Kumar Bose

Bose has produced or performed on over 200 recordings in several genres, while staying true to his classical Indian lineage. The first live international recording of his solo Virtuosity was released through the Darbar festival 2006 in London. The album includes some rare gems from the archives of the Benares repertoire, including the compositions of Ram Sahai, who founded the gharana at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Toward the end of the album, Bose demonstrates one of his specialities: playing a variety of cross rhythms on the dayan with his right hand while simultaneously holding down a fast repetitive beat on the bnaya with his left hand. The Times reviewed the performance, declaring him "the best tabla player in the world today."

In addition to a 10-year exclusive tour as the tabla accompanist to Ravi Shankar from 1984 to 1994, he has performed and composed with musicians globally. Over the past 40 years, he has also performed and recorded in duets with his guru. From the Benaras Gharana, he has played with Girija Devi, Rajan and Sajan Mishra, Kanthe Maharaj, and Kishan Maharaj.

His mother Vidushi Bharati Bose was an eminent sitarist and disciple of the great Ustad Dabir Khan and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan Bharati received several awards in her career, including recognition as an All India Radio Artist and the President's Award for Best Sitar Performance in 1956. She guided her son with the basic forms of classical music and helped him to groom himself into professional tabla player.

Pandit Kumar Bose (Bangla পন্ডিত কুমার বোস), born 4 April 1953, is an Indian tabla maestro and composer of Indian classical music. Bose belongs to the Benaras Gharana style of tabla playing. Having honed his skills under the tutelage of the legendary Pandit Kishan Maharaj, Pandit Bose rose to prominence with his flamboyant performances with Pandit Ravi Shankar. In addition to his musical abilities, Bose is also an awarded sportsman, a carrom champion, and fluently speaks four languages. In a career spanning more than four decades,Pandit Kumar Bose has established himself as one of the leading exponents of the tabla and an internationally recognised face in the world of Indian Classical Music. He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2007.

Bose's first teacher was his father. After his father's untimely death, he was taught by Pandit Kishan Maharaj (1923–2008), a highly respected musician.