Sirishkumar Manji - tabla maestro, composer, musical artist. He is a third generation Indian classical tabla maestro, who was introduced to the tabla at the age of seven by his late father and teacher, Pandit Bhagwanji Manji, a highly gifted vocalist, multi instrumentalist, and a disciple of the great singer Pandit Omkarnath Thakur. His family home was always buzzing with music, a never ending flow of artists came through the door, sharing stories, food and of course playing together.
Sirishkumar has a unique gift for bringing the tabla into diverse musical situations. He has worked with an incredible variety of musical talents and performers, combining Indian classical flavours with jazz, contemporary classical, pop, the avant garde and musical traditions from across world. His open-minded and creative approach has seen him tour world wide, working with some of the brightest talents.
Some of his collaborations and projects include:
• Nitin Sawhney in The Waiting Room National Theatre, • Peer Gynt in National Theatre, • Augustine's Oak in Shakespeare's Globe, • Westminster Cathedral for the Pope and musicians from the Vatican, • E.M. Forster's A Passage To India with Shared Experience • King; An opera in Canterbury Cathedral with Stephen Barlow & Philip Wells • Iranian Persian Sufi singer and musician Davood Azad
Film and TV:
• City of Joy (Ennio Morricone & Richard Blackford) • The Four Feathers with James Horner • Nina Humphries on the soundtrack for BBC2 TV drama, White Girl • Documentary - Monsoon with Andrew T Mackay ( Bombay Dub)
Indian Classical Artists:
• Late Pandit Pratap Narayan • Sri Kankana Bannerjee • Vanijairam • Ustad Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan • Late Ustad Sultan Khan • Late Pandit Maniram • Ustad Ghulam Ali Khan • Late Ustad Salamant Ali Khan • Sri Jayshree Bannerjee • Gurudev Singh • Himadri Bagchi • Ustad Basharat Khan
