Zakir Hussain Tabla Artist

      Ustad Zakir HussainPopularly known as Tabla Maestro, Ustad Zakir Hussain is the son of the renowned tabla player Ustad Allah Rakha. He was born on 9th March, 1951 and showed much interest in tabla since a very young age. This child prodigy started touring by the time he was twelve and started to perform at concerts and gain much recognition and fame. He went to in St. Michael's High School in Mahim and did his graduation from St. Xavier's Mumbai. In his twenties, he started to tour the United States frequently and performed in not less than 150 concerts per year. Read the fascinating life history of the famous musical genius in this biography of Zakhir Hussein.

           Zakir Hussain has had the opportunity to perform with many talented musicians not just in India but also all over the world. He became a famous international phenomenon. He has composed for many English movies like Apocalypse Now, In Custody, Little Buddha, The Mystic Masseur, Heat and Dust, etc. Zakir Hussain also acted in a brilliant documentary named "The Speaking Hand: Zakir Hussain and the Art of the Indian Drum" that was released in the year 2003. But it was not released on DVD due to lack of audience response. He also composed, performed and provided his valuable advice for Vanaprastham, which was screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

           Zakhir has performed with many artists and has created brilliant works of fusion. His partnership with the famous band The Beatles truly deserves a special mention. He also recorded with the American psychedelic band called "Shanti" in the year 1971. In 1975, he worked with John McLaughlin in the band "Shakti". This band had John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, L. Shankar, T.H. "Vikku" Vinayakram and R. Raghavan. It was disbanded by late 70's. However, the band was reunited a few years later by the name of Remember Shakti with some new members. The new band has released many albums like Saturday Night in Bombay, The Believer and 38th Montreux Jazz Festival.

          Zakhir Hussain also released his first solo album "Making Music" in the year 1987, which was proclaimed to be one of the most inspired East-West fusion albums ever. He was awarded the "Padma Shree" by the Government in the year 1988, thus making him the youngest percussionist to ever receive this award. Zakir Hussain has also received the National Heritage Fellowship (1999) which the most prestigious honor for a master in traditional arts in U.S. He has also been honored with Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by the President of India in the year 1991. He was also awarded the Grammy for the album "Planet Drum" which was produced and created by Zakir Hussain and Mickey Hart.

           Zakir Hussain married an Italian-American Kathak Dancer, Antonia Minnecola. She earlier worked as his manager for some time. Zakir Hussain has two daughters Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi. Anisa Qureshi graduated from UCLA and is trying her hand in video production and film making. The other daughter, Isabella is studying as a dance major in Manhattan. Zakhir Hussain has truly made his indelible mark in the field of music and has also acquired international acclaim. A true legend, his music shall continue to enthrall us for many more years to come.

                          (Source : zakir Hussen performing in mumai photo taken from google images)

Tabla Artist Swapan Chavdari

            Swapan Chaudhuri is an Indian tabla player, Chaudhuri played with G.S. Sachdev on February 28, 2013 He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama in 1997.

              Swapan Chaudhuri's parents, through their own passion for music, initiated his formal musical training. Swapan Chaudhuri started tabla learning at the age of five. He bases his style on the intensive training he received from his Guru, Pandit Santosh Krishna Biswas of Calcutta, the eminent exponent of the Lucknow Gharana. He holds a master's degree in music and has been conferred honors for his distinguished contributions in the field of tabla by thegovernment of India and various musical institutions. He also holds a degree in economics from Jadavpur University, Calcutta.

               As a soloist and accompanist Swapan has traveled throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia, accompanying maestros such as Pandit Habib Khan, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, the late Nikhil Banerjee, Ustad Amir Khan, Vasant Rai, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, Dr. Balamurali Krishna, and other eminent artists. In addition, he has produced many recordings, including his own tabla solo and video tapes, and has appeared extensively on television and radio. Swapan's music reaches beyond the scope of classical music to include performances and recordings with musicians such as L. Shankar, John Handy, and the African drum master Malenga. He has participated in many international music festivals such as Bath, Perth, Sydney, Tokyo, San Francisco, Kuala Lampur, Stuttgart, and Berlin. He has composed for several percussion ensembles, which have received much appreciation from both western and Indian audiences.

                 Swapan’s music reaches beyond the scope of Classical music to include recordings with musicians such as Stevie Wonder, L. Shankar, Mark O’Connor, John Handy, Larry Coryell, John Santos, the reputed Persian musicians Alizade and Kayhan Kalhor, the African drum master, Malenga, and the renowned guitarists, Vlatko Stefanovski and Miroslav Tadic. He has participated in many International Music Festivals such as Bath, Perth, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, San Francisco, Kuala Lampur, Stuttgart and Berlin. He has composed for several
percussion ensembles that have received tremendous appreciation from Western as well as Indian audiences. He is associated with various American and European Universities as a visiting professor.

                  Swapan Chaudhuri has held the position as Director of Percussion at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California and in Basil, Switzerland, where students from all over the world receive intensive training in Tabla. He is also the Department Chairperson for the World Music Department at California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles, California. In addition, Swapan maintains a rigorous touring and recording schedule throughout the year.

    (Source :Swapan Chaudhuri performing tabala program at kolkata image taken from google)

Tabla

             The tabla it is a importent part of music.tabla is a charming and endearing Indian musical instrument. Indian masters have made it popular the world over and western musicians regularly use it to add variety and an exotic flavour to their music. DESIblitz reveals the interesting story behind the evolution and popularity of the tabla.
By Arjun Mandaiker.

     The History of the Tabla

      The tabla’s charm has attracted the attention of scholars and music lovers around the globe.
Like most other Indian musical instruments, there are many interesting myths and legends about the origin of the tabla. Many authors cite the 13th century Sufi poet/musician Amir Khusrau as the inventor of this instrument.

      But there is no clear evidence, in the form of writings or paintings, to confirm the above claim without doubt. Another person credited with inventing the tabla is Sidar Khan Dhari, a court musician in the Delhi durbar in the 18th century.

      Most likely no single person was totally responsible for creating the tabla and diverse influences led to the development of its physical structure and musical repertoire.

     These artistes also developed their personal sophisticated solo repertoires in private musical gatherings. This aspect along with the teacher-student tradition paved the way for the creation of the tabla gharana lineages.

      There are two tabla drums used to create music. The smaller drum is termed dayan and is made of wood. It is played with the right hand. The larger deeper-pitched drum is made of metal and is known as bayan. Both drums have goat or cow skin covering. They have a black middle spot made of iron fillings, soot and gum which produces a characteristic bell-like sound when drummed

  Tintal

       Tintal it is a most importent and popular tala. Tintal has sixteen (16) beats[2] in four equal divisions (vibhag). The period between every two beats is equal. The first beat out of 16 beats is called sam and the 9th beat is called khali ('empty'). To count the Teental, the audience claps on the first beat, claps on the 5th beat, then waves on the 9th beat and lastly again claps on the 13th beat; these three claps (Hindi tin 'three' + tāl 'clap') give the rhythm its name.

                          The Theka for Tintal

dha dhin dhin dha | dha dhin dhin dha |
x 2
na tin tin ta | ta dhin dhin dha |
o 3
This can also be shown using the following figure[2]

Taal signs X 2 0 3
Maatra 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Bols dha dhin dhin dha dha dhin dhin dha dha tin tin ta ta dhin dhin dha.

                                                     (Source : Parts of Tabla image taken from google)