Ritesh Das formed the Toronto Tabla Ensemble in 1991 and the Canadian organization/musical act has provided Canadian society with an important cultural component over the last twenty-eight years and counting. The ensemble’s school has expanded in recent years with the development of the Youth Ensemble and they figure into this release in a significant way. The new single “Dream Symposium” from their pending seventh album release is released with a corresponding video clip giving the Youth Ensemble a prominent on-screen presence and the youngsters acquit themselves quite well. Everything about the visual and musical presentation of this piece is befitting the distinction and class the Toronto Tabla Ensemble has brought to their endeavors throughout their history.
PRIMARY URL: https://torontotabla.com/
It is easy to hear why the Toronto Tabla Ensemble fills an important role in Canadian culture. Das’ songwriting acumen never limits itself to traditional North Indian music alone; he has a long record of accomplishment incorporating Western percussion and influences into his traditional training without ever losing the native spirit of the music. In the end, borders do not matter, and the cliché of music being an universal language is no cliché at all. It comfortably reflects the well-established dynamics of Western popular music in its own way; the assortment of time and tempo shifts laden throughout the performance build in a way that keeps listeners riveted to the track’s development and there are a number of mini-crescendos layered throughout the composition as well. Bringing all of this off within a relatively brief timeframe underlines the scope of his achievement.
Dancers often take part in the ensemble’s live performance and they are included in the video as well. There are initially only two dancers involved, but a third arrives under mysterious circumstances and the trio does an excellent job punctuating the performance with both physicality and color. They are every bit as invested in the music as the musicians. The Youth Ensemble assumes the roles of musicians in the video production and deliver a first rate job of embodying the performance for film. The video’s set up is simple, unostentatious, and this allows viewers to maintain their focus on the music with the visual providing unobtrusive complement to the overall package. There is a slight surprise at the video’s end explicating everything with a smile and wink.
QUOBUZ: https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/dream-symposium-toronto-tabla-ensemble/koc5hocshjlra
The track runs a little under four minutes and the time breezes by. Great music produces a suspension of time, in my opinion, where we are lost in the moment and enjoy a light trance-like state. This is particularly true of a percussion driven piece such as this and listeners will finish the song ready to hear it again. Repeated listens are necessary because there’s a lot going on here and only the closest listeners will catch it all on the first go around. Your appreciation of the song’s quality will only deepen with each pass-through. The Toronto Tabla Ensemble makes a shrewd choice leading off their forthcoming release with this single; it promises much and stokes the urge to hear more music like it.
Jodi Marxbury