Kajri ( Old Style )

Kajri (Old Style) is a traditional Hindustani classical composition performed by Ustad Bismillah Khan on the shehnai. The track appears as the seventh piece on the album Shehnai Samrat, released on CD by T-Series in 1991. The recording spans 10 minutes and 34 seconds, showcasing Khan’s mastery of the kajri genre, a semi-classical form rooted in the folk traditions of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The album Shehnai Samrat compiles Khan’s performances, emphasizing his role in elevating the shehnai from a folk instrument to a concert-stage staple. The label T-Series distributed the release as part of its classical music catalog, though specific production details beyond the primary format remain undocumented. The track Kajri (Old Style) exemplifies Khan’s improvisational technique, blending raga-based phrasing with the lyrical and rhythmic contours characteristic of kajri compositions.

Ustad Bismillah Khan (1916–2006) received the Bharat Ratna in 2001 for his contributions to Indian classical music. His rendition of Kajri (Old Style) reflects the banaras gharana style, marked by intricate meend (glissando) and gamak (ornamentation). The album does not include accompanying artists or detailed liner notes, focusing solely on Khan’s solo performance. The 1991 release preceded his later collaborations with orchestral and fusion projects but remained a reference for purists of the shehnai tradition.

No alternate versions or live recordings of this specific track from Shehnai Samrat are officially cataloged. The original CD release remains the primary source for the composition, with no subsequent reissues or remastered editions documented under the same title. The track’s structure adheres to the kajri form, typically featuring a slow, meditative introduction followed by progressively intricate taan (fast melodic passages) and a return to the thematic mukhda (refrain).