Drumming & Dance

Last night I went to watch Zakir Hussain and his team of percussionists. They blew me away. And I am not particularly a drum or percussion fan. It was my good friend Harish who invited me to the concert. And it was not just any invite. But a deeply enthusiastic invite. I realized later how this sets the mood for the evening. When you go to a show with fellow music lovers and art lovers who lose themselves in the music, it heightens your own pleasure. Its like being in a great rock concert. An opportunity for collective catharsis. Where the music, musicians and audience all blur into one pulsing and powerful force that transcends class, race and daily dose of financial crisis news. Coming back to the concert. Here is what really moved me:

1. Zakir Hussain's generosity. He did not hog the limelight. He shared it liberally with other percussionists as well as dancers. Yes, he didn't have to hog the limelight since it really was his show and he was the star. But star quality or otherwise - I have seen many great artists and divas who never lose their petty desire to always be in the limelight regardless of how far they have come. So this is a beautiful quality in an artist. And one that should not be taken for granted.

2. Zakir Hussain's vision to heighten the visibility of "minor" instruments. In the Indian music world certain instruments like the veena and the sitar dominate. Other instruments like tabla and flute tend to be typically accompanying instruments - just like supporting actors they never become the heros of any show. Zakir changed all of that. He brought and gave center stage to various instruments like the ganjeera.

3. The use of dancers in an intelligent and relevant way. The Manipuri drummers cum dancers were lithe, atheletic and beautiful drummers. A display where dance and drumming blended seamlessly without any artifice to contribute to showcase the great percussive traditions of India.

4. The balance of male and female energies. Although the entire cast of musicians were male they were able to coax beautiful and graceful energies out of their individual instruments. At the same time the interaction between sitar and tabla also highlighted the tension between the male energy and the female energy and how this tension can produce a beautiful child when combined.

5. The controlled use of text. Zakir said a few words and sought to "explain" his music through a metaphor with the Indian traffic. It was indirect, funny and most importantly furthered understanding for even the most clueless in the audience. That to me is the beauty of greatness - the ability to say profound things in a simple way without simplifying things or dumping down to the audience.

6. The experience of flow and transcendence. Forget all those motivational seminars and self-improvement books. Hang around passionate, beautiful and talented folks. It is a balm for your soul. The faces of each musician evidenced a state of flow. Where they had all lost a sense of time and sense of ourselves. When we walked out we all also had shining eyes and singing hearts. They communicated their values to us without touch, without word but purely through their beloved craft. Yes, they may be doing 150 concerts a year all over the world but they played with passion and love. As if they were performing it for the first time for their first audience. It was fresh, polished and uplifting.