Sukhvinder Singh

Percussion Tabla

Sukhvinder Singh

4 minute read

Sukhvinder Singh (affectionately known as ‘Pinky’) is a singular percussionist, specialising in low-tuned tabla and jori. Hailing from the Punjab, his first musical immersions were in dholak and pakhawaj, playing traditional Sikh devotional music.

His talent was spotted early, and at age five he became a disciple of pakhawaj exponent Nihal Singh. His public debut aged 13 left a strong impression on Alla Rakha, but soon after he left to Varanasi to train under the legendary Benares gharana master Pandit Kishan Maharaj.

His subsequent career has featured accompaniment slots with Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, and other leading Hindustani instrumentalists, and a Grammy award for his work with Ry Cooder and Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on A Meeting by the River.

Ustad Zakir Hussain proclaimed him to be the world’s foremost jori exponent after his solo at Allah Rakha’s 2016 memorial concert. Now based in India, England, and Canada, he is known as a charismatic performer and teacher, dedicated to bringing the Punjab and Benares repertoire to audiences around the world.

Sukhvinder Singh has been a regular performer at the Darbar Festival since 2006. Over the years, he has collaborated with a wide range of renowned artists, including Uday Bhawalkar, Debashish Bhattacharya, and Ustad Irshad Khan. Known for his intricate rhythms and expressive playing, Sukhvinder’s performances at the festival have been integral in showcasing the depth and versatility of tabla in the context of Indian classical music. His contributions have significantly enhanced the festival’s reputation for bringing together exceptional talents from various classical traditions.

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Soumik Datta & Sukhvinder Singh | Raag Gorakh Kalyan

Recorded at Darbar Festival on 25 Oct 2018, at London’s Barbican Centre. Musicians: - Soumik Datta (sarod) - Sukhvinder Singh (tabla) Raag Gorakh Kalyan; Thaat: Khamaj; Samay: Night Young sarod maestro Soumik Datta performs Raag Gorakh Kalyan, a spacious early night raga derived from folk tunes from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. Soumik Datta is a sarod player from the younger generation, describing himself as ‘a slave to the instrument’. He trained under the late maestro Buddhadev Das Gupta, flying to Kolkata for periods of intense study during his holidays from boarding school in the UK. Today he plays a vast range of styles - jazz, Indo-blues, drum’n’bass, and many more. But he always returns to his classical core, performing Hindustani music around the world. Sukhvinder Singh (affectionately known as ‘Pinky’) is a singular percussionist, specialising in low-tuned tabla and jori. Hailing from the Punjab, his first musical immersions were in dholak and pakhawaj, playing traditional Sikh devotional music. At age five he became a disciple of pakhawaj exponent Nihal Singh. His public debut aged 13 left a strong impression on Alla Rakha after which, he left for Varanasi to train under Benares gharana master Kishan Maharaj. His subsequent career has featured accompaniment slots with Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan, Amjad Ali Khan, and other leading Hindustani instrumentalists, and a Grammy award for his work with Ry Cooder and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on A Meeting by the River. Zakir Hussain proclaimed him to be the world’s foremost jori exponent after his solo at Allah Rakha’s 2016 memorial concert. Soumik follows in the footsteps of his guru Buddhadev Das Gupta in performing Gorakh Kalyan, a spacious raga of the early night hours. It takes its name and structure from regional folk tunes of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh - in fact its modern form appears to have no distinctive traces of Kalyan at all, leading some musicians to refer to it simply as Gorakh. It ascends with only four core notes [SRmDS], and descends with only five [SnDmRS], although ornamental touches of Pa can be included in either direction for added colour. Sa and Ma are the vadi-samvadi [king and queen notes], and komal Ni in mandra saptak [low octave] is a key resting note. Musicians often utilise the high degree of melodic space with heavy ornaments, balancing its folksy character with intricate detail. It lends itself particularly well to instrumental renditions. Recorded at Darbar Festival on 25 Oct 2018, at London’s Barbican Centre: - Soumik Datta (sarod) - Sukhvinder Singh (tabla) Subscribe to the Darbar Player to access the full, uncut performance.