Search - Various Artists :: Ravi Shankar Presents The Master Drummers Of India

Furious Fingers, Hammering Hands

Seth Anthony Kershner | Orwigsburg, PA United States | 05/10/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Legacy Records scores a home run again by turning out a collection of the most talented Indian drummers on the planet. Track One showcases the phenomenal Alla Rakha, who also can be heard on Legacy's "Flute and Sitar Music of India." It is in my humble opinion that the best tracks (#1-#3) are those in which the artists use the Tabla, as opposed to the Thavil. But anyone with ears seeking refuge from the modern-day musical wasteland of teen-bop, pop, and other atrocities is sure to find hours of enjoyment on every track of this CD. There can be little doubt that the traditional music of other cultures lays waste to American radio-played music. A comparison between the two is like letting an angry [elephant] loose in a package store: the whirling, creative fury of the [elephant] destroys everything in sight, and easily smashes to the ground any artifact he [runs into]. Likewise, the creative fury of Indian Tabla music points to the inanity of American music, rendering it as so much Western pap. Long live Mother India! May the hands of time soon usher in an era of Western impotence and musical atrophy! And may the furious fingers and hammering hands of the Tabla artist be the exemplar for a nascent nation of Worldly Musicians!"