Trilok Gurtu

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Trilok Gurtu (born in Bombay on 30 October 1951) is an Indian percussionist who has also crossed over into jazz rock fusion. His mother, singer Shobha Gurtu, started him on the tabla, and he later studied the instrument with Abdul Karim. He started playing the Western drum kit in the 1970s, and became interested in jazz. In the 1970s he played with Charlie Mariano, John Tchicai, Terje Rypdal, and Don Cherry.

One of his earliest recordings was an appearance on an album by the German ethnic fusion band, Embryo, on their record Apo-Calypso, circa 1977. His mother also sings on this record and later joins him on his first solo CD.

In the 1980s he played with John McLaughlin in various line ups of McLaughlin's Trio accompanied by bassists as Jonas Hellborg, Kai Eckhardt, and Dominique Dipiazza. The earliest line-up with Hellborg did at least one concert opening for Miles Davis in Berkeley in 1988.

The close communication between Gurtu and McLaughlin included vocal improvisations using the Indian "Tala Talk" method of oral drumming notation that is used to teach drum patterns. In some cases in Eckhardt would join in with hip-hop beat-box vocals for a three way vocal percussion jam while Gurtu and McLaughlin threw in some humorous words such as Japanese brand names mixed in with the Indian words.

Some of the unusual aspects of his kit and playing include Trilok playing without a drum stool in a half-kneeling position on the floor, with a non-traditional kick drum that resembled a large drum head with a kick-pedal, and a mix of tablas and western drums. One unique percussion signature of Gurtu's involves dipping cymbals and strings of shells into a bucket of water to create a shimmering effect.

Since the 1990s he has been a solo artist and band leader backed by various musicians on a number of CD releases. In a 1995 television special on Jimi Hendrix, Gurtu discussed having initially learned Western music without knowing about overdubbing, which forced him to learn multiple parts most musicians would have never attempted. In 2004 he co-created an album with Robert Miles entitled Miles Gurtu.

[edit] Awards

Trilok Gurtu has garnered a number of prestigious awards and nominations, to include Best Overall Percussionist winner, Drum Magazine, 1999; Best Overall Percussionist winner, Carlton Television Multicultural Music Awards, 2001; Best Percussionist winner, Down Beat's Critics Poll for 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999 [1], 2000, 2001, and 2002 [2]; and Best Asian/Pacific Artist nominee, BBC Radio 3 World for 2002, 2003, and 2004.