan began his musical training at age 7 under the strict tutelage of his father and guru, Ustad Reheman Khan. It was Ustad Reheman Khan who passed on to Kadar Khan the four traditional styles of tabla playing: the Delhi, Ajarada, Lucknow, and Farukhabad gharanas, or "schools". It is the tabla repertoire of these great Ustads in his bloodline, including Ustad Jamal Khan - from Hyderabad Sindh - that Kadar Khan possesses and preserves.
He is currently working on many projects - including compositions for a series of events in many of New York City's public parks, and accompanying compositions with some of his students at the Kalavant school. You can learn more about Ustad Kadar Khan and the Kalavant School at: www.kalavant.org
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Ustad
Kadar Khan and India's great music traditions
He
is one of the most charismatic performers of Indian classical music
today, who within his music creates complex rhythmic structures
and improvisations with an energy and style rarely seen in a traditional
musician. Notably, his artistry is rare in that he plays not only
with singers and instrumentalists; he is also a masterful accompanist.
In 1985, Kadar Khan's artistry was heard by an audience of millions
when he performed as a featured soloist on All India Radio and Doordarshan
Television's concert series "National Highlights." In
1998 he was a recipient of the American Academy of Artists Award.
Throughout his career, he has accompanied artists such as Pandit
Hari Prasad Chaurasia (flute), Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra (guitar),
Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (guitar), Ustad Sultan Khan (sarangi),
Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan (sitar), Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan (vocal),
Smt. Lakshmi Shankar (vocal) and many others. 
