Tabla for Two

Tabla for Two plays at the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building on Sunday 29 November, part of Music at Oxford's International Concert Series. The evening is called Kalyaan-ish and sits within the 'Music and Dance: The Culture of South Asia' strand, which looks at Indian music across different styles. It's a long set that works its way from semi-classical and classical genres through to jazzy and fusion pieces, with the full ensemble coming together as the night goes on.

The programme pairs Raag Yaman — presented in alaap, semi-classical and drut khyaal — with a run of jazz standards: A Night in Tunisia, Gloria's Step, Aj Shara, Nature Boy and Take the A Train. It's a wide stretch of ground to cover in one sitting, and the set moves from the classical roots of the raag into those better-known jazz lines.

There are eight musicians on stage. Isher Singh is on tabla, with Israt Jahan and Trina Banerjee on vocals. Alfred Kelsey is on piano, Anya Rudman on drums, Evan Roberts on trumpet, Franco Lopez on bass guitar and Varun Varma on electric guitar. The evening is presented by Music at Oxford, the city's International Concert Series, which describes its work as 'changing, enriching and connecting lives through music'. Now in its 41st season, the series moved into the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building at St Hilda's College in 2025.

The concert starts at 8pm and runs until around 9.45pm. Tickets are £26 full price and £13 concession, or £23 and £11.50 if you book in advance. The venue is the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building at St Hilda's College, Cowley Place, Oxford OX4 1DY.