Mastering the Beat
SSinging with classical vocalist Girija Devi to jamming with Kolkata guitar veteran Amyt Datta—drummer and percussionist Sambit Chatterjee had already experienced quite a bit by the time he was in school. Born to tabla artist Subhen Chatterjee and vocalist Sutapa Chatterjee, Sambit grew up in a fusion environment.
Sambit was trained in the Lucknow gharana of tabla, but around the time he started college, he began experimenting with drums, guitar, keyboard and bass as he entered Kolkata’s rock circuit. “In a band, everyone comes to jam at the drummer’s house and since people are usually lazy about carting their instruments back and forth, they would want to leave them behind and I’d only encourage them,” he says. It allowed Sambit to try his hand at a variety of instruments.
After about a decade of intense riyaaz, Sambit, who now lives in Mumbai, had become one of the most sought after drummers. Shifting to Mumbai proved to be a great career move for him since it brought him to the attention of different bands. “Any time someone needed a drummer, they would say, ‘Oh Sambit can help us’,” he says. In addition to having toured with his father’s band, Bandish Fusion, Sambit has played with bands like What Escapes Me and Alluri, and with artists like Tajdar Junaid, Mohini Dey and Rhythm Shaw, among others.
In early 2018, Sambit also got an opportunity to travel with British-Indian fusion artist Susheela Raman and her multinational ensemble to play at the Commonwealth Games held in Australia. Chatterjee also ended the year on a high as he not only watched one of his formative influences, American rock band Switchfoot, play in Kolkata, but joined them on stage. He played tabla to their song Where I Belong. “Jon (Foreman, vocalist) said it didn’t seem like it was the first time I was meeting them. That was really overwhelming,” recalls Sambit.
2019 seems to be shaping up well too. He recently released a new song, In Sanity, with What Escapes Me and will be touring with Rishabh Seen’s project Sitar Metal and experimental metal band Noiseware. He will also occasionally join post-rock band As we keep searching and rapper DIVINE. “Everyone’s given me the kind of love where they ask me what I can bring to the table, rather than saying, ‘the table is set’. It’s not like I’m living a luxurious life, but I’m able to sustain myself and my needs, which is what I want,” says Sambit.
—Anurag Tagat