Interview with Kalyan Pathak, Part Two

In the second part of our exclusive interview with virtuoso tabla player and master percussionist Kalyan Pathak, he shares who and what inspires him and offers advice to young musicians.

You can see Mr. Pathak perform the tabla during our spring concert Spirited Away, on April 13, 2025, at the Pick-Staiger Concert Hall in Evanston, IL.

**Click on this image to view an informative and engaging video about this artist!**

What’s on your Spotify playlist or in your music library? Stevie Wonder. Djavan. Coltrane. Miles Davis. Wayne Shorter. Shakti and Zakir Hussain. Mozart. Brahms. Duke Ellington. Ravel. Hemant Chauhan. Hermeto Pascal. Tony Allen(Nigerian drummer). Lata Mangeshkar. Aretha Franklin. Elis Regina. Charles Mingus. Charlie Parker. Russian composers.

Which composer/musician – past or present – would you most like to meet for a coffee or tea and why? This is always the hardest question for me because it can never be just one, and my answer might change from day to day.

Among living composers, I would love to sit down for coffee or tea—or better yet, make music, hang out in the green room—with Stevie Wonder. Though I’ve had the honor of playing with him once on a worldwide broadcast and meeting him a few times, he remains one of my greatest musical inspirations. His deep political awareness, rooted in the power of love, music, and human rights, resonates with me profoundly. I would have countless questions for him, but honestly, just being in his presence, even in silence, would be a spiritual experience in itself.

From past composers, I would choose John Lennon, George Harrison, or John Coltrane. Each of them fascinates me—not just for their music, but for the lives they lived. I’ve read many biographies about them, but if I had the chance to meet them, I’d skip the stories and simply ask: How did you hear music? How did you create it? Their creative processes were unique and there is so much to dig in there.

What inspires you? Consonance and dissonance in polyrhythms inspires me. I’m constantly transcribing complex tabla compositions, South Indian korvais, and Cuban batá and conga polyrhythms, always seeking new ways to expand my rhythmic vocabulary. I listen deeply to the sounds around me, transcribing them to uncover different pulses and feels in everything I hear.

Composing for a five- to seven-piece jazz band and leading the session is where I thrive. I have a deep love for poetry, studying linguistic meters, and the syncopation of words and lyrics. A well-crafted song—where structure, harmony, melody, and lyrics strike the perfect balance—never fails to inspire me. In my listening and studies I fluidly move between purely instrumental and vocal-driven music, as well as between improvisational explorations and structured compositions.

What do you do to relax? I love cooking to relax. Although I can make mean butter chicken and Biryani, I love making a variety of Vegetarian dishes from India. I play Chess, read poems, short stories and novels to relax. Long walks in forest preserves. Meditation in my backyard.

Do you have any advice for young musicians? Don't just practice music to play it perfectly—use it as a way to tell stories, reshape ideas, and explore different emotions. Take the same passage and experiment with varying dynamics, phrasing, and feeling. Notice how it affects you internally. While developing a distinct sound or voice on your instrument is important, remember that music is more than just sound—it’s a full experience of self-expression. Embracing that from an early stage helps you discover your true passion and artistic voice. People will want to play with you not just because of your technical skill, but because you bring something unique and meaningful to the music. That kind of depth and focus can lead to playing truly exciting music all over the world.

Please share any thoughts that you may have about the Northshore Concert Band. The Northshore Concert Band is an inspiring ensemble that embraces a diverse range of music, values collaboration, and thrives on taking on new challenges and risks. I’m thrilled to be making music with them!

Please add anything else that you would like our audience to know about you. I have my own band, Kalyan Pathak’s Jazz Mata ‘Transformative Raga and Jazz’ and a CD called "Dream With The Dreamers".

Please follow this link to read the first part of our interview with Kalyan Pathak!

Interview with Kalyan Pathak, Part Two

SPIRITED AWAY