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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Kamalesh Maitra
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| image_size =
| birth_name =
| alias =
| birth_date = 28 April 1928
| birth_place = [[Tangail]], [[East Bengal]], India
| death_date = 22 April 2005 (aged 76)
| death_place = [[Kreischa]], Germany
| origin =
| instrument = [[Tabla tarang]], [[sarod]]
| genre = [[Hindustani classical music|Hindustani classical]], [[world music]]
| occupation = Musician, [[composer]], teacher
| years_active = 
| label = [[Saregama|His Master's Voice]], [[Teldec]], [[Wergo]], [[Gramophone Company of India]], [[Smithsonian Folkways]], [[Saregama]]
}}
'''Kamalesh Maitra''' (28 April 1928 – 22 April 2005), often referred to by the title [[Pandit]], was an Indian classical musician, composer and teacher. He is recognised as the last master of the [[tabla tarang]] – a [[melodic percussion instrument]] consisting of numerous individually tuned hand drums, set in a semicircle. Maitra grew up in Calcutta and played the [[tabla]] until joining [[Uday Shankar]]'s ballet company in 1950 and taking up the tabla tarang. He became the company's musical director and toured internationally with the troupe through to the mid-1970s.

Along with [[Alla Rakha]], [[Shivkumar Sharma]], [[Hariprasad Chaurasia]] and others, Maitra was among the musicians that [[Ravi Shankar]] selected for his [[Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India|Music Festival from India]] revue in 1974. He then accompanied Shankar on ex-[[The Beatles|Beatle]] [[George Harrison]]'s North American tour that year – a venture that led to him performing with American [[jazz]] musicians [[Emil Richards]] and [[Tom Scott (saxophonist)|Tom Scott]]. Maitra settled in Berlin in 1977, where he performed and worked as a music teacher. In 1980, he formed the Ragatala Ensemble, an orchestra that fused elements of Indian and European classical music with jazz and other Western genres. Among his recordings, ''Tabla Tarang – Melody on Drums'' (1996) has received critical acclaim, one reviewer describing it as a "milestone" in [[world music]].<ref name="Smithsonian" /> Maitra developed strong cultural ties with Berlin and continued to live and work in Germany until his death in 2005.

==Background and formative years==
Kamalesh Maitra was born in [[Tangail]] in [[East Bengal]] (now Bangladesh) in 1928.<ref name="Hunt/Masters of Raga" /> His father was an [[Ayurvedic]] doctor,<ref name="Berliner Zeitung bio">Peter Pannke, [http://www.berliner-zeitung.de/archiv/zum-tod-des-indischen-musikers-kamalesh-maitra-ein-bengale-in-berlin,10810590,10280154.html "Ein Bengale in Berlin" (in German)], ''[[Berliner Zeitung]]'', 29 April 2005 (retrieved 29 November 2013).</ref> and the family lacked the musical lineage commonly associated with [[Hindustani classical music]].<ref name="culturebase bio">[http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?258 "Kamalesh Maitra" > Bio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006081637/http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?258 |date=6 October 2014 }}, culturebase.net (retrieved 29 November 2013).</ref><ref>Neuman, pp. 107, 108, 112.</ref>

Maitra spent his formative years in Calcutta,<ref name="Collaborations p 47" /> absorbing much of the European influence on the city.<ref name="Berliner Zeitung bio" /> At the age of twelve,<ref name="Rough Guide p 78">''World Music: The Rough Guide'', p. 78.</ref> he began playing a variety of hand drums, including [[tabla]].<ref name="Collaborations p 47" />

==Early career==
In 1950, Maitra joined [[Uday Shankar]]'s ballet and dance company, as master drummer.<ref name="Collaborations p 47" /> Having established himself as a tabla player, he was asked to master the [[tabla tarang]],<ref name="culturbase article">Gabriele Stiller-Kern, [http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?258 "Kamalesh Maitra: The last master of tabla taranga"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006081637/http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?258 |date=6 October 2014 }}, culturebase.net (retrieved 29 November 2013).</ref> an instrument made up of between ten and sixteen tablas,<ref name="Smithsonian" /><ref name="AM bio">Craig Harris, [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/kamalesh-maitra-mn0000743228 "Kamalesh Maitra"], [[AllMusic]] (retrieved 29 November 2013).</ref> specifically the treble-variety [[tabla|dayan]].<ref>Lavezzoli, pp. 3, 24.</ref><ref name="Melody on Drums/Allmusic">Adam Greenberg, [http://www.allmusic.com/album/tabla-tarang-melody-on-drums-mw0000183799 "Kamalesh Maitra ''Tabla Tarang – Melody on Drums''"], [[AllMusic]] (retrieved 29 November 2013).</ref> With each hand drum tuned to a different pitch, producing a range of roughly one and a half [[octave]]s,<ref>''Collaborations'', p. 42.</ref> Maitra was able to provide a combined melodic–rhythmic role in performances of [[raga]]s or ballet and dance compositions.<ref name="Smithsonian">[http://www.folkways.si.edu/kamalesh-maitra/the-worlds-musical-traditions-vol-10-tabla-tarang-melody-on-drums/world/music/album/smithsonian "The World's Musical Traditions, Vol. 10: Tabla Tarang – Melody on Drums"], [[Smithsonian Folkways]] (retrieved 29 November 2013).</ref>

While developing the potential of the tabla tarang, he continued his advanced musical studies,<ref name="Collaborations p 47" /> learning the lute-like [[sarod]] under the tutelage of [[Ali Akbar Khan]].<ref name="culturebase bio" /> From 1955, Maitra was musical director of Shankar's troupe, for whom he composed and directed music for a wide range of stage productions.<ref name="Collaborations p 47">''Collaborations'', p. 47.</ref> During a period of over twenty years, he toured the United States, China, Africa and Europe with the company.<ref name="culturbase article" />

==International career and relocation to Berlin==
In 1974, Uday's brother [[Ravi Shankar]] invited Maitra to join his [[Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India|Music Festival from India]] revue,<ref>Shankar, pp. 223–24.</ref> sponsored by former [[The Beatles|Beatle]] [[George Harrison]],<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 442">Madinger & Easter, p. 442.</ref> a champion of Indian classical music in the West.<ref>''World Music: The Rough Guide'', p. 109.</ref><ref>Lavezzoli, pp. 14, 81, 147.</ref> Maitra's fellow performers included internationally acclaimed musicians<ref>''World Music: The Rough Guide'', pp. 75, 77, 78.</ref> such as [[Alla Rakha]], [[Lakshmi Shankar]], [[Shivkumar Sharma]], [[Hariprasad Chaurasia]], [[Sultan Khan (musician)|Sultan Khan]] and [[L. Subramaniam]].<ref name="Lavezzoli p 195">Lavezzoli, p. 195.</ref><ref>''Collaborations'', pp. 44–50.</ref> Maitra recorded a studio album in England with the Music Festival orchestra – released in 1976 on [[Dark Horse Records]]<ref>''Collaborations'', p. 15.</ref> – contributing on tabla tarang, sarod and [[ektara]],<ref name="Music Festival album sleeve">Album credits, ''[[Ravi Shankar's Music Festival from India]]'' LP ([[Dark Horse Records]], 1976; produced by George Harrison).</ref> before they all undertook a short European tour.<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 442" /> The Music Festival from India's debut performance, filmed at London's [[Royal Albert Hall]] on 23 September 1974,<ref name="Madinger & Easter p 442" /> was released on DVD in 2010, as part of the four-disc box set ''Ravi Shankar–George Harrison, Collaborations''.<ref>Olivia Harrison, {{cite web|url=http://www.spinner.com/2010/10/18/george-harrison-ravi-shankar-collaborations/ |title=George Harrison and Ravi Shankar Box Set 'Collaborations' Is a Labor of Love for Me |accessdate=2011-01-02 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102132411/http://www.spinner.com/2010/10/18/george-harrison-ravi-shankar-collaborations/ |archivedate= 2 January 2011 }}, spinner.com, 18 October 2010 (archived version retrieved 27 November 2013).</ref><ref>Richie Unterberger, [http://www.allmusic.com/album/collaborations-mw0002041725 "George Harrison/Ravi Shankar ''Collaborations''"], [[AllMusic]] (retrieved 27 November 2013).</ref>

Maitra then joined the Music Festival personnel for Harrison's North American tour in November–December 1974,<ref>Olivia Harrison, pp. 298–99.</ref> performing in the more [[jazz]]-inflected style of Shankar's ''[[Shankar Family & Friends]]'' crossover album.<ref name="Lavezzoli pp 195-96">Lavezzoli, pp. 195–96.</ref><ref>Rodriguez, pp. 237–38.</ref> In keeping with Shankar's efforts to elevate the status of Indian percussionists, Maitra combined with Rakha (on tabla), [[T. V. Gopalakrishnan|T.V. Gopalkrishnan]] ([[mridangam]]) and [[Rijram Desad]] ([[Pakhavaj|pakavaj]]) in extended, four-way drum soloing – the highlight of their set,<ref>Olivia Harrison, p. 310.</ref> and a source of fascination for Harrison's rock drummers [[Jim Keltner]]<ref>Lavezzoli, pp. 106, 204–05.</ref> and [[Andy Newmark]].<ref>Leng, p. 168.</ref> For the finale to the Indian portion of each concert, Maitra and the rest of Shankar's ensemble played with Harrison's entire band,<ref>Olivia Harrison, p. 312.</ref><ref>Rodriguez, p. 238.</ref> which also included jazz percussionist [[Emil Richards]] and saxophonist [[Tom Scott (saxophonist)|Tom Scott]].<ref>Madinger & Easter, pp. 446–47.</ref>

Long interested in the possibilities of Indo–European musical fusion,<ref name="Berliner Zeitung bio" /> Maitra performed at the 1976 Meta-Music Festival in Berlin.<ref name="culturbase article" /> After moving to Berlin the following year, he began teaching Indian classical instrumentation, and in 1980 formed the Ragatala Ensemble with some of his students,<ref name="culturbase article" /> including New York-born tablist Laura Patchen.<ref>[http://box.global-music-academy.net/cms/teachers/laura-patchen "Laura Patchen"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424212041/http://box.global-music-academy.net/cms/teachers/laura-patchen |date=24 April 2014 }}, Global Music Academy (retrieved 24 April 2014).</ref> In 2003, Germany's [[House of World Cultures]] (HKW) website wrote of Maitra's music with the Ragatala Ensemble: "The group has enabled him to fulfil his old dream of having his compositions played by a mixed European–Indian orchestra. The pieces follow the rules of classical Indian music but are deliberately fused with elements of European classical music, jazz and new music."<ref name="culturbase article" />

Among his subsequent projects, from 1983 to 1988 Maitra participated in the Nada [[Brahma]] – the Whole World is Sound initiative by [[Joachim-Ernst Berendt]]; in 1992, as part of Berlin's Indian Festival, his orchestral works were performed at the HKW; and in 2000 he contributed to Festival of Vision – Berlin in Hong Kong.<ref name="culturebase bio" /> He worked again with Shankar on the soundtrack to the film ''[[Genesis (1986 film)|Genesis]]'' (1986), recorded in Paris.<ref name="Shankar p 247">Shankar, p. 247.</ref> In his 1997 autobiography, ''[[Raga Mala (book)|Raga Mala]]'', Shankar describes Maitra as an "extremely versatile" musician,<ref name="Shankar p 247" /> while the ''[[The Phoenix (newspaper)|Boston Phoenix]]'' once said of his playing: "far from an eccentric novelty, (Maitra) is simply one of the great drummers of India to record in this century."<ref name="AM bio" /> He also worked with [[Charlie Mariano]], an American saxophonist who similarly relocated to Europe during the 1970s,<ref>Scott Yanow, [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/charlie-mariano-mn0000207133/biography "Charlie Mariano"], [[AllMusic]] (retrieved 28 December 2013).</ref> and Israeli clarinetist [[Giora Feidman]].<ref name="culturbase article" />

==Recordings==
Among Maitra's many recordings, starting with ''Tabla Tarang – Magnificent Percussion of India'' (1968) for [[Saregama|His Master's Voice]],<ref name="culturebase bio" /> in 1993 he released ''Masters of Raga: Kamalesh Maitra'' on Germany's [[Wergo]] record label.<ref name="AM bio" /> The album features tabla accompaniment from [[Kumar Bose]].<ref name="Hunt/Masters of Raga">Ken Hunt, [http://www.allmusic.com/album/masters-of-raga-mw0000910243 "Kamalesh Maitra ''Masters of Raga''"], [[AllMusic]] (retrieved 29 November 2013).</ref> The following year, the [[Gramophone Company of India]] issued ''The Voice of Sarod from the Strokes of Drums – Tabla Tarang by Kamalesh Maitra'', on which he played three ragas accompanied by Rakha's son [[Fazal Qureshi]] on tabla and Laura Patchen on [[Tanpura (instrument)|tambura]].<ref>[http://search.library.wisc.edu/catalog/ocm35143162 "Pandit Kamalesh Maitra tabla tarang – Catalog"], [[University of Wisconsin–Madison|University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries]] (retrieved 29 November 2013).</ref>

This was followed in 1996 by ''Tabla Tarang – Melody on Drums'', issued in America by [[Smithsonian Folkways]].<ref name="Melody on Drums/Allmusic" /> The album features contributions from Indo–jazz percussionist [[Trilok Gurtu]] and Patchen again on tambura.<ref name="AM bio" /> [[Rough Guides]]' ''World Music'' includes ''Melody on Drums'' among its recommended recordings, describing the music as "absolutely compelling" and Maitra as "the acknowledged master of this rare but beautiful sounding instrument".<ref name="Rough Guide p 78" /> ''[[Option (music magazine)|Option]]'' magazine heralded the album as "[a] historic [[world music]] milestone".<ref name="Smithsonian" /> The 1998 release ''Tarang – Kamalesh Maitra Live at the House of the Cultures of the World'', recorded with the Ragatala Ensemble<ref name="culturebase works">[http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?258 "Kamalesh Maitra" > Works] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006081637/http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?258 |date=6 October 2014 }}, culturebase.net (retrieved 29 November 2013).</ref> in November 1993, contains a performance of "[[Charukesi|Raga Charukeshi]]" on which music critic Ken Hunt praises Maitra's playing as "phenomenal".<ref name="Hunt/World Music">Ken Hunt, [http://kenhunt.doruzka.com/index.php/giant-donut-discs-®-february-2013/ "Giant Donut Discs ® – February 2013"]{{Dead link|date=March 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, World Music (retrieved 29 November 2013).</ref>

==Final years and legacy==
In September 2000, Maitra was awarded the "Musicale Vitale" prize at Berlin's Werkstatt der Kulturen festival.<ref name="Berliner Zeitung bio" /><ref name="culturebase awards">[http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?258 "Kamalesh Maitra" > Merits] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006081637/http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?258 |date=6 October 2014 }}, culturebase.net (retrieved 29 November 2013).</ref> He continued to perform and record with the Ragatala Ensemble until 2003,<ref name="culturbase article" /> the same year that he premiered his final orchestral work, ''Raag Symphonia'', in Berlin.<ref name="Berliner Zeitung bio" />

Maitra died on 22 April 2005, aged 76, in [[Kreischa]], near the German city of Dresden.<ref name="Berliner Zeitung bio" /> Hunt describes him as a "master musician" and attributes much of his musical vision to the pioneering spirit of Uday Shankar, who "painted the backdrops against which many trained musicians learned to deliver traditional music in a new age for people with no grounding or appreciation of traditional styles of dance or music".<ref name="Hunt/World Music" /> Maitra is commonly referred to as the "last master"<ref name="Smithsonian" /><ref name="Berliner Zeitung bio" /><ref name="AM bio" /> of the comparatively rare tabla tarang.<ref name="culturbase article" /><ref name="Melody on Drums/Allmusic" />

==See also==
{{Portal|India|Music}}
*[[Tabla tarang]]

==Citations==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
* ''Collaborations'', book accompanying ''Ravi Shankar–George Harrison Collaborations'' box set (Dark Horse Records, 2010; produced by Olivia Harrison; package design by Drew Lorimer & Olivia Harrison).
* Olivia Harrison, ''George Harrison: Living in the Material World'', Abrams (New York, NY, 2011; {{ISBN|978-1-4197-0220-4}}).
* Peter Lavezzoli, ''The Dawn of Indian Music in the West'', Continuum (New York, NY, 2006; {{ISBN|0-8264-2819-3}}).
* Simon Leng, ''While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison'', Hal Leonard (Milwaukee, WI, 2006; {{ISBN|1-4234-0609-5}}).
* Chip Madinger & Mark Easter, ''Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium'', 44.1 Productions (Chesterfield, MO, 2000; {{ISBN|0-615-11724-4}}).
* Daniel M. Neuman, ''The Life of Music in North India: The Organization of an Artistic Tradition'', University of Chicago Press (Chicago, IL, 1990; {{ISBN|978-0-226-57516-2}}).
* Robert Rodriguez, ''Fab Four FAQ 2.0: The Beatles' Solo Years, 1970–1980'', Backbeat Books (Milwaukee, WI, 2010; {{ISBN|978-1-4165-9093-4}}).
* Ravi Shankar, ''Raga Mala: The Autobiography of Ravi Shankar'', Welcome Rain (New York, NY, 1999; {{ISBN|1-56649-104-5}}).
* ''World Music: The Rough Guide (Volume 2: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific)'', Rough Guides/Penguin (London, 2000; {{ISBN|1-85828-636-0}}).
{{refend}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Maitra, Kamalesh}}
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:Hindustani musicians]]
[[Category:Indian male classical musicians]]
[[Category:Indian drummers]]
[[Category:Indian percussionists]]
[[Category:Hindustani composers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century drummers]]
[[Category:20th-century male musicians]]

Kamalesh Maitra - Revision history

MalissaHoskins at 11:59, 21 April 2026