Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy ( hi, नज़ीर अली जैराज़भाई; October 31, 1927 – June 20, 2009) was a professor of folk and classical music of

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

at the

University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

, 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 The Society for Ethnomusicology is, with the International Council for Traditional Music and thBritish Forum for Ethnomusicology one of three major international associations for ethnomusicology. Its mission is "to promote the research, study, an ...

Life

Although born in England to Indian parents, he was educated in India. He began

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...

studies as a child in Bombay from Madhav Lal. In 1967, credited as "Soma", he played sitar on the

Incredible String Band The Incredible String Band (sometimes abbreviated as ISB) were a Scottish psychedelic folk band formed by Clive Palmer, Robin Williamson and Mike Heron in Edinburgh in 1966. The band built a considerable following, especially in the British ...

's album '' The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion''.Adrian Whittaker (ed.), ''Be Glad: The Incredible String Band Compendium'', 2003, After graduation from the

Doon School The Doon School (informally Doon School or Doon) is a selective all-boys boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, which was established in 1935. It was envisioned by Satish Ranjan Das, a lawyer from Calcutta, who prevised a school mode ...

and the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

. He was a student of Dr. Arnold Adriaan Bake at the

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury a ...

of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, 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 (ARCE) of the

American Institute of Indian Studies The American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS), founded in 1961, is a consortium of 90 universities and colleges in the United States that promotes the advancement of knowledge about India in the U.S. It carries out this purpose by: awarding fello ...

in New Delhi. He was married to the ethnomusicologist and singer Dr. Amy Catlin-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, (First published by Faber and Faber, 1971) *''Hi-Tech Shiva and Other Apocryphal Stories: An Academic Allegory.'' Apsara Media:Van Nuys California *''A Musical Journey through India, 1963-1964 '' (ten audio talks and book) *''Bake Restudy in India: 1938-1984'' (jointly with Amy 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 Fictive Documentary'' (jointly with Amy Catlin) Apsara Media: Van Nuys, California 1994 *''Kathputli: The World of Rajasthani Puppeteers'' Rainbow Publishers: New Delhi – 20 Nov 2007

References

External links

Jairazbhoy's page at UCLA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jairazbhoy, Nazir 1927 births 2009 deaths American academics of Indian descent American male musicians of Indian descent Indian expatriates in the United Kingdom University of California, Los Angeles faculty Ethnomusicologists Indian emigrants to the United States Indian musicologists The Doon School alumni 20th-century musicologists 20th-century male musicians Indian American American people of Indian descent Indian scholars