Celebrating a Canadian tradition, the Toronto Tabla Ensemble creates new music through exploration and collaboration. The Ensemble performs innovative works for the tabla, blending sophisticated east Indian rhythms with music and dance styles from around the world. It has developed its own powerful style of rendering classical and folk rhythms from India while exploring contemporary musical landscapes with instruments from other cultures.
The tabla is a set of two drums used in classical North Indian music as accompaniment to vocal, instrumental and dance performances. In the last 50 years, the tabla has developed its own tradition as a solo instrument. The intricate rhythms and abundant tonal variations combine to make the tabla one of the most expressive of all percussion instruments.
Founded in 1991 by Ritesh Das, the Toronto Tabla Ensemble combines the sophistication of the classical East Indian solo tabla tradition with the innovation of group performance. It is in Toronto’s rich cultural community that the Ensemble creates new music through its collaborations with artists from diverse musical backgrounds. A critically acclaimed unique sound has been cultivated, bringing to the stage energetic and exciting performances. Musicians George Koller, Japanese taiko drummer Gary Kiyoshi Nagata, Caribbean percussionist Patric Parson, Flamenco guitarist Nicol?s Hern?ndez, Flamenco dancer Esmerelda Enrique, Kathak dancer Joanna Das, world music composer Donald Quan and Cha Locos, have all been part of the creative magic that has caught audiences internationally.
The Ensemble’s self-titled debut CD was released in 1996.
No comments