Jay has been taking systematic training of Indian classical percussion, on the Tabla, since the age of 4. He initially learnt the ‘Ajraadaa style of Tabla’ under the guidance of Sri Divyang Vakil, a disciple of Ustad Allahrakha Khan. At the age of 9, he started learning the ‘Banaaras style of Tabla’ under the tutelage of Pt. Nandan Mehta and Pt. Pooran Maharaj, both disciples of the Padma Vibhushan maestro Pt. Kishan Maharaj.
Jay has won numerous awards in percussion in India and has performed with respected artists such as the Grammy Award winner Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Smt. Manju Mehta, both disciples of Pt. Ravi Shankar. He has performed at prestigious Indian classical music concerts such as the Saptak Festival, Pt.Jasraj Concert, Pt. Omkarnath Thakur Competition, etc. Jay has performed in front of great maestros such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pt. Raajan and Saajan Mishra, Pt. Kumar Bose, Pt. Kishan Maharaj, and more.
With 23 years of dedication behind him, Jay moved to Adelaide, where he has become one of Australia’s leading exponents of Indian percussion, mainly the Tabla. He performs with different styles of music, be it Indian classical,fusion, or sufi style. Australia-wide, he has performed with renowned local as well as international artists, namely the vocalist Devapriya Adhikari and the sitarist Samanvay Sarkar, both disciples of Smt. Girija Devi, the famous classical singer who has been awarded the Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan accolades, Alan Posselt, the Australia-based sitarist, the Dya Singh group,and more.
For more information on Jay, please visit www.jaydabgar.com