From Chennai Drum Fest. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Seeing six aspiring drummers on stage together at the Chennai Drum Fest reminded me of the 2014 film SprainIt shows how an aspiring jazz drummer is pushed to his limits by his instructor. The film explored the concepts of perfectionism, dedication and success while deconstructing what it means to be ambitious.

The show was conducted by pianist Lydian Nadaswaram, who has played drums at the festival along with renowned percussionists Dave Weckel, Gino Banks, Ilai, Siddharth Nagarajan and Steven Samuel DeVessie.

Steven opened the concert with a brief mridangam solo. Taking cues from that groove, he moved on to his acoustic drums, and unleashed their full potential, using the bass drum (kick drum) extensively.

Siddharth, another young drummer and holder of the Guinness record for most drum beats in one minute (2,109), performed next. He demonstrated the technical complexities with ease. He played an improvised piece with Lydian on keyboards in 9/8-time signature. This was followed by the Western groove, which was played with the left hand using a stick, while the Indian groove was played with the right hand.

Lydians playing nadaswaram drums. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The intricate rhythm patterns of chenda gave a desi flavor to the proceedings. It was interesting to see Sidharth picking a good groove with just the hi-hat cymbal. The next piece in complex 11/8-bar signature again had Lydian at the keyboard. The excellent performance proved Siddharth’s talent.

When Siddharth played the tune of the popular Tamil song ‘Asaiya Kathula Thoodhu Vittu’, the audience responded with applause. One exciting moment was when he just played the kick-drum for about a minute. This was followed by his own composition ‘Rudra’ which was based on a melodious short song (known as Charukesi raga).

The Lydian solo act featured a piece that featured rhythm patterns in different time cycles.

Gino Banks’ solo was marked by control and flow. In addition to playing for some karaoke tracks, Gino’s repertoire also included ‘Spot’, which Lydian composed and played with bass guitarist Aalap Raju for the album. colorful grammar,

Then it was time for 64-year-old American drummer Dave Weckl to perform his performance with drums – snare, hi-hat, kick drum and toms. He presented timeless pieces of the band Chic Korea, of which he was a part. Lydian and Aalap Raju were also with him. Flutist Amritvarshini also joined them.

After Ilai’s solo, all the drummers came together for a six-minute fast jam session.

The first rendition of the Drum Utsav in Chennai was an exciting journey into the world of rhythm.