Tabla at the Festival international de jazz de Montréal

For the past several years, because of touring or tabla workshops, I have tended to be out of town during the Montreal Jazz Festival. This year, I am here, so I am paying particular attention to the lineup. I thought it would be nice to do a rundown of all the tabla-related performances this summer. Unfortunately, I won't be performing tabla in the festival this year.

July 1, 2009 at 6pm

Erik Truffaz - Benares

Gesu, 1200 rue de Bleury

From the JazzFest program - "French trumpeter Erik Truffaz opens his three-night stand in the style of his triptych Rendez-vous, lining up high-calibre collaborations. In Benares, the first of three "cities" visited in this wholly original series, we're ushered into an Indian salon where Indrani and Apurba Mukherjee await us, alongside Truffaz and Malcolm Braff. Vocals, piano, trumpet and tablas conjure the clamour of an India bathed in dusky light, car horns and dust, in a rhythmic whirlwind of a fusion of the Middle-East and the western world."

July 2, 2009 at 6pm

Eric Truffaz - Mexico

Gesu, 1200 rue de Bleury

From the JazzFest program -"On the second stop of his musical pilgrimage, Erik Truffaz welcomes electronica artist Murcof, one of the most freespirited of his generation, to fold his airy rhythms around the trumpeter's soaring, dynamic runs. They engendered a longdistance exchange via the Internet, weaving a sonic tapestry true to Truffaz' boundless sense of invention and musical curiousity. It's a radical, impressionistic proposition; and here they are together, playing music enhanced by the percussion of Talvin Singh, unquestioned master of the tablas and the Asian underground sound."

Personally, I don't see the connection between Talvin and Mexico, but hey, why not?

July 4, 2009 at 9:30pm

Miles From India

Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts

From the JazzFest program -"Miles goes Indian… or vice-versa? The Festival presents another concert homage to the legend, this time with a major musical project spiced with a delicious touch of exoticism. Inspired by the double album of the same name, Miles from India is a musical fusion of Indian and American cultures. Two groups, one composed of elite Indian musicians, the other of American jazzmen who’ve previously collaborated with Miles, unite onstage for a Subcontinental, spiritual celebration of the master’s music."

Nicholas Payton • Trumpet

Robert Irving III • Keyboards

Bill Evans • Tenor Saxophone
R. Mahanthappa • Saxophones
Darry Jones • Bass
John Beasley • Keyboards
Badal Roy • Tabla
U. Shrinivas • Mandolin
Lenny White • Drums
Ndugu Chancler • Percussions
Vince Wilburn • Drums
Anantha Krishnan • Mridangan
Hidayat Khan • Sitar
V.K. Raman • Flute/Vocal
Selvaganesh • Khanjira

July 9, 2009 at 10:30pm

Indo-Pak Coalition

Gesu, 1200 rue de Bleury

From the JazzFest program -"Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition is turning heads internationally in both the jazz and world music scenes. Rudresh, an innovative alto saxophonist, along with guitar virtuoso Rez Abbasi and tabla star Dan Weiss, blazes new trails into the future of jazz, synthesizing jazz with the astutely improvised musical forms of South Asia. Their debut album Apti, on innova Recordings, has received rave reviews in The New Yorker, Rolling Stone and Downbeat."

Dan Weiss is famous for his incredible Tintal Drumset Solo. It'll be nice to hear him on tabla.

Overall, quite a lot of tabla this year. If you attend any of the concerts, please post a review!