Kumar Bose is a master tabla player from the Benares gharana school. A disciple of
Pandit Kishan Maharaj,
Bose is best known for the decade he spent as part of
Ravi Shankar's ensemble in the 1970s.
Dynamic is a single improvisation based on classical themes in the tintaal rhythm (16 beats). And while the album is billed as a solo tabla recording, there are two other instruments providing drones and melodies for
Bose's stunning improvisations, a sarangi and a harmonium. They simultaneously offer
Bose a repetitive and cyclic melody known as the 16-beat Iehara. His own response is not just rhythmic, but lyrical as well. His structural approach on the first disc is to play across themes and variations, and on the second, to go off into wild flights of improvisation on the two drums (tabla and bayan). The tonal varieties of these pieces are startling and awe-inspiring. There is a non-stop series of harmonic interpolations that are not only incorporated and elaborated upon harmonically as well as rhythmically but they happen nearly instantaneously. That these two hours flow by so quickly is testament enough to the musicianship of
Bose: that he continually astonishes, as well as delights, is a hallmark of his genius. Wonderfully recorded live at the Saptak Festival, in 2002, this set boasts excellent sound and wonderful notes.