The Language of Rhythm, Drumming from North and South India (Music of the World 150; 42:13, 52:21) brings together two separate CDs in a logical, cost-kindly package. The North Indian tradition presented in The Talking Tabla (previously reviewed in this column) is mated with Laya Vinyas: the South Indian Drumming of Trichy Sankaram. On tracks ranging from solos to interactions with voice and vina, Sankaram reveals his mastery of the Carnatic drum called mrdangam, capable of subtle tonal inflections: on this drum, in capable, musical hands, both rhythm and melody are carried, nobly, energetically and elegantly nuanced.
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