kevins_concerts ([personal profile] kevins_concerts) wrote2016-03-20 03:00 pm

Zakir Hussain and the Masters of Percussion

We saw a concert at the Chicago Symphony Hall. Zakir Hussain and the Masters of Percussion. "International phenomenon Zakir Hussain, the greatest living master of the tabla, returns with his handpicked ensemble of world-class percussionists. Don't miss a performance that crosses the spectrum of Indian classical music, filled with 'mesmerizing improvisations, dazzling technique and beguiling wit' (World Music Institute)."

So it was Indian percussion music. I'm sorry, I don't know the names of the instruments, but there was one string player and four percussionists (including Hussain), each with his own type of drum. In addition, there were two Japanese drummers (it looked like the master with his apprentice or something, because only the elder was listed in the program. Oh, here it is: link.

I loved the thundering Japanese drums. They didn't quite mix with the Indian drums, but close enough. The Indian drums usually played solo. When there were more than two of them playing, it became more of a cacophony. It was interesting how many different kinds of sounds they got from each drum. Usually three distinct sounds - low pitch, high pitch and a hard tap on the wood.

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