"We lost a great maestro in Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, the sarod genius. The 'jugal bandi' between him and Pandit Ravi Shankar was a treat for the lovers of Indian classical music, " Amitabh posted on his blog www.bigb.bigadda.com.
"I have had the great privilege of watching them play in concert on several occasions and it was magic every time... The duo of Ravi Shankar on sitar and Ali Akbar Khan on sarod, with Allah Rakha on tabla has been the ultimate ensemble in Indian classical fare, " he added.
Ali Akbar, who along with his former brother-in-law Ravi Shankar, took Indian classical music to the world stage, died at his residence in San Anselmo, California, following renal failure Friday. He was 87.