Sure, John Bonham and Keith Moon were powerful rock and roll drummers — but could they dance while they were playing? See some pounding of the skins and the floorboards as the Indo-American Association presents Zakir Hussain’s Masters of Percussion with the Manipuri Dancing Drummers. The Manipuri Drummers combine fancy athletic footwork with their rhythmic pounding in an ancient art form with both religious and mythological connotations. But the evening’s star is, of course, Hussain. A passionate advocate and performer of world music, he’s considered one of the greatest tabla players in history and has gigged with the likes of George Harrison, Tito Puente and Pharoah Sanders. His North Indian drummers handle Indian instruments both familiar (sitar, sarangi) and esoteric (pakhawaj, khartal). Beat it at 8 p.m.
Sat., May 13, 8 p.m.
This article appears in May 11-17, 2006.
