The World's Musical Traditions, Vol. 10: Tabla Tarang--Melody on Drums
byPandit Kamalesh Maitra
- Pick
View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 4.5 (34 ratings)
- Date Released: January 23, 1996
- Genre: International
- Style: India
- Label: Smithsonian Folkways
One of the few tabla tarang masters plies his craft.
-
We Say...
There are very few players of the tabla tarang, a series of up to 16 tuned tabla drums placed in a semi-circle around the musician that allow him to play both rhythm and melody. At times Maitra's playing seems almost magical, weaving a complex melody — and harmony — over difficult rhythms as he performs these morning ragas; often it's hard to believe there's only one person performing. These are lengthy pieces, offering him ample opportunity to demonstrate his highly evolved art. Indeed, there are moments, as on "Raag Mia Ki Todi," that seem almost orchestral, with the sarod (which he also plays) in the background, and the drums improvising around the basic theme. Maitra is a consummate player, a virtuoso on this highly unusual instrument, able to make it sing on these introspective pieces that bring a sense of calm, even when his hands seem to be doing the impossible all at once. Masterful, this is North Indian music with a difference.
-
They Say...
As volume ten of their World's Musical Traditions set, Smithsonian Folkways released an album featuring Kamalesh Maitra, the last pandit (master) of the tabla tarang, a set of ten to 16 tabla drums (Maitra uses around 11 on this recording), each tuned to a different note, and without the bayan bass drum. The word tarang translates to "waves," which is meant to describe the sound of the drums as they are played. The player uses his palms to strike the drums in quick succession, hopefully to come as close to the human voice as possible in its shifts. On the recording, it becomes obvious how Maitra received his title of Pandit, as his virtuosity is stunning, especially when considering the size of the setup of the drums (a full half-circle around the performer) and the speed with which he is able to play them. The ragas played on this album are all morning ragas, or more specifically late-morning ragas, as all of them are forms of the Todi ragas (making use of the minor second, minor third, and sixth). While the music is wonderfully performed, giving an almost ethereal sound to the album, even true aficionados of North Indian classical music, used to half-hour ragas, can become bored partway through the 45-minute "Raag Mia Ki Todi," despite Maitra's virtuosity. Throughout, the album is perfectly executed and, despite the length of the last raga, is an exceptional find for any fan of Indian Classical music.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
This album includes one or more tracks available only with a full album download.
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 4 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 4 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
Raag Deen Todi |
9:23 |
|
| 02. | |
Raag Bilaskhani Todi |
12:17 |
|
| 03. | |
Raag Bhupal Todi |
9:48 |
|
| 04. | |
Raag Mia Ki Todi |
45:25 |
|
04 Total Tracks, 76:53 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like Pandit Kamalesh Maitra, check out these member playlists
Credits
- Trilok Gurtu - Tabla // Kamalesh Maitra - Performer // Kamalesh Maitra - Performer // Kamalesh Maitra - Tabla Tarang // Kamalesh Maitra - Tabla Tarang // Laura Patchen - Tanpura // Laura Patchen - Liner Notes // Laura Patchen - Photography // Walter Quintus - Engineer // Walter Quintus - Mastering // Jürgen Dietrich - Photography
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC