Nazir Jairazbhoy
Encyclopedia
Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy was a professor of folk and classical music of South Asia
at the University of California at Los Angeles, where he was the founding chair of the Department of Ethnomusicology and Systematic Musicology. He was appointed professor of music at UCLA in 1975, and retired in 1994. He was president of the Society for Ethnomusicology
.
studies as a child in Bombay from Madhav Lal. In 1967, credited as "Soma", he played sitar on the Incredible String Band
's album The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion
.
After graduation from the Doon School and the University of Washington
, he was a student of Dr. Arnold Adriaan Bake at the School of Oriental and African Studies
of the University of London
, receiving his doctorate in 1971.
He produced more than 100 publications as well as audio and video productions on both classical and folk music of India. He founded the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology (ACRE) of the American Institute of Indian Studies in New Delhi.
He was married to the ethnomusicologist and singer Dr. Amy Caitlin-Jairazbhoy and they both co-owned Apsara Media for Intercultural Education in Van Nuys, California.
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
at the University of California at Los Angeles, where he was the founding chair of the Department of Ethnomusicology and Systematic Musicology. He was appointed professor of music at UCLA in 1975, and retired in 1994. He was president of the Society for Ethnomusicology
Society for Ethnomusicology
The Society for Ethnomusicology is, with the International Council for Traditional Music and the British Forum for Ethnomusicology, one of three major international associations ethnomusicology...
.
Life
Although born in England to Indian parents, he was educated in India. He began sitarSitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
studies as a child in Bombay from Madhav Lal. In 1967, credited as "Soma", he played sitar on the Incredible String Band
Incredible String Band
The Incredible String Band were a psychedelic folk band formed in Scotland in 1966. The band built a considerable following, especially within British counterculture, before splitting up in 1974...
's album The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion
The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion
-Personnel:* Robin Williamson - Vocals, guitar, mandolin, oud, bowed and bass gimbri, flute, percussion * Mike Heron - Vocals, guitar, harmonica* Licorice McKechnie - Vocals, percussion* Danny Thompson - Double bass* John Hopkins - Piano...
.
After graduation from the Doon School and the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, he was a student of Dr. Arnold Adriaan Bake at the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
of the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, receiving his doctorate in 1971.
He produced more than 100 publications as well as audio and video productions on both classical and folk music of India. He founded the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology (ACRE) of the American Institute of Indian Studies in New Delhi.
He was married to the ethnomusicologist and singer Dr. Amy Caitlin-Jairazbhoy and they both co-owned Apsara Media for Intercultural Education in Van Nuys, California.
Major publications
- The Rags of North Indian Music: Their Structure and Evolution Popular Prakashan:Bombay 1995, ISBN 81-7154-395-2 (First published by Faber and Faber, 1971)
- Hi-Tech Shiva and Other Apocryphal Stories: An Academic Allegory.
- A Musical Journey through India, 1963-1964 (video)
- Bake Restudy in India: 1938-1984 (jointly with A. Catlin), a video which received an award from the Society for Visual Anthropology of the American Anthropological Association, and
- Retooling a Tradition: A Rajasthani Puppet Takes Umbrage at his Stringholders (a fictional documentary)