Perfect Percussion

A A A Comments By Michelle Baldwin Thursday, May 4 2006

Indian tabla drums have delicate clay discs at the centers of their membranes that can easily be destroyed under the wrong hands. The drums — which originated in the sixth century B.C. — echo and reverberate, producing unexpectedly melodic tones far beyond basic percussion. Masters such as Zakir Hussain can create intriguing compositions using only the firm and gentle rhythm of their hands on the drums.

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Tonight at Macky Auditorium on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus, Hussain gathers Ustad Sultan Khan — who toured with ex-Beatle George Harrison and is a master of the sarangi, a bowed instrument that approximates the sound of a human voice — along with young sitar virtuoso Niladri Kumar and world-renowned percussionists Fazal Qureshi, Bhavani Shankar and Khete Khan for an evening of tala (rhythmic) and raga (melodic) music. The performance troupe Manipuri Jagoi Marup will be on hand to create a visual spectacle through a combination of dance, drumming and martial arts.

Tickets for Zakir Hussain and the Masters of Percussion are available through the Boulder Theater box office or at www.bouldertheater.com; for information, go to www.tyburhoe.com.
Tue., May 9, 8 p.m.

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