Lucknow Gharana · Bay Area
Tabla soloist, drummer, and educator bridging classical heritage with modern rhythm innovation.
Initiated at age five by his father, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, and mentored by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. Today he plays a hybrid kit that fuses tabla, drum set, and electronic percussion.
About
Nilan Chaudhuri is a premier next-generation tabla artist, drummer, and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Initiated into Indian classical music at age five by his father, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, he made his solo concert debut at age eleven at the Ali Akbar College of Music, in front of Maestro Ali Akbar Khan.
Over a twenty-year international career he has graced stages including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Fillmore, accompanying legends such as Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Shujaat Khan, and Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya. Drawing on his late cousin Collin Walcott of the jazz-fusion group Oregon, he pioneered a hybrid acoustic and electronic setup built around the tabla, the Western drum set, the Roland HandSonic, and Ableton.
It is his lifelong mission to contribute to the preservation and enrichment of Indian classical percussion.
Hand-carved dayan in seasoned neem, mahogany, and shisham, tuned to exact raga root pitches, with a hand-hammered copper bayan for deep modulating bass.
Intricate Indian rhythmic structures, tihais, layakari, and polyrhythms, transcribed onto kick, snare, toms, and cymbals.
The Roland HandSonic for live hand-triggered sampling, with Ableton Live and Push for sequencing, sub-bass, and melodic raga pads.
Listen and watch
Two decades of recorded work spanning pure classical solo, vocal and instrumental accompaniment, kathak dance, and the electronic crossover that Nilan calls Future Tabla.
Classical solo recitals and demonstrations of the Lucknow gharana repertoire, from kaidas and relas to explosive chakradhars.
02Tabla duets with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, two generations of the same lineage sharing a stage.
03Live electronics and hybrid drum set performances merging traditional bols with modern low-end production.
04Dance accompaniment with the Chitresh Das Institute, plus Passage with sarod player Alam Khan.
Recordings
Open on SoundCloudSelect a track to play it here, or open the full catalogue on SoundCloud.
Press and collaborations
DRUM! Magazine feature
A feature article and interview exploring the technique of Indian classical tabla and how its rhythmic language transfers to the Western drum set, an approach Nilan calls Transtabla.
Nilan’s own electronic and classical fusion concept, merging traditional Lucknow bols and acoustic solos with synth bass and cinematic texture.
An intercultural work with Alam Khan on sarod, Arjun K. Verma on sitar, and the Del Sol String Quartet.
With the Toronto Tabla Ensemble and director Ritesh Das. Nilan co-created Saru Nau, translating tabla compositions onto the Western drum kit.
From the Vignettes EP, a duo recording with Alam Khan on sarod and Nazan Aktas on cello.
Teaching
Nilan teaches throughout the Bay Area and online, covering classical technique, rhythm theory, accompaniment, and hybrid drumming.
Senior faculty and archivist
San Rafael, California
Tabla instruction in the college tradition, alongside the construction of a musical archive spanning forty years of Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri’s work.
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Director of percussion
San Mateo, California
Training students in traditional rhythm, kathak dance accompaniment, and youth ensemble percussion.
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Private instruction
Worldwide
One-on-one and small group mentorship for beginner, intermediate, and advanced percussionists, covering technique, tala theory, and accompaniment.
Request a placeHandmade tabla shop
Hand-selected, master-crafted professional sets and accessories, chosen by Nilan from the workshops of Kolkata’s most prestigious makers.
Every instrument is selected to order. Pricing and availability are confirmed by email.
01
A tuned dayan and heavy copper bayan, with padded velvet covers, cushion rings, a heavy tuning hammer, and a deluxe padded carrying case.
Inquire to order
02
A heavy-gauge spun copper body with a concert-grade puri, built for resonant bass modulation and deep meed.
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03
Dense seasoned wood carved to exact specification, available in multiple diameters and pitch tunings from C through E.
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04
Handcrafted bira rings, velvet drum caps, and brass or steel tuning hammers, available in a range of colourways.
Inquire to orderContact
For concert bookings, festival programming, studio sessions, workshops, or instrument orders, send a note and Nilan will reply directly.