The Baker University Artist & Lecture Series will be jazzed up Tuesday with the international flare of Sandip Burman.
“Sandip is this year’s international star,” said Susan Buehler, director of the Artist & Lecture Series.
Burman will play the tabla, a pair of hand drums of contrasting size and timbre, at 7:30 p.m. in Rice Auditorium. Accompanying Burman will be his sister, Sima, on vocals and harmonium, Matt Burger on guitar and Kurt Gardner on percussion.
Burman, who is based in Chicago, has been touring within the United States and internationally since 2001, often playing with various renowned artists. A native of the East-Indian town of Durgapur, Burman began studying the tabla in Calcutta at age 6.
“Every year, we try to bring in something that’s international in scope,” Buehler said. “If this is called a cultural venue for the university, then indeed we need to bring in other cultures.”
As a performer, Burman has expanded his horizons beyond traditional Indian music. In 2006, his tour East Meets Jazz was a combination of tabla, Indian sounds and modern jazz.
“One of the things that sets him apart from other East Indian performers is that his repertoire is very varied,” Buehler said. “He definitely introduces us to the East- Indian sounds, but he can take us other places as well.”
The Indian tabla music is primarily improvised, but Burman said the performance still requires form and considerable preparation.
“It is ethereal music because there are certain musical patterns or note groups that mean something,” Buehler said. “It’s like writing a Japanese symbol. It doesn’t mean a word. There’s a whole phrase in that character.”
Junior Abby Burnett, who will attend the concert with Professor of Music Trilla Lyerla’s World Music class, said she is anticipating the concert and the new experiences it will bring.
“It’s interesting to learn about it,” she said. “It’s opposite of Western music. They don’t have a harmony. They don’t have a standard meter. They mostly improvise. It’s nothing like what we hear here.”
“He is very much an educator alongside his entertainment,” Buehler said. “He has a tendency to explain things as he goes along.”
Along with his concerts, Burman often hosts clinics at high schools and colleges around the nation. Burman said he enjoys teaching.
“That way, you can expose your next generation,” he said. “That will give you satisfaction that you can pass on your tradition.”
Buehler said the concert should be an great time.
“I think it will be very interesting and very exciting because all the reviews I have read of past performances all over the country, the word that keeps coming up again and again is ‘dazzling,'” Buehler said.
Tickets to the event are $20 for adults and $15 for youth. Admission is free for members of the Baker community with ID. For advanced tickets, contact Susan Buehler at 785-594-8421.