Sadanand Naimpalli

Hindustani India tabla

“Sadanand Bhai is one of the finest tabla maestros of our country” – Zakir Hussain

Top Grade Artist

Pandit Sadanand Naimpalli started playing tablas as a small boy in the early sixties being trained since childhood under late Pandit Taranath. Now, more than 40 years later he has become one of the handful tabla players in India to be rated as “Top Grade Artist” by the All India Radio.

Teenage virtuoso

His two albums on Country & Eastern were both recording in 1968 when he was a teenager, both with his guru Pandit Taranath in charge of Sadanand’s solo playing thru his harmonium playing, reciting and general guidance. On the first album CE01 he is joined by his fellow student Mohan Balvalli for an exciting tabla duet in teental before a very knowledgable and enthusiastic audience in a live concert at the Trinity Club in Bombay. The second album CEX02 was recorded the same day at Taranathji’s house and is a solo in Tal Ashta Mangal of eleven beats plus a special Teental recording with very intricate tihais and chakradars.

Maha Tal Yaga and more

In 2017 he released a groundbreaking album, Maha Taal Yaag, where he plays half hour long solos in talas of 7, 8, 9 ,10, 11, 12, 13, 14 , 15 and 16 beats. This album is in MP3 format only. Country & Eastern is happy to assist Sadananji with distributing this album.

On November 20, 2020 Sadanandji has two more albums out, a long tabla solo from his appearance at Aamad Pratishtan in Mumbai on January 5, 2020 and one album where he accompanies Mohi Bahauddin Dagar’s rudra veena on pakhawaj in morning raga Ahir Bhairav, recorded on January 6, 2020.

Artist profiles

Here is a very good artist profile on Sadanand,
and one from December 2018, Sadanand Naimpalli: The Living Encyclopedia of Tabla.

On November 20, 2020 (Sadanandji’s birthday) we are happy to release TWO digital albums where he is featured. On the album Ahir Bhairav he is accompanying Ustad Mohi Bahauddin Dagar on pakhawaj and on the album at Aamad Pratishtan he plays a tabla solo of some 75 minutes.

On October 15 2021 Sadanand has published his third book on tabla. You find it here

Three books on tabla

Tabla G’ths, Parans, Chakkardars is the third book by Pandit Sadanand Naimpalli and contains 600+ G’ths, Parans and Chakkardars from various Gharana’s and masters. These compositions are truly treasure to any Tabla and Pakhawaj players. Sadanand has spent a life time learning and teaching multitudes of students and has published other books which have been best sellers and have always run out at publishing houses. This book is meant for Intermediate and Advance students who have a good grasp of playing Tabla already but want to increase their knowledge of compositions from great masters including authentic compositions of the author himself.

The Musical Journey of Pt Sadanand Naimpalli

In 2022 Pandit Ashok Bellare did this film about his gurubhai Sadanandji:

On december 10, 2010, 43 years after recording CE01 and CEX02 Sadand played a concert at Södra Teatern in Stockholm together with Pandit Nityanand Haldipur, the fabulous flute player.
Swedish daily SvD run a review of the concert (in swedish).

Videos w Sadanandji from Stockholm 2010

the Megandhabar Paran, a famous composition by the great pakhawaj player Kudo Singh Maharaj. It depicts thunder and lightning and was recorded during Sadanandji’s visit to Stockholm in December 2010 and Ajrada Peshkar after Ustad Habibuddin Khan: