Taal order

When jazz pianist George Duke passed the microphone over to Pandit Vijay Ghate, the 41-year-old tabla exponent introduced himself with an ac...

When jazz pianist George Duke passed the microphone over to Pandit Vijay Ghate, the 41-year-old tabla exponent introduced himself with an accented ‘Vee-jaay’. Well known in music circles as Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia’s blue-eyed boy, Ghate has been the chosen one, partnering international artistes like Jethro Tull, jazz guitarist Larry Coryell and, more recently, jazz masters such as Al Jarreau and Duke.

While the shoulder-length hair and sherwani fit the mould of the classical musician, Ghate admits there is a lot of fine-tuning when he plays with an international acts.

‘‘I try to match my temperament with their work, and most importantly, keep in mind that I’m an accompanist,’’ says Ghate. Find a seat at any Chaurasia concert for proof; there’s no overpowering wrist work or blending into the shadows. You’ll also hear beseeching cries for a jugalbandi. ‘‘Pahadi, pahadi,’’ they cheer. Chaurasia gives in, twisting and turning the notes of the bubbly Raag Pahadi until Ghate’s fingers can’t find a beat to match, and he can only produce a laugh.

‘‘Panditji wasn’t very comfortable in the beginning, and I was at an age where there’s a great urge to play the bols loudly,’’ says Ghate, recalling his first fumbling concert with Chaurasia in 1991, at Kolhapur’s Shivaji University where he taught music. Five years later, the musician made his international debut with guitarist Coryell at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

A long journey from hometown Jabalpur, where Ghate witnessed his first-ever tabla concert as a 12-year-old. ‘‘I wasn’t serious until I saw Ustad Zakir Hussain perform,’’ recalls Ghate. ‘‘Those three days changed my entire focus.’’

The search for a guru began, and Ghate met Pandit Suresh Talwarkar through a close family friend, the reputed classical vocalist Pandit Ajay Pohankar. ‘‘It was a struggle, since there was no other musician in my family,’’ he says, ‘‘but everyone from Pandit Jasraj to the late Ustad Vilayat Khansaab have been very supportive.’’

Bahut suljha hua jamaat hai (his music is of a high standard). Whether it is at a vocal recital or a dance performance,Vijay only surpasses himself every time Pandit Jasraj

After moving to Pune in ’92, Ghate became a part of the fusion circuit with Louis Banks. ‘‘I’m currently focusing on fusion,’’ says Ghate, who is also the director of percussion training at a Chicago-based organisation called Drishti.

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So is he headed the Zakir way? ‘‘Music is not about learning from a guru, and producing the same sound. That’s grammar,’’ he says.

‘‘Even a lifetime isn’t enough to perfect the sound of this 400-year-old instrument,’’ says Ghate. His hands, however, tell their own story.
(Ghate will perform at the Elephanta Festival in Mumbai on February 20)