Veteran percussionists Bickram Ghosh and Taufiq Qureshi on their new album, and musical journeys

Bickram Ghosh (on tabla) and Taufiq Qureshi (on djembe) perform the track Thumak from their new studio album RamTa

Friendships are often built over common likes or dislikes. For maestros Taufiq Qureshi and Bickram Ghosh, it was the rhythm that drew them together. Born into legendary musical families that shaped their interests, they both sought out an inimitable style. Their latest, and surprisingly first-ever collaborative album, RamTa, released earlier this week is emblematic of this journey.

As for the long delay, Qureshi laughs as he recalls the line from the 1970s camp classic, Padosan, saying, "Jo jo jab jab hona hai, so so tab tab hota hai [Things happen when they have to happen]." The humour is a common theme between the two percussion artistes. Ghosh remarks, "I had wanted to do a percussion album for a long time. I popped the question, so to say. We not only had our legacies behind us, substantial and intimidating to us even today, but are also coming to the album with refined sonic sensibilities."

A behind-the-scenes moment from a music video for the album

These sensibilities are on full display in the album of six tracks. From fusion influences in The Mystic Tribe to the pop-synth elements in Grooving Fives, and breath work in the aptly named Dum (A capella), the album feels spontaneous and radical. Both composers find new cadences and flows as they experiment with rhythms.

Explaining the process, Qureshi says, "It is a creative and instinctive approach where I set a rhythm, and he builds on it." One of the forms is the use of cheek tapping. "We are not just using the form, but adapting it to an Indian idiom. Listen carefully, and you might hear us playing korvais," Ghosh points out.

If it sounds like two friends playing around, it is not far from the truth. "RamTa itself refers to playfulness. It is also a pun on our names that Taufiq bhai came up with - Ram from Bickram and Ta from Taufiq," he laughs. Yet, there is a thoughtful construction that emerges through the compositions.

This rapport is not new. It was in 2001 that their first collaboration took place. "I was performing at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London. I was performing, but not having fun. If that makes sense," Qureshi recalls. This did not escape the attention of Ghosh and a fellow tabla player who were in attendance that evening. "I was in a leather jacket and denim jeans. We walked up, and asked if we could join in. The audience was surprised; perhaps, even shocked, but it was such fun, then onwards," laughs Ghosh at the memory.

This instinctive understanding requires time, they say. "I suppose the album is a culmination of 30 years of our work," Qureshi says. While he calls it ‘instinctive', Ghosh remarks, "Instinct is but a lot of information that is stored, and acted upon. We couldn't have done this without our years of groundwork." With a long tour heading out to Bengaluru, the duo seems to be set on enjoying themselves more.

Available RamTa on Spotify; Apple Music

Moving on, in Zakir bhai's memory

While the album is a fun memory, Zakir bhai's loss is a vacuum that will never be filled. He has left such a mark on everyone that you will see a Zakir bhai everywhere - in his style, musical influence, rhythms or even creative nature. Yet, he would not want any of us to wallow in memory. I had this thought some time ago, and it keeps returning to me, where he [Zakir bhai] keeps telling me ‘Get a move on'. That was his way. If there was a rhythm or a topic we were stuck on, he would tell us to move on. This album has come at a time when he was trying to tell us both, get a move on guys.

Taufiq Qureshi