Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
If it was not for the laptop at the side of the stage, this would have looked like an Indian classical recital, with two musicians wearing long tunics sitting cross-legged on a dais, one playing tabla and the other a sitar. "Don't worry, I'm not checking Facebook," said the percussionist, pointing to the computer. "What do you want to hear? Dubstep? Drum'n'bass? Indian classical?"
It has been more than a decade since Talvin Singh won the Mercury prize for his debut album, OK, but his experiments in mixing Indian and western styles have continued, most recently in the company of Niladri Kumar, who has been working on similar fusion projects in Mumbai. They have been friends since the late 90s ? "when Talvin had blue hair" ? but only released their first joint album, Together, earlier this month. Though a stylish and varied affair, the album fails to capture the exhilaration of watching the duo playing live.
They started slowly, with a rumble of percussive effects that led into the album's title track, with Kumar picking out a Celtic-tinged theme on the sitar like an Asian answer to Mark Knopfler. Then they switched off the laptop, and showed they were far more exciting playing on their own, with a long improvisation that began with languid sitar phrases and built into a frenzied workout. Kumar matched rapid-fire flurries and melody lines with humorous patches that included a burst of Norwegian Wood, and at one time played the sitar with one hand. Singh responded with equally inspired, spontaneous percussion, then a lengthy tabla solo. The backing effects returned for the anthem River, with Kumar using a slide on his sitar like a blues guitarist, and Singh still drumming furiously. This pair are best experienced live.
No comments:
Post a Comment