Unexpected Guests

The title-track of Unexpected Guests lives up to the billing. Bagpiper Craig Downie blares dramatically over a boisterous tabla beat. After the initial shock, the commonalities emerge between the tones of the pipes and the drones that anchor much Indian music. Toronto Tabla Ensemble have traded in cross-cultural exchange for nearly 30 years, during which time their energetic leader Ritesh Das hasestablished them as a Canadian institution. Bagpipes excepted, the group’s seventh album finds them confident enough not to garnish the tabla with too many additional textures. In keeping with their educational mission ‘Toronto Tabla Youth Ensemble’ showcases the next generation of talent, who undertake a rhythmic workout based around a brooding piano ostinato. The tabla plays a more supportive role on ‘Raghupati’, a version of a Hindi devotional song, which builds into a euphoric singalong led by the beguiling voice of Labonee Mohanta. Toronto Tabla Ensemble are more an exemplar of the power of cultural exchange than they are originators of great art. But their mission is reason enough to support their music.