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Tabla has been one of the most easily found instruments in every Indian music or song. This percussion instrument has been accompanying songs and creating the most profound beats to make a track more appealing to the audience. This article is about 5 tabla players of India who have left a deep impression on Indian music and also gained popularity overseas with their flawless styles. Before diving into that spectrum, let’s learn more about tabla. This percussion instrument is widely found in Indian music and there are six gharanas or schools based on the style and playing technique. These 6 tabla gharanas are:
- Dilli Gharana
- Lucknow Gharana
- Ajrara Gharana
- Farrukhabad Gharana
- Benares Gharana
- Punjab Gharana
In the 1700s Siddhar Khan started with a different form of playing tabla and he first mentioned a school (Gharana) of Tabla. He created Dilli (Delhi) Gharana and this is the first mention of gharana in the history of Indian music. The first two were Dilli and Lucknow, and the other gharanas also developed based on a unique style and playing techniques. This article is all about the best Tabla artists of India and who have impacted the world also. The list is exclusively based on their date of birth or year, as I shouldn’t have the audacity to rank them based on their skills and talent or even their popularity.
1. Anindo Chatterjee (Born – 30th of May 1954 – present)
He is a part of the Farukhabad Gharana and the world knows his name for his minute precision and charming Tabla styles. From his rhythms to his presentation, everything is so well executed and charmingly formed, that is why he has gained a vast place in everyone’s heart worldwide for his styles. He has received sponsorship from the revered Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh. Presently he is serving as the director of the Farukhabad gharana. This gharana of Tabla playing has been established by Haji Vilayat Khan Saheb. And now he is bearing the torch with integrity and power. His dedication to his art form brought enriched and more prolific forms in this traditional form of playing tabla. In his career, he has worked with various music artists across the globe. In 2010 he performed his art in the Rashtrapati Bhawan and he received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his craft.
2. Kumar Bose (Born – 4th of April 1953 – Present)
He is a Banaras Gharana Tabla player, and his dynamic and creative blends have made his audience glued to his styles. His solo performances are an experience that you will never forget. He is a stalwart of this Gharana of table playing; his innovative performances along with his creative approach to this traditional Gharana would make anyone feel the strong pull for his playing style. His unique explorations of this field have enriched this genre with his skills and profound knowledge of this musical instrument. He started to play the Tabla very young and when he was a 4-year-old kid, he had given his first public performance. Since he was just a 14-year-old boy, he was playing in various countries spreading his musical tapestry in every corner of the world. He also has been awarded with Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and he has performed in respected venues like the Barbican Centre in London and the Royal Albert Hall.
3. Ustad Zakir Hussain (Born – 9th of March 1951 – present)
Inheriting the musical legacy from his father the renowned tabla player Ustad Alla Rakha, Ustad Zakir Hussain is one of the most popular tabla artists of Indian classical forms. He was a child prodigy who was able to leave the audience and fell short of words in her first performance when he was just 7 years old. In his years of performance, he has collaborated with many Indian music artists along with which he also has worked with many artists from abroad. Based on the prolific works he has done in his career he has become one of the most renowned Indian classical music artists of all time. In their career, he has received several prestigious accolades including the Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan for his magnificent work in the field.
4. Swapan Chaudhuri (Born – 30th of March 1945 – present)
He is a part of the prestigious Lucknow gharana, and due to his magnificent musical styles there are many achievements to his name he has prominently created a profound enigma to his releases which has elevated his musical tapestry magnificently. He began his training under the Lucknow Gharana’s Guru Pandit Santosh Krishna Biswas when he was a 5-year-old boy. He has accompanied prestigious Indian music legends like Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. For his glorious works in this vast field, he has received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and also has been entitled to a Padmashree. He is also the Director of Percussion at Ali Akbar College of Music in Basel, Switzerland, and also in San Rafael, California. Alongside being a profound scholar in Music, he also holds a degree in Economics from Jadavpur University. He is one of the few tabla plays who has not just gained a tremendous amount of foothold in this industry but also enriched the flavors of this Gharana with his brilliant insights into this musical instrument.
5. Kishan Maharaj (Born – 3rd of September 1923, Death – 4th of May 2008)
He is another excellent Banaras Gharana maestro; Pt. Kishan Maharaj can create magic out of thin air. People who have seen him play live have disclosed that he has been true evidence of talent with high gracefulness that can be a powerful combination for every lover. Influential Indian Classical music enthusiasts have also said that he was an expert in ‘Laya’ which translates to rhythms. He has been playing tabla since he was just a boy of 11 years old. Within a very short time, he achieved the opportunity to perform alongside musical maestros like Faiyaz Khan, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Omkarnath Thakur, and many more Indian classical music giants artists like them. He has been awarded with Padma Vibhushan and the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
Read More: Get to know the glorious side of Tabla and its influence on music
Tablas have been an integral part of the Indian music industry since the time of its inception, as per the history of Indian music. This is one of the most dignified percussion instruments that has been celebrated by the world. These excellent tabla artists have not just impacted greatly the Indian music industry it also been enriched with their playing techniques and charming styles. Apart from there, many Tabla artists have brought this form of music to a higher state but, they are the most iconic of them all.
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