Tabla Beat Science - Biography
By Nick Castro
Tabla Beat Science is one the leading world fusion groups. They are known for combining virtuosic drumming with elements of electronica, funk and dub musics. Mainly a product of famed record producer and bassist Bill Laswell, Tabla Beat Science sculpts its sound around the tabla playing of Indian percussion master Zakir Hussain. Their sound is primarily a percussive one with touches of electronically generated sounds, low bass and funky trap kit playing. The group have, over the years, incorporated the talents of many differing artists such as electronic dance music pioneer Talvin Singh, Indian classical musician Ustad Sultan Khan, American drummer Karsh Kale and hip hop turntablist DJ Disk. They have managed to bring their disparate elements and influences together to create a sound which has carried them across the world, doing concerts from Asia to the United States.
Bill Laswell, the architect of the Tabla Beat Science, is a world renowned producer and bassist from New York. His sound can be heard on hundreds of albums since the early 80's. He began his professional career with the group Material, who served as the backing band for Gong's Daevid Allen, in the late 70's. After their departure from Allen they recorded an album in 1979 called Temporary Music (1981 - Red Music). Laswell's first solo album, Baselines (1982 - Celluloid), which established him as a formidable player in the, then, burgeoning New York free rock scene with players like cellist Tom Cora, saxophonist John Zorn and others. This album also established Laswell's ability to combine elements of funk and soul to his music. He has since made appearances as either producer or bassist on many diverse album by artists, like David Byrne of the Talking Heads, Yoko Ono, Peter Gabriel, Mick Jagger, Laurie Anderson, Fred Frith, Zorn and others. Laswell has also proven that he is able to incorporate many freer aspects of music, especially when he formed the group Last Exit with free jazz musicians Peter Brötzmann, Sonny Sharrock and Ronald Jackson on saxophone, guitar and drum respectively. One of Laswell's most well known groups was Praxis, which featured the guitar stylings of the elusive Buckethead as well as members of P-Funk such as bassist Bootsy Collins and keyboardist Bernie Worrell. In the early 90's Laswell formed the record label Axiom, which has many of his own works including all of the albums by Tabla Beat Science. This label became known for much of his ambient and techno sounds of the current decades. More recently, while not working with the Tabla Beat Science, Laswell has been putting his touch on remixes of old Reggae albums from the Trojan Record canon.
Zakir Hussain, first chair of the Tabla Beat Science, is one of the world's leading proponents of tabla drumming, closely associated with the Hindustani musics of northern India. He is the son of famed tabla player Ustad Allah Rakha, who was a life-long collaborator of sitarist Ravi Shankar and can be seen playing at Woodstock with him. Hussain himself has been playing professionally since the age of 12 and was considered a child prodigy. His skills have since increased even more and he is now famous as not only an amazing musician of Indian music, but also as one of the main proponents of world fusion, beginning in the mid-70's with his group Shakti, which combined elements of eastern and western musics. He has also collaborated extensively with Grateful Dead drummer, Mickey Hart, with whom he won a Grammy Award. Hussain can be heard making contributions on albums by artists like Jack Bruce, Geaorge Harrison, saxophonist Joe Henderson, Tito Puente, Pharoah Sanders, Van Morrison and many more. Hussain has also made extensive contributions to the world of film, with his playing on soundtracks like Apocalypse Now and Little Buddha. He has also acted and directed films in more recent years. Aside from his Grammy, he has received many accolades from the music critics and magazine over the years including Downbeat Magazine.
Trilok Gurtu, a featured soloist of the Tabla Beat Science, is one of the most famous modern jazz percussionists ever. The Indian born musician has been breaking new ground with his playing for several decades now. He has collaborated extensively with artists like Ralph Towner, Pat Metheny, Jan Garbarek, Bill Evans, Larry Coryell, John McLaughlin and Don Cherry, who had Gurtu in his band for several years in the late 70's. Gurtu came from a musical family, his grandfather was a sitarist and his mother was a singer. Gurtu became associated with Indian music in the USA in the late 70's when he accompanied famed Indian singer Asha Bosle on a series of concert dates. Gurtu is also know for his many teaching credentials and workshop over the years. His name is often bandied about in the halls of music colleges across the world. Gurtu's most recent work, outside of the Tabla Beat Science, is the album Arkeology (2007 - Promo Music), which finds him in a setting with a string quartet.
Tabla Beat Science have made a name for themselves on both the world fusion scene as well as the drum-and-bass and dance scenes since their initial release Tala Matrix (2000 - Axiom). This album, more of a studio project at this point rather than a cohesive band, is mainly a collection of compositions by Laswell and Hussain, but contributions are also made by Kale, who wrote the song "Palmistry", and Gurtu, who wrote the song "Big Brother", maybe the most straight ahead funk tune on the album. The sound on this disc is mainly that of Indian drumming with touches of dub bass, electronic and ambient washes and touches of funk trap kit playing by Kale.
The most recent album by Tabla Beat Science is their double album Live in San Francisco at Stern Grove (2002 - Axiom). This disc features many lengthy tracks, such as the 16 minute opener "Taaruf", by Hussain and Khan, as well as the 15 minute songs "Magnetic Dub", by Laswell, Hussain and Lhan, and "Mengedegna", by Ejigayehu "Gigi" Shibabaw, who is an Ethiopian singer and the wife of Laswell. This album displays the musical prowess of the band and the enthusiasm from the audience can clearly be heard. They also bring on board master Indian sarangi player Ustad Sultan Khan to assist in their endeavor.
