India's cultural chaos is really comprised of simple vectors. One is the dynamic between tradition and making new tradition. This concert of classical Indian music is emblematic of how that dynamic has played out.
The santoor is a folk instrument from Kashmir, it is a hammered string instrument, known in the West as a hammer dulcimer. Father Pandit Uma Dutt Sharma, and now son, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, pioneered adapting the instrument to classical music, creating a new tradition.
Zakir Hussain is the son of Alla Rakha, one of the greatest tabla players of all time. Beginning in his early 20's, Zakir blazed a trail of tradition breaking and making collaborations. That would be with the Beatles, George Harrison, John McLaughlin, Bill Laswell, Tito Puente, Jack Bruce, Micky Hart, Pharoah Sanders, Manfred Eicher and, of course, the most emanent Indian classical musicians of today. Plus any instrument, tuned by a hammer while being played in time, rocks.
Now each, having firmly established new tradition, perform together for the last of a 20 year series of Indian classical music in Portland. Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Ustad Zakir Hussain, santoor and tabla.
www.kalakendra.org First Confregational Church 1126 SW Park $25 advance (indogram.com or Tickets West) $30 door 7:30PM
