Tabla Ecstacy is set to perform on October 6 at 8 p.m.

 The ensemble distils the age-old spirit and practice of tabla into a high-energy, highly accessible evening that reveals the instrument's true joys

 "Our only goal is to present Indian classical music in a contemporary language that can be enjoyed by more people," said Rushi Vakil, performer and group leader. "The language of tabla is really graceful, full of different tempos, energies and emotions. All the shades of music can be found in it."

 Tabla Ecstasy is the brainchild of Pandit Divyang Vakil, a tabla maestro and master teacher who gave up a successful performance career to dedicate himself to guiding students and composing music.

 The son of a philosopher and a Montessori-influenced teacher, Vakil, affectionately and respectfully known as "Guruji," began playing tabla at age three and takes an unorthodox approach to his tradition and his teaching. In an unusual move, he studied with masters from three different gharana, or lineages, drawing on each in shaping his own direction.

 The intensity and generosity of the quartet keep to the spirit of Indian classical music. Each concert moves between rousing peaks and slower, smooth meditative passages not usually associated with percussion.

 It's not uncommon to catch audience members - from teenage hipsters to cosmopolitan professionals - bopping along to the pulse, or in tears or in awe after the hour-and-a-half-long journey through different tempos and timbres.

 "People don't expect the feelings involved, perhaps because they don't think rhythm can do the same things emotionally as melody," said accompanying artist Heena Patel. "As Guruji tells us, you smooth out the edges and perfect the contours, otherwise it's just drumming. You have to make music out of the instruments."