Live in San Francisco at Stern Grove
What do you get when you mix tablas and turntables? One answer isTabla Beat Science. This  double-CD live effort proves that Indian classical and modern electronic-based  music can cohabitate, particularly when the talented likes of tabla greatZakir Hussainand sarangi  playerUstad Sultan Khan(both  exponents of Indian classical music) combine with bassistBill Laswell, drummerKarsh Kale(both involved in  modern world music fusions), and several other guests. Laswell is an expert at  organizing these kinds of musical mash-ups, but he's done something special  here: his dubby bass lines sound great next to  hyperpercussive tabla beats, and the voices of Khan and rising Ethiopian sirenGigimeld together particularly  well on such tracks as "Nafeken" and "Mengedege." The tunes here are more  jam-oriented than on the group's studio albumTala Matrix, but this  only further illuminates the trancelike quality that brings these different  schools together.Live in San Francisco at Stern Groveis a prime example  of what can be accomplished with an open mind and formidable musical skills.--Tad Hendrickson