Anindo Chatterjee at Musashino Shimin Bunka Kaikan Recital Hall, June 22nd 2019

I can’t say I’m an Indian Classical music expert -far from it- but I can say I’m a fan. I’m a big fan of Its hypnotic nature, the haunting atmosphere materialized through a combination of the droning of the tanpuras, the complex rhythm patterns of the tablas and the bended notes of the sitar, bansuri, santoor, sarangi or voice. It all started a few years ago when I grabbed a Ravi Shankar Greatest Hits type of compilation. After that there was no turning back.

I especially love the vocal offerings. There’s something definitely entrancing in voices like Pran Nath’s or Shruti Sadolikar’s that’s rarely found in other types of music. The instrumental offerings are not less mesmerizing, so I was really excited when this concert was announced, it was going to be my first exposure to Indian Classical music in a live setting. A few years ago Zakir Hussain played a show in Tokyo but I couldn’t make it. Fortunately I was able to grab a ticket for this one before it sold out; it actually sold out in less than five days.

It was a rainy afternoon and my first time at this venue, which is about a 15 minute walk from the station and really close to where I live. After an introduction by fellow tabla player and student U-zhaan, the show started promptly at 3:05. Anindo Chatterjee walked to the stage followed by Yuji Nakagawa, who backed him up on the sarangi. Chatterjee is a master of the tablas that has played with some the biggest names of the genre. The welcoming ovation from the audience at his entrance was overwhelming, in fact there was applause after almost every solo lick he laid down. It was an appreciative audience, captivated throughout the performance

He started by thanking the people in the audience that came to see him play after a thirty year absence from the Japanese stages. He also explained the structure of the show which started with a piece that lasted for about one hour in which he demonstrated some of the several different patterns for the tabla, from the simplest to the most complex, time measure wise. There were no tanpuras providing the drone in the background, instead a tape was played at low volume with a similar effect. Nakagawa did an amazing job focusing on the steady set of bars he played as a loop on the sarangi, while the master delivered intricate solos for each of the rhythm patterns he patiently explained. 

This was, unlike most of the concerts I’ve been to, a didactical experience. Chatterjee would take the mic and describe each pattern, follow this description with a simple example and then with a blistering solo. He has a charismatic stage presence. Each solo will usually finish with him pointing to an invisible member of the audience, a gesture that will prompt resounding applause. Even the action of applying dust (baby powder?) onto his tablas from time to time to improve the friction, became a theatrical gesture. All of these elements helped make the complexity of this music more accessible.

Two extra pieces rounded up the hour and a half performance that culminated on a lengthy tabla solo before the somewhat abrupt ending. Chatterjee returned for one last bow but there was no encore. Nonetheless it was a truly fascinating exposure to a type of music you don’t often see performed live around these parts, especially when a live setting enhances its spellbinding essence. I hope there are more invitations to artists from India in the near future.

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