Rhythmic Explosion

It was an evening which saw the taal of the tabla merging with the beat of the bongo. The highlight of the release of Rhydhun Taufiq Qureshi8217;s world music album, launched earlier this week was the short concert which followed: by Qureshi, brother Ustad Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan and Ranjit Barot. And if the absence of father Ustad Alla Rakha was keenly felt by all, the imprint of his legacy was clear indeed. Qureshi explores the diversity and universality of rhythm in this eight-track album, which features instruments as diverse as the the Egyptian tar drums and the Brazilian ektara: the berimbau.

The emcee of the evening, Durga Jasraj, showered accolades quot;icon8230; living legend8230; I thank God for giving birth to me when he reigns supreme.quot; on a bemused Hussain who released the album commenting on how fittingly their father8217;s quot;final blessingquot; went to the youngest son and presented the first CD to their mother. The audience was treated to some rare footage of Alla Rakha in the studio, followed by his voice on the track The Tree of Rhythm. The darkened room reverberated with the only recording of the late maestro8217;s Dhrupad composition. The foursome then took over the stage with a few enticing samples from the album including Accappela number, Rhydhun: Nothing But Voice and some vibrant quot;jammingquot;.

The show was sprinkled with showbiz folks including Ila Arun, Leslie Lewis and Rahul Bose whose forthcoming film, Everybody Says quot;I8217;m Fine!quot;, Hussain is composing the soundtrack for.

While the album features Alla Rakha and his three sons together for the first time, the enhanced CD released by Milestone includes video and interviews arranged in an interactive format. And as the recording company is working with Qureshi on another album too they8217;ve launched a new label Free Spirit, concentrating on World Music, there8217;s lots more to look forward to.

8212; MENAKA JAYASANKAR