Tabla Artist Ty Burhoe - Welcome to the Musical Universe

Welcome

The vision behind this web site is to provide information not just on Ty and the tabla, but the eclectic community of people with whom he works. You will find not only musicians, but yoga instructors, dancers, actors, film makers, painters, philosophers, and much more on the community links page. Ty has always been involved in bringing together the many faces of the arts and would like this site to serve as an expanding resource for those interested in participating with, as well as supportin®g the interweaving of the arts.

Ty's record company, Tala Records, presents projects with many of the artists featured on this site. CDs and MP3s are available in our store. The pages in this site will be augmented and updated on a regular basis, such as the Events page and Ty's Diary. So, check in often and feel free to Contact Ty with any questions.

SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Ty Burhoe has been a disciple of the great tabla maestro, Ustad Zakir Hussain, since1990. From that time forward, Ty has been wholly dedicated to music as a career and as a spiritual path. Ty is known for his inspired accompaniment and uplifting presence in both classical and in fusion settings. He is internationally recognized for being instrumental in creating unique collaborations that weave tabla with other world traditions. He has become well known not only for his talents as a tabla player, but also for his extensive experience as a recording engineer and live concert producer. He has been featured on many soundtracks for film and DVD, including the academy award winning documentary, "Born into Brothels." In 2004 Ty opened the Indie record label “Tala Records" which features many of his collaborations.

Ty works with a broad range of artists including Ustad Zakir Hussain, Art Lande, Krishna Das, Kala Ramnath, Curandero (Miguel Espinoza), Ustad Sultan Khan, Bela Fleck, Walter Becker (Steely Dan), Bruce Dunlap, Kai Eckhardt, Steve Gorn, Mamadou Diabate, Rick Alan (Def Leppard), Howard Levy, Kitaro, Bill Dougals, Jon Anderson (Yes) and many more. Ty has performed in prestigious halls all around the world including Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House and Royal Festival Hall in London. On the side, he is the tour assistant for his teacher Zakir Hussain, touring, producing and managing concerts worldwide. Ty also teaches “Sound & Spirit” workshops focused on the spiritual nature of sound, as well as tabla intensives throughout the world.

LONGER BIOGRAPHY (bottom of this page)

Below is a list of a few of the artists with whom Ty has worked:

Classical Indian:
Ustad Zakir Hussain (tabla)
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma (santoor)
Ustad Sultan Khan (sarangi)
Kala Ramnath (violin)
Ragunath Seth (bansuri)
Shubhendra Roa (sitar)
Steve Oda (sarode)
Roshan Jamal Bhartiya (sitar)
Ken Zukerman (sarode)
Steve Gorn (bansuri)
Taro Terahara (bansuri)
U-zhaan (Tabla)
Suphala Patankar (Tabla)
Pandit Vinayak Torvi (vocal)
Vinata Gangolli (vocal)
Nayan Ghosh (sitar/tabla)
Alan Posselt (sitar)
Nirmala Raja Sekar (veena)
Jai Uttal (vocal)
David Trasoff (sarode)
David Wetstone (sitar)
Bruce Hamm (sarode)
Alan Miner (sitar)
Jay Shankar (violin)
Nirmala Paratasarathy (veena)

Jazz:
Art Lande (piano)
Kai Eckhardt (bass)
McCandless (oboe, sax)
Yukihiro Atsumi (guitar)
Bruce Dunlap (guitar)
Johannes Weidenmuller (bass)
Howard Levy (harmonica/piano)
Bill Douglas (piano)
James Newton (flute)
Anthony Cox (double bass)
Dean Peer (bass)
Mark Miller (flute/sax)
Greg Laliberte (flute/oboe/sax)
Konkie Halmeyer (pan steel)
Dick De Graaf (sax)

Dance:
Raga Mala Dance Theater (Bharatanatyam Dance)
Sarala Dandekar (Odissi Dance)
Akari Ueoka (Izanai Yosakoi Dance)
Antonia Minnecola (Kathak Dance)

Yoga:
Richard Freeman (Ashtanga Yoga)
John Friend (Anusara Yoga)
Amy Ippoliti (Anusara Yoga)
Duncan Peak (Power Living Yoga)
Duncan Wong (Urban Yoga)
Mitchel Bleier (Anusara Yoga)
Ken Harakuma (Ashtanga Yoga)
Noriko Takei (Shivananda Yoga)

Folk/Rock/Bluegrass:
Walter Becker (Steely Dan)
Rick Alan (Def Leppard)
Steve Smith (Vital Information/Journey)
Bela Fleck (banjo)
Keller Williams
Tony Furtado (slide guitar/banjo)
String Cheese Incident (cool band)
Peter Rowan (vocal/guitar)
Charles Satrel (vocal/guitar)
Jon Anderson (singer from “Yes”)
Leni Stern (vocal/electric guitar)
Left Over Salmon (another cool band)
Sally Van Meter (peddle steel/dobro)
Myron Dove (bass) Sandra Wong (violin etc...)
Dominick Leslie (mandolin)
Jamie Stone (banjo)

World:
Roger Tallroth (Vasen - guitars)
Abbos Kosimov (doyra - frame drum)
Yutaka Oyama (shamisen)
Akihisa Kominato (shakuhachi)
Tina Malia (vocal)
Curandero ( Miguel Espinoza)
Donna DeLory (vocal)
Cameron Stone (cello)
R. Carlos Nakai (Native American flute)
Kitaro (New Age)
Mamadou Diabate (West African kora)
Geoff Johns (African drums)
Jesse Manno (Middle Eastern/world)
Krishna Das (devotional chant)
Beth Quist (vocal)
Gao Hung (Chinese pipa)
Gume Monks (Tibetan singing)
Danny Heines (guitar)
Nawang Khechog (Tibetan flute/chant)
John McDowel (African drums/piano)
David Hykes (overtone singing)
Tuvan Throat Singers
Deva Premal (devotional chant)
David Nichtern (guitar)
Peter Kater (piano)
George Brooks (Sax)
David Darling (Cello)
Benjy & Heather Wertheimer (Kirtan)
Wah (Kirtan)
Sham Das (Kirtan)
David Stringer (Kirtan)
Yoshio Kurahashi (Shakuhachi)

Spiritual:
Ram Dass (Spiritual author/teacher)
Sharon Salzberg (Buddist author/teacher)
Douglas Brooks (Tantric Philosopher)

Poetics:
Coleman Barks (poet)
Andrew Harvey (poet)
Ann Waldman (poet)

EXTENDED BIOGRAPHY

Ty Burhoe was born in Massachusetts USA, and was raised in Chicago. From the age of six, Ty's training in the arts was supported by his father Brian Burhoe, a performing classical musician. His studies included violin, trombone, guitar, and voice, as well as an intensive focus on sculpting and painting. He had a deep love for the outdoors and the many faceted arts of fishing, camping, and outdoor survival, which kept him immersed in nature for most of his younger years. In high school Ty became involved in Gymnastics and by age 18 was sought after by several universities as a competitive gymnast.

However, Ty had also been working as a lakes and grounds manager for a Forest Preserve over the previous 10 years and took a scholarship to become a Wildlife Biologist at the University of Montana. For the next several years, Ty worked as a Wildlife Biologist for BLM, Forest Service, Fish and Game Service, and the Border Grizzly Project. Throughout this period Ty learned the arts of tracking and collaring Grizzly Bears, repopulation research for the beaver in NW Montana, and other skills related to protecting the Osprey, Mountain Lion, and back-country survival. During that time Ty began an apprenticeship with a Native American Cree Elder (medicine man). His apprenticeship continued for over 11 years, and included a wide array of ceremonies ranging from Sweat Lodge and Pipe to Vision Quest and Sundance. The experiences and ceremonies born from that time continue to be a deeply transforming force in his life.

In his early 20's Ty moved to the mountains of Boulder, Colorado to raise his son as a single father and complete a college degree in Cognitive Studies, Counseling, and Martial Arts (Aikido) at the Naropa University. His mentor and main Aikido teacher, Bob Wing, helped him develop an inclusive attitude towards all of his many interests, and music naturally arose. Ty felt that his weakest talent was rhythm and with the help of his first drum teacher, Geoff Johns, he happened across the tabla while listening to the band Shakti. Ty was already in an Afro-Cuban dance band and in a Balinese ensemble but after hearing the sound of the tabla, there was no mistaking the connection. It was the perfect combination of melody and intense rhythm. For the next year Ty learned tabla basics from Geoff Johns, tabla composition from Jeffery Rodgers (student of Ustad Alla Rakha & Zakir Hussain), and instrumental accompaniment from sarode player David Trasoff (disciple of the great Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and the one responsible for arranging Ty's first meeting with Zakir).

In 1990, Ty was introduced to the great tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain and there was an immediate recognition of an unusually deep connection. Ty would drive 1,400 miles on a regular basis for his one hour lessons, then turn around, and drive home. Over the next five years, Ty lived in an old mountain cabin continuing his Native American studies, deepening his tabla practice, and raising his son Shaun. Ty began recording and performing right from the beginning out of sheer enthusiasm, and any artistic situation was free game, poetics, dance, parties, restaurants, and music of any kind. Ty was blessed to meet his main Gurubhai (co-student), Dr. Michael Lewis, in 1991. Michael had been a tabla student of Zakir Hussain and Alla Rakha since the 1970's. Whenever Ty was in California studying, Michael invited him into his home and generously shared his knowledge of tabla and openhearted vision of music. In 1994 Ty began producing concerts so that he could host Zakir in his home town, Boulder CO. Ty learned concert production on his own, in other words "the school of hard knocks" (it is a very difficult business.) Despite many losses, he continued producing world music concerts for other artists as well as Zakir, because of his desire to be surrounded with the music he loved as well as to learn all the subtle details of the business. So finally in 2004, after 11 years of producing, Ty opened "Tala Records". This home-spun company is focused on producing CDs, projects and tours presented by the many artists with whom Ty is involved.

There are a couple of other key teachers that Ty has had the honor of studying and playing with. The brilliant improvisational pianist, Art Lande, has been one of Ty's dearest and most profound influences. They have worked together since 1992, exploring the nature of improvisation, expression and collaboration. Ustad Sultan Khan accepted Ty as a student of sarangi (a beautiful 38-stringed, bowed instrument) in 1994 and their relationship has had a deep impact upon his understanding of not only Indian Classical music, but of the deeper spiritual experience of sound (Nada). Ty has had the honor of playing Sarangi to accompany many tabla solo concerts including; Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, Anaradha Pal and Katak dance with his own Guru, Zakir Hussain, and Antonia Minnecola. Another important figure in Ty's training has been Pandit Anindo Chatterjee. Ty began producing and hosting Mr. Chatterjee around 1998 and (with his Guru's permission) spent some intensive time studying tabla over several years.

In the last ten years, Ty has begun touring more frequently with various artists and is on the road up to 70% of the year. He is also the North American tour assistant for his teacher, Zakir Hussain; a versatile job involving concert production; stage management; sound board engineering; light design and operation; repairing/maintaining instruments, playing tamboura; managing the artists and much more.
Ty also designs specialized hand drums, percussion racks and instrument tour cases for various artists including Zakir Hussain, Anindo Chatterjee, Vikku Vinayakram etc.. Ty has also been developing rhythm and sound workshops which include elements of "Nada Yoga" as well as relationship development, nueralogical theraputics and musical training. He offers these workshops in most of the countries he tour in; Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Costa Rica, Mexico, Italy, Holland, Spain etc. In his infrequent spare time, Ty designs custom tunable frame drums, special drum kits used by Zakir Hussain for Shakti, Planet Drum, Global Drum Project, Charles Lloyd, Bela Fleck etc... as well as his own Jazz related collaborations with Art Lande, Johannes Weidenmuller, Bruce Dunlap and others. Ty currently lives parttime in Boulder Colorado, part time in Maui Hawaii and part time in Japan.