Kathmandu:

This should be one unprecedented evening of electric musical gigs, as the mavens of Western music meet the traditional musicians.

As the organisers like to put it “never has the astounding ensemble of Nepali drums been introduced in a musical progarmme before. It would be an evening filled with the rhythms of Nepali folk musical instruments that blends with the high-voltage sounds of the Western instruments.”

With the pantheon of popular musicians from Nirakar on bass, Mariano on saxophone, Yuvraj on guitar, Bimal Gurung on guitar to Sanjay Shrestha on drums, one can’t expect less than a stellar performance.

But what makes the event stand apart from other concerts is that for the first time the ‘Folk and Funk: Rhythms of Nepal’ will also feature Nepali instruments Dhime, Khe, Madal, Dholak and Tabla.

Says Nirakar of Stupa band, “This event is being organised to promote Nepali drums as an international instrument, and therefore most of the teams have been chosen from the indigenous group who’ve been playing the instrument for generations now. It’s also to show that Nepali instruments can be played along with funk and jazz outfits.”

The Dhime team will comprise Surendra Maharjan, Ramesh Dongol, Baburaja Maharjan. Also accompanying them will be a team from Gyanodaya school. And to create a whacko effect, an ensemble of students will also play plastic buckets. Screening of a short documentary will follow the performance on Nepali drums and a live exhibition where the drum-makers will flaunt their drum-making skills.

The Folk and Funk, Rhythms will be held at the Yala Maya Kendra from 3:00 pm onwards on December 2. The ticket for the event is priced at Rs 399 each; call ???.