Sita Kalyanam - Thaniyavarthanam - Shri Jayatheertha Bhagavathar and team

Mridangam BY BALAKRISHNA KAMATH and Tabala BY MAHESH MONY Taniyavartanam

CONCERT BY KAVALAM SRIKUMAR. THANI AVARTHANAM ON MRIDANGAM BY BALAKRISHNA KAMATH & TABLA BY MAHESH MONY .THANKS TO "SAMANWAYA-SOPANAM" QUATAR WHO ORGANIZED THE PROGRAMME

Amrita TV Super Talents - Arjun and Aromal on Tabala

Amrita TV Super Talents (in making) - Arjun and Aromal on Tabala





Congratulations dear Arjun and Aromal. Excellent performance. Keep continuing the hard work, focus, concentration, innovativeness, improvisation and mutual understanding. God Bless and have a great journey ahead. Let Super Talent be the stepping stone in your life to greater heights in the world of performing arts.

Mesmerising magic at the Music Academy

Mesmerising magic at the Music Academy

Saranya ChakrapaniFirst Published : 23 Feb 2009 11:48:00 PM ISTLast Updated : 23 Feb 2009 04:12:54 PM ISTCHENNAI: LET the curtain rise on the maestros!” boomed PC Ramakrishna’s voice. It was a moment of a lifetime; everyone who sat within the familiar walls of the 80-year-old Music Academy knew it. Ghananjani 2009 was different. No, it wasn’t the red curtain that enticingly, slowly revealed every inch of the setting on stage. It wasn’t just the sandal-scented air and the colourful lights that paved the way to the commemoration of a musical evening. This moment that had just made our hearts skip a beat, was a bit more than all of that. It was an evening of five musical geniuses, who were all set to give us a little peep into their souls. It was an evening dedicated to the still loved and immensely missed founder of the Shakti Foundation, Velan Raghuvir, and thecause so close to his heart.


Sheer magic emanates from instruments in the hands of maestros like Zakir Hussain, Sivamani, Dominique Di Piazza, Stephen Devassy and U Shrinivas. Like PC Ramakrishna rightly put it, referring to Mandolin U Shrinivas, “There are musicians who get their names from an instrument. But here is an instrument that has got its name from the musician.” The world knew the magic they were capable of, after witnessing their previous performances through Remembering Shakti. This time around the canvas had two more colours splashed on it - the shy, Frenchman who strummed magic on the bass guitar and refrained from speaking too much due to his ‘strongly accented English’ , Dominique Di Piazza, and the 27-year-old, highly enthused pianist, Stephen Devassy.

Raw, mellow sounds erupted like smoke and filled the air as Shrinivas took the lead for the evening. Ustadji, eyes shut, allowed the music to seep into his system, and soon started playing in tune with the mandolin. Stephen Devassy, Dominique and Sivamani exchanged glances in silent communication to jam their own kind of music and began midway to join what Hussain and Shrinivas were intricately sculpting. The harmony was like a melting pot, gently guiding our ears and our senses to a spectacular confluence of any beat and sound that made music.

The chemistry between Ustadji, Sivamani and Shrinivas, reached a new high time and again. Sivamani played like a man possessed, making music out of everything from an old suitcase to a plastic bottle to his sophisticated drums and the pair of ghungroos he wore on his feet. Dominique’s strums soothingly, seductively made melodies and depths of six strings. Stephen Devassy’ s music seemed to reflect his own self, quickly transforming the laid-back, dreamy mood to electrifying magnetism.

They kept the best for the end. When Zakir Hussain playing, every fan in the audience was ready for him, keeping time with their hands, tears flowing down cheeks, lost in the magic his music creates. While he was capable of drowning us in the intensity of rhythm, he was also capable of beguiling us with his unassuming, humourous side. For, when Shrinivas congratulated him on his second Grammy, he gently lifted the tip of his silk kurta and took a little bow, the way, a timid ballerina would do, to an applauding auditorium.

Later, the kids of the Shakti Foundation, garlanded the musicians and posed delightedly for a group picture. Shati’s Ghananjani 2009, had the audience leave with the memories of a Saturday evening they’d carry for the rest of their lives.

saranyachakrapani@epmltd.com

Zakir Hussain lecture and demonstration of tabla

Laya Ruckus - Trichy Sankaran, Zakir Hussain & G Harishankar

Laya Ruckus - Trichy Sankaran, Zakir Hussain & G Harishankar



Trichy Sankaran, Zakir Hussain & G Harishankar
* Courtesy of www.myspace.com/trichysankaran

Mridangam/Tabla Jugalbandhi

Mridangam/Tabla Jugalbandhi



Mridangam played by the late Palghat Mani Iyer.
Tabla played by Ustad Zakir Hussain.
Original video probably does not exist for this track.
Anyway it is top notch stuff.

Ustad Zakir Hussain -- Swari Panch Taal Tabla Solo

Ustad Zakir Hussain -- Swari Panch Taal Tabla Solo




Vintage recording of the tabla Master letting it all hang out in his early years along with Ashish Khan supporting the rhythm cycle.Vintage recording of the tabla Master letting it all hang out in his early years along with Ashish Khan supporting the rhythm cycle.

Tabla advanced class

Tabla advanced class

Tabla lessons online at www.singingdrums.com

Tabla lessons online at www.singingdrums.com


Tabla Classes by Muthu Kumar covering the basics intermediate as well as advanced Lessons and playing techniques.

Tabala - Zakir Hussain

Tabala - Zakir Hussain

Tabla Solo in Jhaptal - Ravi Shankar, Alla Rakha

Ravi Shankar, Alla Rakha - Tabla Solo in Jhaptal

Tabala - KRISHNARAJ IYENGAR

Tabala - KRISHNARAJ IYENGAR



Krishnaraj Iyengar is an Indian classical percussionist specializing in the Tabla. He is a desciple of living legend 'Pandit' Nayan Ghosh Saheb and has been trained in 5 different 'Gharanas' or traditions viz. Delhi, Ajrada, Farukhabad, Luckhnow and Old-Punjab. This school of playing is called 'Guldastah' or bouquet of flowers as it has the flavors of all these different and diverse traditions.It was pioneered by the legendary patriarch of Tabla Khansaheb Munir Khan ( 1857-1937).

He has been performing the world over conducting lecture-demonstrations, workshops, solos and also teaching and has experimented with musical forms from many parts of the world like Irish, Scottish,Arabic, Persian, Greek, Turkish, Afghani, Russian, Andalucian, Far-Eastern, Klezmer and Yemenite Jewish music, African, Brazilian, Maldivian and Middle-East percussion and with several renowned DJs from India, Israel and other countries.

he has also performed for the Indian Royalty and the Consular Corps, various dignitaries from around the world, musicians, students of ethnomusicoligy and other forms.

Krishnaraj's is a purely traditional style that embodies nuances of the legends of yester years like Mt.Everest of Tabla Ustad Ahmadjaan Thirakwa, Khansaheb Amir Hussain Khan, Ustad Habibuddin Khan, Pandit Jyan Prakash Ghosh, Pandit Nikhil Ghosh and undoubtedly, his own Guru.

Being a composer in Tabla and also melody, he has been composing background music scores and other compositions which are examples of chemistry between various musical forms and traditions from around the world.

Krishnaraj has also learnt nuances of Arabic melody and percussion from maestro Al Ustad Malik Bazir Baashi of Syria, and is currently studying Western Music from master Guitarist 'Baba' Walter D'Mello.

Krishna as he's popularly known as, is fulent in almost 10 languages and passionately studies cultures and theology.This is a striking advantage due to which he relates to audiences of varied nationalities and cultural and linguistic backgrounds

Zakir Hussain - Alla Rakha Tribute Concert - APRIL 05

Zakir Hussain - Alla Rakha Tribute Concert - APRIL 05

Ustad Allah Rakha & Zakir Hussain Tabla Solo Teental

Ustad Allah Rakha & Zakir Hussain Tabla Solo Teental

Zakir Hussain and Anuradha Pal

Zakir Hussain presenting Anuradha Pal when only 15 years old

Tabala girl rimpa siva

Tabala girl rimpa siva

Tabala – Rimpa Shiva

Tabala – Rimpa Shiva

Tabala – fusion - ANURADHA PAL'S RECHARGE

Tabala – fusion - ANURADHA PAL'S RECHARGE

Tabala girl – Rimpa Shiva

Tabala girl – Rimpa Shiva