OBV Profile: Trilok Gurtu

Trilok Gurtu was born in Mumbai, India on 30th October 1951. Being born into a highly musical family, where his grandfather was a sitar player and his mother Shobha Gurtu was a classical singing star, he was influenced by great music at a very young age.

From starting to play instruments at age of six to worldwide tours, Trilok's talent never went unnoticed. His burning sense of rhythm and his collaboration with the Indian musical society has led him to become a world class virtuoso percussionist.

He began to play the Western Drum kit in the 1970s, and his interest in Jazz music started here. He was known for his unique way of playing the drums including playing, without a drum stool, in a half-kneeling position on the floor, and the use of an unconventional kick drum that resembles a large drum head with a kick-pedal, and a mix of Tablas and western drums.

Over the years Trilok has collaborated with a number of amazing artists like Joe Zawinul, Jan Garbarek, Don Cherry and many more. This all began with John McLaughlin, where Trilok was part of his trio, and flourished as a featured soloist for four years.

In 1988, Trilok performed with his own group finally being able to showcase his own compositions in his debut album ‘Usfret’, which many young musicians see as a great influence. Young British musicians like Talvin Singh, Asian Dub Foundation and Nitin Sawhney see Trilok as an icon, and his compositions have worked their way towards club culture over the years.

In 1993, Trilok toured with his own trio across the globe in support of the album ‘The crazy Saints’. Audiences were captivated by his compositions that linked modern day jazz and rock, with subtle Indian rhymes and singing.

His tours continued across the globe, and in 1996, The Glimpse was formed which linked back to India’s timeless acoustic traditions, and by the millennium they were appearing in festivals all over the world, where he performed alongside a number of major artists including Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton.

Working with other artists lead to Trilok entering a distinctive World Music setting, where his music enthralled the audience as he allowed guest singers like Neneh Cherry, Salif Keita, Angelique Kidjo and Oumou Sangare to display their talents in Trilok’s compositions.

Trilok has continued to this day to share his love for music, and has been part of a number of groups and collaborations. With over 30 solo and collaborated albums released in his career, Trilok shows no sign of retiring, still performing his beautiful compositions. He has won a number of awards and accolades for his work over the years and has left a legacy on a generation of young musicians.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7hCGbq2zu4

Roshni Vekereya