Reviews
This was almost painfully reflective music, ending, finally, in an exuberant improvisatory interchange with Samir Chatterjee, whose Tabla playing also seemed less percussive than vocal. – The New York Times, 11/10/94.
The superb tabla player Samir Chatterjee joined the conversation in the second movement, pulsing tribute to the legendary Indian violinist L. Subramanium, and the music kicked into high gear, Kurkowicz’s scurrying violin riding Chatterjee’s intricate drumming over Technicolor splashes from the orchestra. Chatterjee’s solo legerdemain foreshadowed a violin cadenza, improvised by Kurkowicz in a slightly disparate Romantic style; an extended give-and-take between the two enthused soloists anchored the finale, framed by a torrential, exuberant tune up by the entire band, propelled by Chatterjee’s rhythmic authority and Kurkowicz’s energy. – Boston Globe (Matthew Guerrieri), October 22nd, 2007 about Swara Yantra of Shirish Korde performed with Boston Philharmonic
Tabla player Pandit Samir Chatterjee is a walking history book when it comes to Indian music. – WNYC (NPR)
This (‘Phoolan Devi Songs’ with Da Capo Chamber Orchestra at Markin Concert Hall) is a colorful, attractive piece, set on a lush, gaudy bed of amplification, aiming at an entertaining stylistic fusion; ….The highlight was the tabla playing of Samir Chatterjee in the final scene, which stood out from the other instruments with the kind of vivid, exciting performance that draws Western composers to a non-western music in the first place. - Anne Midgette, The New York Times, June 8th, 2006
The remarkable tabla virtuoso Chatterjee's playing is rather unique among tabla artists as his impeccable mastery of rhythm is expressed with a rather vocal-like quality. His tabla speaks the patterns, adding a commentary to the rhythm and interplay with the sitar. A fine collaboration. - Allan Evans, Rhythm September 1996
Chatterjee is a good foil for the sarangi virtuoso, as his drumming works in the service of the raga and of Mishra. There is none of the flashy "bird-in-a-bottle" showboating, which has infected much of contemporary tabla drumming. Mr. Chatterjee's solid support and sense of restraint are to be commended. - Richard Henderson, The Beat
Chatterjee, who can sing and then play back the most complex patterns in the manner of great masters, also senses how to highlight more compact, swing-oriented parts through shifts in accents and dynamics. – The Boston Globe, October 16, 1998
Samir Chatterjee gave detailed and forceful Tabla Lahara (solo) in ‘Jahamptal’. The crispness and clarity of his ‘bol’s and balanced synchronization of ‘Tabla’ (the right- hand drum) and ‘Bayan’ (the left-hand drum) made his recital quite enjoyable. – The Statesman, Calcutta, 08/29/87.
Tabaliya Samir Chatterjee made audibly visible those divisional breaths-in-rhythm that is as much music as music itself. His intimate and broadened stretch of motif accentuation, his extemporizations, richly surrounded the dance figures wrought by Jonathan Hollander. Samir’s rhythmic play acted as a continuous narrative, capable of solemn declamation as well as celebration of the human form and of the life-giving elements of nature. – Sruti, March, 1996.
Displaying consummate control and perfection, the artiste (Samir Chatterjee) enthralled the listeners with a very traditional and systematic exposition of ‘Jhamptaal’. Some of the ‘Quidas’ and ‘Tukre’ (types of compositions) were delectable for their intricacy and close finishing. –The Telegraph, Calcutta, September, 1987.
The concert became more enjoyable due to the high quality of accompaniment of Samir Chatterjee on the tabla. The distinct and defined tone of his bols filled the atmosphere with melody. – Anandabazar Patrika, Calcutta, 03/09/90.
The movement inventions were equally unpredictable. Neil Applebaum traded increasingly complex and spontaneous rhythmic patterns with Samir Chatterjee in “Tabla Tap Talk”. – The Washington Post, 8/17/96.
On Blue Incantation, guitarist Sanjoy Mishra’s compositions reveal an intriguing and ingratiating raga influence, underscored by Samir Chatterjee’s tablas throughout most of the album. Their combined sound during “Bach in Time” (based on J.S. Bach’s gavotte and Rondeau from Lute Suite No.3) is fascinating and quite enchanting. – AUDIO, U.S.A., 1996.
Chatterjee uses the Tabla to add an extra melodic touch, rather than remaining limited to a percussive role. – InPittsburg, 09.09.98
SYNC’s first album 'PORT OF ENTRY' does not at all sound effortfully avantgardistic or experimental - as one might have expected of a musician with Ned Rothenberg's background. Rather than that, the eight tracks come across in an explicitly harmonic and relaxed manner; a merit, which we attribute mainly to Samir Chatterjee, whose Tablas provide a percussive basis of an airy, light-footed quality. Rec'order pages - 22.02.99
“Unusual techniques require unusual technicians”. In SYNC’s PORT OF ENTRY Samir Chatterjee weaves his discreet drumming. It is especially the warm-sounding and intimate Tabla-accompaniment by Chatterjee, which fuses differing concepts of Jazz into one term: openness. From the Northern Indian regions Chatterjee brought along that sound which appeals so religiously, but nevertheless - or maybe just because of that feature - adds remarkable accents to the western-urban-oriented music. Jazzthetik Nr. - 01.02.99
And not enough praise can be given to Samir Chatterjee's tabla playing, which supported almost all of the musical material (many sequences, both musical and choreographic, were dubblings of the tabla). - Theodore Bole, bay Windows 05/04/00
‘Seductive drumming of Samir’. – The Morning Call, Allentown, PA, 05/17/95.
Both the artists were accompanied on the Tabla by Samir Chatterjee, who added color to the entire performance. – Daily Bhaskar, Bhopal, 03/18/81.
The glory of the program's first half was Samir Chatterjee's "Rite Rhythm," composed last year for Ethos and Eric Phinney, who is currently studying with the distinguished Indian Tabla player. The work features percussion from all over the world, including Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and America. ... The work had all four players participate in a complex rhythmic dialogue that remained miraculously comprehensive.
