A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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Ustad Ahmedjan Thirikwa

Pandit Anokhelal Mishra - Benaras Gharana

Ustad Abid Hussain Khan - Lucknow Gharana

Ustad Afaq Hussain Khan - Lucknow Gharana

Ustad Allarakha Khan - Punjab Gharana

Ustad Allarakha Khan, India's leading tabla exponent of the Punjab Gharana, raised the tabla to the status of a solo instrument. Born on April 29, 1919, at Phagwal village of Jammu, 80 kms from Lahore, Ustad Allarakha Khan was fascinated with the sound of tabla since the age of 12, when he was staying with his uncle at Gurdaspur. The determined young lad ran away from house and became a disciple of Mian Qader Baksh of the Punjab Gharana, who initiated him into the world of music. He learnt 'Raag Vidya' (melody aspect) from Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan of Patiala Gharana. His regimen of practice and dedication were the stuff of legend: hours upon hours of hard, disciplined practice cultivating his skills would eventually pay off. He started his musical career as an accompanist in Lahore and then as an AlI India Radio staffer in Mumbai in 1940. Soon after he would compose music for a couple of Hindi films from 1943-48. The venerable master would later achieve world reknown as Pandit Ravi Shankar's chief accompanist during his apex in the 1960s, delighting audiences in the West with his percussive wizardry, both as an uncanny accompanist with flawless timing and sensitivity as well as a soloist where he was a master of improvisation, a prolific composer and an electric showman. The Ustad popularized the art of tabla playing all over the globe, elevating the status and respect of his instrument. Abbaji (as he was affectionately known) also bridged the gap between Carnatic music and Hindustani music by performing with both reknowned Carnatic musicians as well as other Hindustani stalwarts.

Ustad Amir Hussain Khan - Ajrara Gharana

Akram Khan - Ajrara Gharana

Pandit Anindo Chatterjee - Farukhabad and Lucknow Gharana

Born in Calcutta in 1953, Pandi Anindo Chatterjee is regarded as one of the most versatile Tabla maestros in India today. He is not only a leading exponent of the Farukhabad gharana, but is also a master at revelling in other tabla gharanas - Punjab, Lucknow, Delhi, Ajrada and Benaras styles. He is considered by many eminent tabla players as the tabla player's tabla player. He was born into a musical family and at the age of four, began his training under the inspiration and guidance of his uncle Pandit Biswanath Chatterjee. Subsequently, he became a disciple of the legendary Pandit Padmabhushan Gyan Prakash Ghosh. He later also received guidance for two years from Ustad Afaq Hussain Khan in 1964. In 1970 he won the All India Radio music competition and received the title of best young Tabla player of the year from the President of India. In 1975 he went on a tour of Europe with Pt. Nikhil Banerjee (Sitar), who greatly influenced and inspired him. Since that time Anindoji has travelled the world over, recorded countless Albums, CDs, cassettes, and has accompanied all the great maestros of Indian music scene including Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Rais Khan, Pandit Hariprasad Chourasia, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Smt Kishori Amonkar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, and numerous others Based on his training in the Farukhabad style of tabla playing (as well as other styles) under Gyan Prakash Ghosh, Anindoji has developed an unmistakable style of his own. His clear and precise tonal quality, and sound production; his tremendous experience and technical prowess yield a form of artistic expression unparalleled on the Tabla stage. He is truly a master in the production of perfected percussion playing at top speed. This is an artist that even the lay listener immediately recognises as having a unique and simply breathtaking tayyari. As a Tabla soloist, Anindoji is widely regarded as the number one tabla player on the world stage. He is one artist that has complete mastery over the instrument, and this makes his performances truly awe-inspiring. His tabla playing has an exceptionally sweet tonal quality and he cleverly strikes an astonishingly perfect balance between "Daaya" and "Baaya" (left and right drums). Compositions in a solo are played with an unreal level of clarity and speed. The precise "vajan" (power) of his strokes, and his now universally famous "tayyari" (prowess) in such an arena are of a mind-blowing standard. AnindoJi also has a seemingly endless repertoire of compositions, many drawn from different maestros in different styles and gharanas . Furthermore, he has an uncanny ability to reproduce and add to these with his personal stamp of excellence. Though basically trained in the traditions of the Farukhabad and Punjab gharanas, he has also had training from Ustad Afaque Hussain Khan of Lucknow Gharana and has trained in the Delhi, Ajrada and Benaras styles. His solo recitals are hence characterised by the components of all known Gharanas of Tabla. Seldom planned, his solo recitals explode spontaneously. Anindoji is by far one of the most sought after soloists on the concert platform. His Tabla Solo recitals in India and abroad are eagerly awaited and Tabla students deem each an intensely educative learning necessity.

Abhijit Banerjee

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Ustad Bahadur Singh - Punjab Gharana (Lahore)

Bhavani Shankar - Pakhawaj

Bikram Ghosh - Farukhabad Gharana (+ fusion)

Bikram Ghosh is one of the most dynamic tabla virtuosos in the world today, trained under the tutelage of his father the illustrious maestro Pandit Shankar Ghosh. Further instruction under the great Guru Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh, and celebrated mridangam player, Pandit S Shekar, have divested in Bikram a syncretic rhythmic flair which is unique and very sought after on the world stage. A regular accompanist for Pandit Ravi Shankar for many years now and having performed with him all over the world in the most celebrated of venues, Bikram also frequently performs with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and a host of the greatest musicians India has produced. His many associations with acclaimed western musicians like George Harrison, Mstilav Rostropovich, Khaled Kouen, Yosi Levi and others, have placed him in the top rung of Indian musicians on the international arena. Always on the lookout for cutting edge creativity, Bikram has in recent years ventured into the world of music direction, making a strong impact with his brand of fusion music. Indian Classical, Carnatic music, Jazz and Cuban Rhythms, Kathak, Tap dancing and folk achieve a cohesive blend in Bikram's myriad ventures. "Watchout for "Rhythmscape" - Bikram's rhythm band featuring top international percussion artists jamming together."

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Pandit Chaturlal - Delhi Gharana

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Devapriya "Debu" Nayak - Benaras Gharana

Debu Nayak was born in West Bengal, India. He began learning tabla at the age of five from his grandfather Chaudhry Kausalya Nandan, an accomplished pakhawaj and tabla player of Punjab gharana. Later Debu learned tabla from Pt. Radhakant Nandy of Benaras Gharana in Calcutta for nearly 10 years. In 1981 Debu came to the United States to pursue higher studies, and continued his taalim or training in tabla from Pt. Samir Chatterjee and Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, both from Farukhabad.He has appeared with leading musicians from India and Pakistan like Pt. Jasraj and Ustad Vilayat Khan and performed with renowned artists like Pt. Vinayak Torvi, Pt. Ramesh Misra, Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar, Habib Wali Mohammed, Asif Ali khan, Shahanaz Begum and many others. His recent collaborative musical effort with American Jazz and fusion band "Probe", recorded and performed at the Smithsonian Institution, is currently available under "World Music" at the Sackler Gallery bookstore. Debu is a computer engineer by profession and is employed by the United States Department of Interior, but music still remains his ultimate passion.

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Ustad Faiyaz Khan - Delhi Gharana

Fazal Qureshi - Punjab Gharana

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Pandit Gyan Parkash Ghosh - Farukhabad Gharana

Gulam Sarwar Sabri - Ajrara

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Ustad Habibudin Khan - Ajrara Gharana

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Irshad Hussain Khan - Delhi Gharana

Ustad Inam Ali Khan - Lucknow Gharana

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Pandit Kishan Maharaj - Benaras Gharana

Pandit Kishan Maharaj is considered to be one of the finest Tabla players of our time. Kishan Ji was born in the year 1923, on the auspicious day of Sri Krishna Janamashthami, to a family that boasted of many professional musicians. Kishan Ji was initially trained in classical music by Pandit Hari Maharaj, his father for many years. After his fathers untimely death, his training was taken over by his uncle, Pt. Kanthe Maharaj one of the great old masters and himself a disciple of Pt. Baldeo Sahai. Kishan Ji proved himself as a great tabla player while under Pandit Kanthe Maharaj, and by the time he was eleven, he started performing in several concerts. Within a few years, Kishan Ji was sharing the same stage with stalwarts like Ustad Faiyaz Khan, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, Ustad Bade Gulam Ali Khan, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Ravi Shanker and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan besides many others. Pandit Kishan Maharaj has the ability to play cross-rhythms and produce complex calculations, particularly in tihai patterns, hence making him one of the most popular and respected Tabla players of our time. Known for being an excellent accompanist, Pandit Kishan Maharaj is extremely versatile and is capable of playing with any accompaniment, be it with the Sitar, Sarod, Dhrupad, Dhamar or even dance! Pandit Kishan has given a number of solo concerts during his career and besides accompanying legendary musicians, he has also given `Sangat` to some great dancers like Sri Shambhu Maharaj, Sitara Devi, Natraj Gopi Krishna and Pandit Birju Maharaj. Among all his compositions, his `Tala Vadya Kacheri` with the Mridangam Vidwan, `Palghat Raghu` is incomparable. Pandit Kishan Ji has extensively toured abroad and has participated in several prestigious events including the Edinburgh festival and Commonwealth Arts festival in U.K. in 1965. Pandit Kishan Maharaj`s disciples include some of the top Tabla players of today, including Pt. Kumar Bose, Pt. Balkrishna Iyer, Sandeep Das, Sukhwinder Singh Namdhari and many more. Pandit Kishan Maharaj is, today, a world-famous personality and is constantly invited to play in music festivals held in different parts of the world. He has recieved a number of awards and honours including the `Padamshree` in 1973, `The Kendriya Sangeet Natak Award` in 1984 and `The Hafiz Ali Khan Award` in 1986 besides many others.

Ustad Keramatula Khan - Farukhabad Gharana

Pandit Kumar Bose - Benaras Gharana

A personality of international repute - one of the few geniuses in the world of Tabla was born in a God-gifted musical family of Calcutta (West Bengal). While his father Pandit Biswanath Bose was a distinguished tabla "Nawaz" of Benaras Gharana that he mastered under the stewardship of its legendary exponent Pandit Kanthe Maharaj, his mother Srimati Bharati Bose is the disciple of great Ustad Dabir Khan (Bincar) & Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Pandit Kumar Bose was initiated in tabla by his father. After his father's untimely demise, he came under the tutelage of Pandit Kishen Maharaj, the living legend of Benaras Gharana. The superiority of Pandit Bose's genius is his ability to evolve a distinctive style of his own without diluting the purity of tradition in which psyche the audience becomes captive. This is most evident in his negotiations with the "Bnaya" (Bass Drum). His performance, as it is told is as pleasing as a 'raga' or melodious song. He is as much facile in accompaniment with music (vocal & instrumental) & dances as in Solos. Which is why he is sought after, both at home and abroad, by the entire community of Top Grade celebrity artists. This successful and keen Tabla Mæstro has the rare distinction of highly appreciated performance with Zubin Mehta's Philharmonic orchestra besides several symphony orchestras conducted by Pt. Ravi Shankar, Yehudi Menhuin, Arnovich in England, Italy, China etc. Dynamically he performs in different kinds of Music of the world like Jazz, Pop, Rock etc. His duet with Prof. Semurani (Thumba player) of Iran was a big hit in the International Seminar, 1974 at Holland. It's also remarkable that inspite of a part of an orchestra he got a lot of unbounded fountain-love from the distinguished audience like India Festival Moscow (1988) and many others. The respected Drum-specialist can drum Sri-khole, Pakhwaj, Dholak, Nal, Banga-Kanga etc. He was the Asstt. Music Director of Mrinal Sen's globally acclaimed film "GENESIS" with the music director Pt. Ravi Shankar. His two brothers – Jayanta Bose a reputed lyrist, composer, harmonium soloist and singer, and Debojyoti Bose, a noted sarodia & music director, both are carrying the musical heritage neatly.

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Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan - Delhi Gharana

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Pandit Mahapursh Mishra - Benaras Gharana

Ustad Masit Khan - Benaras Gharana

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Ustad Nizamudin Khan - Farukhabad / Lucknow Gharana

Pandit Nikhil Ghosh - Farukhabad Gharana

Nayan Ghosh - Farukhabad Gharana

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Partho Mukerjee - Benaras

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Pandit Ram Sahai - Benaras Gharana

Rafiudin Khan - Punjab Gharana

Rashid Mustafa Thirakwa - Farukhabad Gharana

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Pandit Sampta Prasad - Benaras

Sanju Sahai - Benaras Gharana

Sanju is one of the most sought after tabla players of his generation. He is a 6th generation direct descendent of Pandit Ram Sahai (1780 – 1826), the founder of the Benares style of table playing. He began playing at the age of four and gave his first major performance at the age of nine. He has accompanied some of India’s legendary musicians. Apart from playing in classical tradition he has gone to work with the genres as diverse as Egyptian, Spanish, African, jazz and Irish music as well as composing various pieces for ensembles. He has toured worldwide and has made various recordings. His solo tabla CD was released last year.

Pandit Shankar Ghosh - Farukhabad and Kolkata Gharana

Pandit Shankar Ghosh The tabla and the name Pandit Shankar Ghosh could be said to be synonymous. Born in 1935, this veteran is internationally acclaimed as one of the greatest tabla players ever. His unique Baaj is one of the landmarks in the history of the subject. Today there are hundreds of his disciples and followers all over the world who are exponents of his style. Gifted with a supremely innovative mind, he has revolutionized the spheres of solo Tabla playing, accompaniment, composition, and overall percussional experimentation. Respected by his contemporaries and appreciated by his seniors, Pandit Ghosh has secured for himself an enviable position in the history of Indian Classical Music. As a youngster, Pandit Ghosh received his early training from Pandit Anath Nath Ghosh of Bengal. His further training came from Ustad Feroz Khan of Punjab Gharana, from Pandit Sudardhan Adhikari of Lucknow Gharana and finally from the legendary maestro Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh, founder of the Calcutta Gharana. He also obtained training from Sri Prasun Banerjee and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan in vocal and instrumental music respectively. In 1962, his extraordinary prowess in his art led to a maiden tour abroad with Sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. This was followed by a number of tours and performances abroad with maestros such as Ravi Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, Smt Sharan Rani, Pandit V.G. Jog. In India he has performed with vocalists such as Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Pandit Onkar Nath Thakur, Pandit Vinayak Rao Pattabardhan, Smt Girija Devi and Smt. Akhtari Bai. During the same period of time he became a professor at the Universities of McGill and Montreal in Canada. In 1968, he became a founding member of the faculty of Ali Akbar College in California. His talented innovation, excellent teaching abilities and introduction of various novelties created waves in these universities, and Pandit Ghosh became widely known during his ten years stay in America. Since his return to India in1972 Pandit Ghosh has, in addition to giving innumerable performances, concentrated on a variety of experimental works. He composed for and conducted the unique all drum orchestra "Music of the Drums" which has had various prestigious showings including being the curtain item during the 1982 ASIAD closing ceremony, attended by late Prime Minister of India, Shri Rajiv Gandhi. In 1988, the drum orchestra toured Japan by the invitation of one of the world’s biggest television companies, N.H.K. Furthermore,Pandit Ghosh has made his mark as a composer of fusion and orchestral music. He has worked on experimental and improvisation music with His experimentation with various rock groups abroad, the most notable being "The Grateful Dead". He has also composed various kinds of rhythm based and semi-classical music for the television and radio. His collaboration with a jazz musician, the famous John Handy, made him one of the pioneers who worked to bring East and West closer through music. To conclude, it would not be wrong to say that today, Pandit Ghosh enjoys a position in the world of international music with few parallels. Hundreds of his students all over the world speak for his accomplishments, for it is said that an artist is complete only after he has proved to be a successful trainer.

Pandit Sharda Sahai - Benaras Gharana

Sharda Sahai was born in Benares in 1935, a direct descendent of Pandit Ram Sahai, the founder of the Benares style ("gharana") of tabla playing. With the inherent gift in his blood of the finest traits of the Benares baj, he began at an early age to learn tabla from his father, the late Pandit Bhagvati Sahai. Following his father’s demise in 1946, he became a disciple of the inimitable Pandit Kanthe Maharaj, himself a disciple of Sharda Sahai’s grandfather, Pandit Baldeo Sahai. Sharda Sahai started his professional career at the age of nine, performing both as a soloist and as an accompanist. He made his major public debut when he was sixteen, appearing at the Italee Music Conference in Calcutta with the sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan. His professional activities in India have included appearances as soloist and accompanist at all of the important music conferences and festivals as well as performances with every major artist of North Indian classical music. He was awarded "A Grade Artist" status by All India Radio in 1965. Also in 1965 he founded the Pandit Ram Sahai Sangit Vidyalaya, an institute for training in classical music and dance, located in Benares. Sharda Sahai has performed over one thousand concerts worldwide. His solo performances have been broadcast on All India Radio’s prestigious National Program. His accompaniment experience includes every major artist of North Indian classical music- among others: sitarists Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan, and Nikhil Banerjee; sarodists Ali Akbar Khan and Amjad Ali Khan; violist V.G. Jog; and dancers Gopi Krishna, Birju Maharaj, and Sitara Devi. In February, 1970 Sharda Sahai made a highly successful tour of Europe, the United States, and Canada with sarodist Amjad Ali Khan. His tabla playing made a powerful impression everywhere he played, and in September, 1970 he returned to the United States to accept an appointment as Artist in Residence with the World Music Program at Wesleyan University. He remained with Wesleyan University for five years, during which time he was also a visiting professor at Brown University and Berklee School of Music. Sharda Sahai’s superb ability as a performer is matched by his ability as a teacher. Few Indian musicians of his caliber have held as many teaching positions at such prestigious western universities. In recent years he has been dividing his time between busy teaching schedules, ongoing summer tabla training programs in the U.S. and Canada, and the administration of the Pandit Ram Sahai Sangit Vidyalaya in the U.K. In the U.K., he was a Senior Lecturer at Dartington College of Arts for six years, and he currently teaches tabla at Leeds University and at Oxford University. Sharda Sahai’s reputation as a tabla virtuoso in India and in the West is unmatched. His position as the direct descendent of Pandit Ram Sahai, the founder of the Benares tabla baj (style), has endowed him as the bearer of a prodigious and closely guarded repertoire of composed material. As the fountainhead of the Benares Gharana, all of his performances are paradigms of the popular and respected Benares style. Many of the younger generation of tabla players and even some older players, from within the Benares Gharana and from outside the gharana, look to Sharda Sahai’s playing as the authoritative model of the Benares style- a style which many tabla players attempt to emulate and incorporate into their own repertoires. Though Sharda Sahai is a guardian of tradition, he is extremely well versed in fusion of North Indian classical music with other styles. He has accompanied the well known South Indian violinist L. Shankar, and has performed jugal-bandi (duet) concerts with the leading exponents of the South Indian mridangam: Shivaraman, T. Shakaran, and R. Raghavan. In the West, he has performed with the avant garde composer John Cage, and the internationally acclaimed percussion group Nexus. At EXPO ‘86 in Canada, at EXPO ‘88 in Australia, and at the Commonwealth Drum Festival in England, he performed with the World Drum Ensemble, a conglomeration of over one hundred drummers from around the world performing on the same stage. Few musicians in the world attain Sharda Sahai’s level of virtuosity. Whether he is demonstrating his mastery of the tradition or his versatility in adapting to different styles, his performances are spellbinding. Amidst the modernization of India and the real danger that the important traditions of Indian classical music may become diluted and faded, it is comforting to know that one can still experience a performance played as the founder of the Benares Gharana in the 1700’s would have played it. The tradition lives through Sharda Sahai.

Subhankar Banerjee - Farukhabad Gharana

Father, Shri Sunil Kumar, Mother, Smt. Kajairekha, a sangeet Visharad and approved lyricist of All India Radio, and uncle Shri. Preetimoy Goswami an artiste of national and international renown tended the musical wonder kid who took to Tabla as a cygnet takes to water. At the age of five, Subhankar was placed under the tutelage of Shri Swapan Shib, a celebrated artiste and teacher of Farukhabad Tabla Gharana. Subhankar started coming first from the age of six in Tabla and vocal music competitions of national importance like All Bengal Music Competition, Dover Lane Music competition, All India Radio competition, and received awards and gold medal from celebraties like Satyajit Ray, Pandit Ravi Shankar and others. At sixteen Subhankar came in contact with Shri Salil Shankar, an illustrious sitar artiste, who being impressed by Subhankar's Tabla accompaniment took him to Germany and Switzerland for performing with him and Subhankar learnt a good deal from him. Since then Subhankar has been flying the standard of Indian Classical Music not only through the length and breadth of India but also in almost all the cites dotting the map of the world. To name a few of them Scandinavian cities, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, cities of U. S. A., Canada, Australia, Middle East, Africa, South Africa, U.K., Germany, France, Belgium, Bangladesh, Nepal etc. In addition to being a reputed Soloist, Subhankar is one of the few choicest accompanists of elder and younger celebrities such as Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Shib Kumar Sharma, Pandit L. Subramaniam, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit V.G.Jog, Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Dr. N. Rajam, Shaheed Parvez, Rashid Khan, Budhaditya Mukherjee, Tejendra Narayan Majumder, Tarun Bhattacharjee, Ronu Majumder and numerous others. And Subhankar has been an integral part of a rare phenomenon which occurs once in a blue moon has accompanied in a duet of Pandit Shib Kumar Sharma and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. Academic attainments have not taken a back seat in his life. He is a Graduate of Calcutta University, and the match for the man in all aspects is Smt. Nibedita Banerjee, his wife an M.A. in music from Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta. Subhankar owes his being to music, his heart ticks with the rhythmic sentence of the Tabla, as it were.

Sukhvinder Singh Namdhari - Benaras Gharana

Sukhvinder Singh is one of the best tabla players from India. He comes from Ludhiana district in Punjab. He started his early training in Pakhawaj from late Ustad Nihal Singh. After receiving a sound foundation in Pakhawaj, he went to Varanasi and spent almost eighteen years under the tutelage of world renowned Tabla Samrat Pandit Kishan Maharaj of Benaras. Sukhvinder Singh has had a meteoric rise in popularity as an accompanist after several successful concerts with leading artists, such as Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (sarod), Pandit Ravi Shankar (sitar), Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia (flute), Ustad Fateh Ali Khan (vocal), Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (guitar), Pandit Jas Raj (vocal) and many other artists of the same repute.

Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri - Lucknow Gharana

Swapan Chaudhuri is an eminent tabla player whose musical accomplishments have earned him wide renown. In 1981, Ali Akbar Khan invited him to come to the U.S. from Calcutta and teach at the College. Not only is he a top level musician and performer , but also an excellent teacher. His knowledge of the different schools (gharanas) of tabla playing is extensive. His parents, through their passion for music, initiated his formal musical training and inspired him in the field of tabla. From a young age, he came under the tutelage of Pandit Santosh Krishna Biswas of Calcutta, a premier exponent of the Lucknow Style of tabla playing. Swapanji holds a Master's degree in Music and has received honors and awards from the Government of India and other institutions. He developed his skill as an accompanist through years of accompanying Ali Akbar Khan. As a soloist and accompanist, he has also travelled throughout the world, accompanying many of the leading musicians of India. At the College, he teaches tabla to students at all levels, and he also composes and directs the College percussion ensembles. Swapanji is associated with various American Universities as a visiting professor. He is also a faculty member
at the California Institute of the Arts.

Shankar Chatterjee - Farukhabad Gharana

Shafatt Ahmed Khan - Delhi Gharana

Ustad Sabir Khan - Farukhabad Gharana

Pandit Suresh Talwalkar - Farukhabad Gharana

Satyajit Talwalkar - Farukhabad Gharana

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Ustad Tafu Khan - Punjab Gharana

Tariq Khan - Punjab Gharana

Tanmoy Bose - Farukhabad Gharana

He has been privileged in receiving ‘talim’, or training , from the late Kanai Dutta and is now continuing his training from Pandit Shankar Ghosh in the ‘guru-shishya parampara’. Tanmoy combines technique, so successfully acquired from his guru, and his own imagination and dexterity, to bring forth music that is at once enthralling and exciting for his audience. His well-rounded, aesthetic approach to music is also partly due to his vocal training by Shree Maharaj Banerjee and his training on the harmonium by the late Pandit Mantu Banerjee. Tanmoy has the proud privilege of playing as an accompanist to a galaxy of maestroes like Utad Amzad Ali Khan, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit V.G. Jog, Dr. L. Subramaniam, Pandit Siyaram Tiwari, Ustad Munawar Ali Khan, Late Prasun Banerjee, Smt. Mira Banerjee, Pandit A. Kanan, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Pandit Ranjan & Sajan Mishra, Pandit Ranjan & Sajan Mishra, Pandit M.S. Gopalakrishnan, Ustad Imrat Khan, Shri Ajoy Chakraborty, Shri Arun Bhaduri, Shri Ulhas Kashalkar, Prof. Debu Chaudhury, Late Ustad Bahadur Khan, Shri Manas Chakraborty, Shri Deepak Chowdhury, Shri Prabhakar Karekar, Shri Monilal Nag, Shri Bubhaditya Mukherjee, Shri Shahid Parveg and many celibrities from home and abroad. In addition to playing for the senior masters, Tanmoy also has the distinction to render accompaniment to the younger maestros, like Sriyut Sujaat Khan, Tejendra Narayan, Rashid Ali Khan, Ershad Khan, Partha Sarathy, Nayan Ghosh and several others all who would ensure continuity of the great tradition of Indian classical music. Tanmoy possesses a perfect, highly disciplined and incomparable sound technique. He is an expert in time-splitting with all the variations of numerical groupings and phased reductions that are the essence of tabla playing. His specialty is in playing long stretches of unbroken rhythm types in a graceful, balanced and mellifluous manner, without the slightest hint of any over-playing. His dexterous fingers have acquired a melodic sensitiveness to the tabla’s finest nuances. A tabla player’s aim is not only to play solo performances but also to be asked to accompany the maestros. Among those that Tanmoy has had the privilege to accompany are Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit V.G.Jog, Dr. L. Subramaniam,Pandit Siyaram Tiwari, Ustad Munawar Ali Khan, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Pandit A. Kanan, Pandit M.S. Gopalakrishnan, Ustad Imrat Khan and a galaxy of others. The rendition evoked time and again that he has an instinctive understanding of the mood and the expectations of audience. This probably explains the magnificent rapport that develops with his listeners wherever he plays, be it as an accompanist or as a solo performer. It is to be mentioned that Tanmoy invariably held prime positions in all National level competitions from the beginning of his public appearances. His creative mind has given birth to a fusion band "Dhwani" involving different rhythms of the world winning utmost appreciation of both the audience and critics. Tanmoy’s spiritual heritage is deeply rooted in Indian tradition according to which it is believed that music is the most palpable expression of the divinity pervading the universe. It is evident that Tanmoy will emerge as a significant link between the past and the future of Indian Classical music.

Taufique Qureshi - Punjab Gharana

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Pandit Vikku Vanaikram - Karnatic Ghatam

Vijay Ghate - Punjab Gharana

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Ustad Wajid Hussain Khan - Lucknow Gharana

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Y

Yogesh Shamsi - Punjab Gharana

“Yogesh is my fathers disciple who has really made him proud in the true sense” Ustad Zakir Hussain

The son of the renowned vocalist Dinaker Kaikini, Yogesh Samsi has become one of India's most prominent tabla players. He gained initial training under the guidance of Pandit H. Taranath Rao and since the age of ten has been a disciple of the legendary Ustad Alla Rakha.

An 'A' grade artist of All India Radio and Doordarshan and a musician with a keen sense of rhythm and an intricate understanding of tala, Yogesh has given numerous solo performances as well as accompanied many musicians of repute, viz. Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Hariparshad Chaurasia , Pandit Ram Narayan, Ustad Sultan Khan, Smt. Shobha Gurtu, Ustad Shahid Pervez, Ustad Rashid Khan. He has also accompanied Ustad Allah Rakha and Ustad Zakir Hussain in their solo performances.

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Ustad Zakir Hussain - Punjab Gharana (+ Fusion)

Zakir Hussain is today appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the world of music at large as an international phenomenon. A classical tabla virtuoso of the highest order, his consistenly brilliant and exciting performances have not only established him as a national treasure in his own country, India, but gained him fame all over the world for his many accomplishments. The favorite accompanist for many of India's greatest classical musicians and dancers, from Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar to Birju Maharaj and Shivkumar Sharma, he has not let amazing talent rest there. Zakir's contribution to world music has been unique, with many unique and historic collaborations including Shakti, which he founded with John McLaughlin and L. Shankar, the Diga Rhythm Band, Making Music, Planet Drum with Mickey Hart, and recordings and performances with artists diverse as George Harrison, Joe Henderson, Van Morrison, Jack Bruce, Tito Puente, Pharoah Saunders, Billy Cobham, the Hong Kong Symphony and the New Orleans Symphony. His playing is marked by uncanny intuition and masterful improvisational dexterity, founded in formidable knowledge and study. A child prodigy, Zakir was already touring by the age of twelve. He came to the United States in 1970, embarking on an international career which includes no less than 150 concert dates a year. He has composed and recorded many albums and soundtracks, and has recieved widespread recognition as a composer as evidenced by the numerous grants and awards that he has recieved, including participation in the Meet The Composer programs funded by the Pew Memorial Trust. In 1987, his first solo release, Making Music, was acclaimed as "one of the most inspired East-West fusion albums ever recorded." In 1988, he became the youngest percussionist to ever be awarded the title "Padma Shri" by the Indian government, a title given to civilians of merit. In 1990, he was awarded the Indo-American Award, in recognition for his outstanding contribution to relations between the United States and India. In April 1991, he was presented with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by the president of India, making him one of the youngest musicians to recieve this recognition from India's governing cultural institute. In 1992, Planet Drum, an album co-created and produced by Zakir and Mickey Hart, was awarded a Grammy for Best World Music Album, the Downbeat Critics Poll for Best World Beat Album and the NARM Indie Best Seller Award for World Music Recording. In 1992, he also launched Moment! Records which features original works and collaborations in the field of contemporary world music, as well as digitally recorded live concert performances by great masters of the classical music of India. The label presents Zakir's own world percussion ensemble, The Rhythm Experience. His compositional skills can also be heard on soundtracks for the films In Custody, Ismail Merchant's directorial debut, and Little Buddha by Bernardo Bertolucci, for which Zakir composed, performed and was the Indian music advisor.

Ustad Zamir Ahmed Khan