by Susan Ransdell

Mixed bag: Indian fusion band Shwaas's style was a mix of classical Indian music with a bit of Western jazz, blues and folk thrown in, backed by an electric bass, violin and synthesiser as well as a Western-style drum kit. — VNS Photo Susan Ransdell

HCM CITY (VNS) — First, the tabla player. I wanted him. Well, not in that way. I just wanted to take him home with me.

The perfect antidote to early-morning blues. Tabla beats. Oh, yeah.

I'm no tabla expert – I understand from God Google that Zakir Hussain is the most famous tabla player in the world – but this guy was stunning. He had it all. Nimble fingers, fast hands, soulful looks, a sweet smile and fabulous hair.

And for a percussionist, a self-effacing, gentle style that so mesmerised a young Vietnamese girl that she leapt on stage and snapped a photo of the guy at concert's end. Yes, the female singer posed with him too, but it was the tabla virtuoso she really wanted.

Prior to the concert at HCM City's Opera House, where he and his fellow members of the band Shwaas appeared on Friday, I knew little about Indian fusion music.

Well, in India, it's quite popular, having its roots apparently with Hussain himself, who is considered to be, according to one source, the "chief architect of the contemporary world music movement".

The band's style was a mix of classical Indian music with a bit of Western jazz, blues and folk thrown in, backed by an electric bass, violin and synthesiser as well as a Western-style drum kit.

Two outstanding flutists, who founded the band about five years ago, took centre stage during many of the musical pieces. And at one point, South American samba beats were featured, too. For the most part, it all worked.

The performance, held in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and India, was especially moving when the band focused on India's indigenous instrumental and vocal music.

Playing to a packed house, many of whom were from HCM City's Indian community, the group selected well-known musical pieces from the country's northern, southern, eastern and western regions.

Romantic longing, sadness and grief were a few of the themes of these folk and classical ragas, but there were also joyful, happier tunes that built to a delightful crescendo, propelled by the fast, complex rhythm of the tablas.

The music took on a truly East/West air when the Western-style drummer and tabla player engaged in call-and-response riffing during one long, energetic piece.

Of the many highlights of the evening, the vocal improvisations of the soloists stood out. What were they saying? Was it a language that I didn't recognise or something similar to what English speakers would call jazz scat? Hadn't I heard the great American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald do this very thing?

Little did I know that it was an Indian improvisational vocal style (yes, without words) that originated long ago.

The evening concluded with a rousing piece that featured solos of most of its nine members – singing, drumming and playing their instrument of choice. But for me, it all began and ended with the magnificent tabla. Hey, the hair was just ornamentation.

The band, which also played in Da Nang and Can Tho last week, is performing tonight in Ha Noi at 8pm at 54 Trieu Khuc Street in Thanh Xuan District as part of an art-exchange programme with the University of Transport Technology. — VNS