Ustad Zakir Hussain & Masters of Percussion Tour

There's something about the Tabla which is mesmerizing. It is amazing how two seemingly unassuming looking pieces, made of the simplest composition of materials, can produce such a powerful range of sounds. On a rudimentary definition, the Tabla consists of a right hand drum ('dayan') and a lefthand drum ('bayan'). Undoubtedly, the most striking characteristic of the tabla I find, is the large black spot on each of the playing surfaces. These black spots are a mixture of gum, soot, and iron filings. Their function is to create the bell-like timbre that is characteristic of the instrument and produces varying degrees of vibrations which are adjust by the player using his palms and fingers

I've always enjoyed listening to music featuring the Tabla, or for that matter any percussion instruments. I'm not exactly sure how to describe the emotions it evokes when I listen to the music....but it leases this raw, unabashed and wild energy....this sense of breaking boundaries and reaching a tumultous zenith...which I absolutely love! The rhythmic beats on just the solos in teental, jhaptal can put you in a trance.

So you can imagine my excitement when I found out none but the Ustad himself was coming to town for a concert. Turned out it was on Saturday, April 26th. He was performing at the World Music Institute in NYC on a tour called 'MASTERS OF PERCUSSION'. It was a magical evening and the music was simply phenomenal.

The concert started at 8pm. Master tabla player Zakir Hussain was joined by an ensemble of musicians which included international percussion virtuosos, playing contemporary and classical music of India. The program featured traditional North Indian classical repertoire combined with contemporary and folk music, as performed on solo tabla and in ensemble collaborations, accompanied by the 'Meitei Pung Cholom Performing Troupe' - the dancing drummers as I call them. This troupe comprised of three dancers is one of India's premier performance troupes, combining dance, drumming and martial arts in their repertoire and dedicated to the rejuvenation of traditional folk and classical dance style of Manipur. To see them repeatedly sumersault in the air while playing the drums/dhols they carried had the audience gasping in amazement and there were times I foud myself holding my breath praying they wouldn't fall off the tiny stage.

The master musicians from around the globe, included two of his own younger siblings of the Qureshi family - Percussionist Taufiq Qureshi, and Tabla player Fazl Qureshi, Sitarist Niladri Kumar, Doyra player Abbos Kosimov, Nagada player Ram Kishan, Sarangi player Dilshad Khan and folk drummer Vijay Chauhan.

Ofcourse, what can I write in praise about the Ustad that hasn't already been written countless times before. With the prestigious honors of Padma Bhushan and and Padma Sri to his credit (given to civilians from the Indian government), Tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain is in short a phenemenon. His mastery of the tabla can only leave the audience in utter awe and admiration - when he plays time seems to stand still and all that exists is the Ustad and his magical coaxing of divine beats from the tabla.

This particular evening too he was at his masterful best (just as I remembered watching him in concert once in California 2002!) He started off with slow thumris, taals, jhaptals, teentals and progressed to faster jugalbandis with fellow sitarist Niladri Kumar and the other musicians. What I simply adore about Zakir is his affability, his friendliness, down-to-earth demeanor, sense of humor and last but not least his ability to involve the audience in the music. Classical music can seem very complicated and even a trifle boring for people who are not into that genre of music, but Ustad explained every composition he played, why he was playing it even citing examples from real life. For an acclaimed musician of his stature to take the time to joke with the audience and try to relate to them is what makes him so very endearing. Not to mention that I find him extremely cute to boot, what with that hairstyle of his! :)

In addition to Ustad ji there were two other musicians that night who I thought where brillant. One was a musician from Uzbekistan, a gentleman by the name of Abbos Kosimov, playing an instrument called the 'Doyra'(which closely resembled a large Tambourine. He played various sizes and shapes of it simultaneously!) What blew me away was the dexterity and flexibility with which this man handled multiple of these 'Doyras', placing one between his knees, holding two up in his arms or on his shoulders, while all the while producing some of the most powerful and soul-stirring rhythms, both solo and ofcourse in collaboration with Ustad on the tabla. Just pure magic!!

The second musician was Ustad's younger brother - Taufiq Qureshi who played the percussion and play he did with such gusto and varying degrees of creativity, it remained to be seen to be believed! A premier percussionist of India, the youngest son and also student of the legendary tabla maestro Ustad Allarakha (Ustad's Zakir Hussain's father), Taufiq Qureshi showcased the traditional flavor and intricacies of Indian rhythm while blending the sparkle of contemporary world percussion in his performance. His trademark style, as I learnt later, incorporated body and vocal percussion to create unique rhythmic motifs spanning across cultures; his sense of tone and his command over a wide variety of percussion instruments and styles was phenomenal and he displayed his music knowing no boundaries that evening.

The two and half hours just seemed to whisk past and before I knew it the concert was over. The state of raptured enchantment was reluctantly broken and the audience got up to disperse. I wish I could have watched and listened the whole night.