My Compelling Story

Pandit Yogesh Samsi is a professional instrumentalist based out of the finance capital of India, Mumbai. His training in tabla was initiated by his father at the tender age of four, and later received guidance under Pandit H Taranath Rao. However, it was under the able tutorship of the legendary Ustad Alla Rakha that Yogesh received intense training for 23 years, and matured into an excellent young tabla player. Yogesh has accompanied almost all the top ranking instrumentalists, dancers, and vocalists of India, including Pt Dinkar Kaikini, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Pt Shivkumar Sharma, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, and Pt Birju Maharaj. Apart from accompaniment, Yogesh has performed many memorable solo performances in India and abroad. He has also had the privilege of accompanying Ustad Alla Rakha, his teacher, and his son, the great maestro, Ustad Zakir Hussain, in their solo performances. Besides performing, Yogesh has a flawless scholastic approach to the subject and has taken several successful seminars in world music centres in India, South Africa, UK, USA, and Japan. He is also a highly respected teacher, creating a syllabus for learning tabla designed particularly for teachers in the West, an initiative which is sure to have significant benefits for the elevation of tabla worldwide. Yogesh has also worked on an instructional CD about tabla which is now available for students. With the growing influences of fusion and modern music, Yogesh Samsi strives to keep up his revered Guru's word of conserving the tradition in the presentation of tabla solo.