By: Joe Lang
When Zakir Hussain puts his hands on the tabla, at worst you are going to hear something amazing. At best, the event can be life changing for those with open ears. Approximately 2,000 fans of Indian music sat down at Orchestra Hall on Monday; about 300 more than when Zakir last played with his East-meet-West group Remember Shakti with John McLaughlin in 2003. The event was more traditional, according to members of the Indian Music Society of Minnesota, and, as a result, drew a larger crowd because of the purist appeal.
At the beginning of the first set, the lights were shut off and sound of strong wind played through the speakers. When the lights came up, Khete Khan, a khartal player, started the evening with a solo. The khartal is an unusual percussion instrument, comprised of four small flat rectangular pieces of wood held two in each hand that can produce rapid-fire rhythmic clacks. Khan retired backstage after his solo and Bhavani Shankar, a Pakhawaj player, took the stage for a solo. In the hands of Shankar, the Pakhawaj, a heavy barrel-shaped drum, lit up. He slowly built the rhythms of his solo to a breakneck crescendo that had the crowd in an uproar. Afterwards he too returned backstage.
Then the true master of the evening took the stage. For his first piece Zakir was joined by his brother, Fazal Qureshi, on tabla and Sultan Khan, one of the foremost Sarangi (a bowed instrument) players of India. Hussain said that although his brother would be accompanying him, he would probably also give him a run for his money. Describing the rhythms and solos of the piece would almost be an exercise in futility—it really had to be heard. Midway through the solo, Hussain had to calm the crowd, gesturing that he couldn’t hear over the thunderous applause.
The trio took turns soloing, Sultan Khan laying down a melodic idea, then Hussain and Qureshi playing off each other at blinding speeds. Eventually, mid-solo, Hussain began explaining the theory of drumming in India and of the god of drums, Ganesh. Later he talked about the incorporation of modern ideas in the drums of India: rain, trains, traffic. After each explanation, he would demonstrate the sound on the drums. The highlight came when he told what sounded like a children’s story about the sounds of cars and elephants, and animals, which unfolded into a konnakol (Indian beat boxing) and a rhythmic, virtuosic explosion of speed and dexterity.
Right after, Manipuri Jagoi Marup, three dancing drummers of Manipuri, India, took the stage. The trio danced, drummed and interacted in their piece, which ended with one of the dancers doing an amazing knee break dance, kind of like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, never missing a beat on the drum.
The second set saw Khan return for another khartal solo, longer and more impressive than the first. Afterwards, Hussain returned to the stage with Niladri Kumar, a young sitar virtuoso, and Taufiq Qureshi, Zakir’s other brother, on drums. The piece, like the previous set with Zakir, featured amazing melodic and rhythmic interplay between the three, pausing for texture, and blazing forward with impossibly fast rhythms. Niladri Kumar demonstrated not only a proficiency of Indian style, but also reflected a strong grasp of western theory and melodies. At times, he would quote a western classical piece or pop song mid solo and go back into the improvisational fireworks. One by one, almost all of the performers rejoined the ensemble for a percussive finale that garnered a standing ovation. A friend complained that the second set wasn’t as good as the first as it was less traditional, and I agree in one way; Hussain’s playing in the first set was fierier, but at the same time Kumar’s sitar playing was the melodic high point of the night for me.
Masters of Percussion was easily one of the most amazing displays of virtuosity I’ve ever seen in concert. But then again, I’d probably say that anytime I see Zakir Hussain take the stage.
Location Info:
Orchestra Hall
Artist Info: Zakir Hussain
Share this story:
Article comments powered by Disqus