Dear Krishna, Here is what you wanted to know about Alla Diya Khan and his alleged recordings. Before entering in this vexed and much discussed topic. Please take a note that I never make a statement in writing unless it is supported by independent sources. . Secondly because of my profile and my profession, I have access to such kind of people, who are normally inaccessible. On this background now consider this. I was myself convinced or had a hunch that Alla Diya (& Bhaskar Buwa) must have cut a few recordings if not commercial, the private ones. This was because the penchant of the erstwhile kings and their ways. Now the record about which I wrote to you was a private recording. It was made for an erstwhile King i.e. Maharaja of Jamkhindi. His name was Patwardhan. And let me tell you that existence of this particular recording has been vetted and confirmed by none less than Mallikarjun Mansoor and his Guru Bandhu Madhukar Kanetkar. Both had heard this record. Shri Kanetkar is still alive and is 91. He stays at Pune. So this should put at rest all the controversy surrounding the recording and the reactions by the cynics. However I have not heard this recording. What I know and have heard is another story. I appeared for an erstwhile King as his lawyer in the Supreme Court. He has been a man of many tests and is particularly knowledgeable about Classical Vocal .His age is 89. We had so many discussions about various topics in Classical vocal. One day he invited me to spend some time in his palace at his native place. There he revealed to me that his Father was a great connoisseur and patron of Classical Vocal and had specifically some recordings made for him by inviting some European technicians. These recordings are in the period of 1910 to 1940. I was wonderstruck .I asked him about Alladiya. His response was that of course his recordings were made and are with certain Raj-Gharanas. He gave me a list. He himself has two. His father had a deep admiration for Alla-Diya and Alla-Diya had stayed with them for couple of years. The recording which I listened at his palace was of concert in 1925. Alla-Diya was 70 that time. This is a recording when Alla-Diya performed at a concert for King of Dharampur. It had three Ragas. Bihagda, Sohoni, & Paraj. Because of paucity of time, I heard Bihagda only and that too five times. Now as you know, it is most difficult to describe any rendering in words as words hardly do any justice to it. But let me try.
There was no Aalap or Bol tan and no Meend in his rendering of Bihagda. The voice was husky and not a great voice. However the method of voice production was completely natural and without any trace of artificiality. The entire Gyaki can be summarized as a “Curvature Conception.” It took a conscious note of every fraction of beat in his vilambit (Bilampat). While presenting “Pyari Pag Hole,” he has accentuated not only the taal by itself but minute intervals (space) between the beats in such a manner that it produces an oblique effect. In other words, these off-beat spots are joined so cleverly that this entire design has a unique grace of its own. So you have a layakari and bikat tans in the cheej as visage but this design simultaneously as a background, encompassing the feel. It is something that you can feel that you are actually witnessing a Raga in its other dimension. This kind of upaj was remarkable and till today I have not heard from anybody’s recordings. This was certainly not present with Kesarbai, & Mallikarjun but some traces are discernible in Mogubai. And surprisingly this oblique effect Upaj is very much present in Kishori. This oblique effect is present in each and every musical phrase he has uttered in Bihagda. What is more that he has introduced a tonal combination in the same so unexpectedly that one particular note would outshine all other. What I found uncanny was that this note would then be deliberately driven up so to create your expectation to its highest pitch. Also his chehera (visage) of Bandish also has been presented in such different manner that it seems that none of his disciples could ever do it.(This can be gauged by recordings of any of his disciples.) His tans are full with twist and turns. It is like a snake moving. They are unpredictable. When you are expecting a SAM, a different tonal combination is introduced in such an unexpected way in the midstream that arrival at SAM was different that what is expected. This arrival was again proceeded by an ingeniously conceived tonal combination or a deliberate accented note which gives that SAM a totally different aaghat. However the rendering is predominated with Taans only. As I explained earlier I found no Aalaps or even Bol-Taans and most important no Meend. Later, after analyzing the Gayaki following are the conclusions. He had remarkable Dam-Sans (Breath control) in today’s terms it can be only compared with Bhimsen. His visage of Cheej and style of Sthayi is BharDast. (Could not translate it) Entire rendering was based on Gamak. May it be Bol or Tan or Aalap it had connotation of Gamak.
If one looks at the mechanics of design of the Khyal, all Swar-Vistar reminds oneself of a moving of a snake. The Layakri had two distinct features. Apparently, it is which we are accustomed to listen to (typical Jaipur, keeping mathematically with the beats or other types Aad, Kuaad , Teestra, Chatustra etc.) however, its “sukshma” (micro) syncopation was offbeat (and if these offbeats are joined,) it produced another design altogether. I have never observed this design in whichever performers or their recordings which I have heard till today. These taken together, it is felt that A Raga is being rendered in two levels at the same time. This produces the “oblique effect” which I have mentioned. This feature is completely absent in either in Kesarbai or in Mallikarjun or any of his disciples. I have observed that only Kishori in some of her renderings having this effect. Her conception of Raga can be said to be something akin to Alla-Diya. Only I had a feel that he could not actually render whatever he had in his mind because of his limitation of his voice. Kishori renders it. But one can always gauge the conception. At any point of time he has not arrived and stayed at Shadja. (Shdja Bharana). Neither at the start nor at the end. No vishranti sthan even at tar Shadja. Because of breath control, all Taans are continuous. I believe this should suffice the curiosity and answer your question.