Yogesh Samsi

Yogesh Samsi is one of those rare tabla players whose reputation has been
built on his consummate artistry in both fields of accompaniment and solo
playing. The son of the renowned vocalist Pandit Dinkar Kaikini, Yogesh
Samsi was initiated into tabla by his father at the tender age of four, and later
received guidance under Pandit H.Taranath Rao. However it was under the
gifted tutelage of the legendary Ustad Alla Rakha that Yogesh received
intense training for twenty three years and, matured into a fine young tabla
player.

Yogesh has accompanied almost all the top ranking instrumentalists and
vocalists and dancers of India, including Ustad Vilayat Khan, Pt Dinkar Kaikini,
Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Pt Shivkumar Sharma, Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ustad
Amjad Ali Khan and Pt Birju Maharaj. Apart from accompaniment Yogesh has
performed numerous memorable solo performances in India and abroad. He
has also had the privilege of accompanying his teacher Ustad Alla Rakha and
his son the great maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain in their solo performances.

Besides performing Yogesh has a sound scholastic approach to the subject
and has taken several successful workshops in world music centres in India,
U.S.A, U.K, South Africa and Japan. He is also a highly respected teacher,
creating a syllabus for learning tabla designed specifically for teachers in the
West, an initiative which is sure to have great benefits for the advancement of
tabla worldwide. Yogesh has also worked on an instructional CD-Rom about
tabla which is now available for students.

With the growing influences of modern and fusion music, Yogesh Samsi
strives to keep up his revered Guru's word of preserving the tradition in the
presentation of tabla solo.