Masters
of Percussion—a troupe of 11 percussionists and dancers headed by
Zakir Hussain, India’s finest percussionist, presents a wide
variety of Indian classical and folk music on Monday, May 15, at 7:30
p.m. at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.
Masters
of Percussion—a musical feast of drummers and dancers from
India—is an outgrowth of Zakir Hussain’s renowned tabla
(tuned pair of single-headed drums) duet tours with his father, the
legendary Ustad Allarakha. Under the direction of Zakir, this
invigorating event explores the traditional repertoire of North
Indian drumming, encompassing both folk and classical styles and
featuring the melodic, or raga, and rhythmic, or tala,
music of India.
Percussionist
Zakir Hussain, among the chief architects of the world music
movement, has established himself as one of India’s most renowned
cultural ambassadors. In 1970 he made his American debut as
accompanist for Ravi Shankar, and went
on to perform and record with such diverse artists as George
Harrison, Van Morrison, Jack Bruce, Tito Puente, Charles Lloyd, Yo-Yo
Ma and the New Orleans Symphony. He has
recorded extensively, and his 1992 album with Mickey Hart, Planet
Drum, received a Grammy for “Best World Music Album.”
Additional
percussionists featured include Hussain’s two younger brothers
Fazal Qureshi on tabla and Taufiq Qureshi as
multi-percussionist, Bhavani Shankar on dholak and pakhawaj
(double-headed drums), Khete Khan on the khartal (a folk
instrument from Rajasthan state in India) and the spectacular
Manipuri Jagoi Marup.
 Manipuri Jagoi Marup
Manipuri
Jagoi Marup (Dancing Drummers of Manipur) is one of India’s
premier performance troupes, combining dance, drumming, and martial
arts in its repertoire. Dedicated to the rejuvenation of traditional
folk and classical Manipuri dance styles, the ensemble was
established in 1963 by the late Guru Padmashri Amubi Singh. The
group has performed thousands of concerts in India, and has enjoyed
many successful international tours. Known for their dynamic
athleticism and proficiency as well as their unique-sounding drums,
they dazzle audiences everywhere with their acrobatic choreography.
Special
guests include Ustad Sultan Khan, one of India's foremost players of
the sarangi (a stringed instrument played with a bow), and
sitarist Niladri Kumar.
Sultan Khan is one of the
foremost Sarangi players of India, renowned for the emotional depth of
his playing, and his extraordinary technical and melodic control over
this difficult string instrument. A scion of illustrious lineage of
Sarangi players, he began his training at age seven, learning from his
father, Ustad Gulab Khan and his first performance at the age of 11. He
came to be recognized on an international scale, performing along with
PanditSangeet NatakaAcademy Award and the American Academy of
Artists Award in 1998. In 1997 he had the honor and privilege of
playing for Prince Charles' 50th birthday celebration. A widely
recorded artist, he has composed and recorded music for films such as
“In Custody”, and “Gandhi”. He has a longstanding creative relationship
with Zakir Hussain, performing, touring, recording and composing
together for more than twenty years.
Niladri Kumar is one of India’s
finest young sitar virtuosos, already recognized for his dazzling
technical prowess and the maturity of his melodic acumen. Under the
able guidance of his renowned father Pandit Kartik Kumar he started
learning the Sitar at the tender age of four and gave his first public
performance at six. A rare instrumentalist equally at home playing
traditional classical or contemporary world music, he has proven to be
one of the brightest talents of his generation, regarded with high
esteem by his peers. Among several accolades and awards, he has been
awarded the titles SUR-RATNA, SURMANI, JADUBHATTA PURASKAR, and the
SANSKRITI AWARD.
Minnesota Orchestra Presentation
MASTERS OF PERCUSSION
Monday, May 15, 2006, 7:30 p.m.
Masters of Percussion
- Zakir Hussain, tabla
- Fazal Qureshi, tabla, percussion
- Taufiq Qureshi, drums, percussion, djembe
- Bhavani Shankar, dholak, pakhawaj
- Khete Khan, khartal
- Manipuri Jagoi Marup, dancing drummers from Manipur, India
Special guests:
- Ustad Sultan Khan, sarangi
- Niladri Kumar, sitar
This
concert will feature the traditional repertoire of North Indian
drumming on Tabla, in solo and duet. This will be followed by
a confluence of Indian drumming styles and dance in a rousing
performing by the artists, with excursions exploring the frontier
between folk and classical, between traditional and contemporary.
This
concert is co-presented by the Indian Music Society of Minnesota,
Kids Aid USA, the Minnesota Orchestra and Pangea World Theatre.
This concert is supported in part by an award from the National
Endowment for the Arts’ (NEA) Access to Artistic Excellence Grant (in
Folk and Traditional Arts), the Xcel Energy Foundation’s Arts and
Culture Grant and a grant from the OTTO BREMER FOUNDATION facilitated
by the Saint Paul Foundation and PATH (Pan Asian Tsunami Healing).
|
Saturday, 20 March 2010
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