Alpha Tango: Bio
Tom Fallat - Composer, drumset and hand percussion, synthesizers, vocals
Tom Fallat began performing as a percussionist at age five. He has appeared as percussionist, singer, keyboardist and performance artist throughout the US. He has been composing since age six and has directed and appeared in many multimedia performances in the Seattle Area, including Five Dances, Summer of Barking, Danses Sacree et Profane, and Gita Govinda. He was a member of the Cornish Percussion Ensemble and member of Gamelan Pacifica for eight years. He toured to Chicago and Minnesota with the international collaboration Visible Religion . Tom received Seattle Arts Commission Individual Artist Awards for music composition in 1987, 1992 and 1994. He has appeared four times at On the Board's Northwest New works festival.
He is also the manager of Sound Sound Recording and Savage Fruitarian Productions. He arranged, recorded and performed on Old Fashioned Marriage, the CD release by Guillermo Castaneda; his first string quartet was premiered by the Salieri Quartet in 1996. He is a member of BMI and has been invited to collaborate with Estonian choreographer Rene Nommik in his home country. He is president and treasurer of the non-profit arts organization Alpha Tango and a performing member of the group of the same name. He has worked as a DJ, music director and station manager in radio and has produced a collection of guided meditations and a collection of erotic limericks.
In addition to singing, Tom plays keyboards, mallets, tympani, Indonesian gamelan instruments, tabla, and drumset. He has played in concert bands, orchestras, gamelan orchestras, experimental performances of many types and has composed and directed numerous full evening performances. He has especially enjoyed creating music for dance, multimedia, and film, including the feature length film 'Spree," by director Rustin Thompson, which has been shown in over 21 countries.
Heidi Drucker - Vocals, lyrics
Heidi Drucker is a singer and performance artist known for her innovative vocal work and movement theater pieces. She has created, directed and performed in her own work and collaborative work for over twenty-five years. Her vocals have contributed to the work of many local musicians, including Mark Barreca, Steve Fisk, and Kenny Mandell. She has created vocal compositions for choreographers including Pat Graney, Joanna Shaw, and Kris Wheeler. Her work has been featured in Earshot Jazz festival, On The Boards Northwest New Works, Bumbershoot, Allegro, Open Marley, etc. She is founder and curator of the Seattle Festival of Alternative Dance and Improvisation (SFADI), now in its 11th year. With Tom Fallat she is founder of the arts organization Alpha Tango. She teaches voice and movement, and has several recordings to her credit.
Vishal Nagar - tabla, padhant
Vishal Nagar is a virtuoso of Tabla, a set of tuned drums that are played in India, Pakistan, and elsewhere in Asia. Born into a family of musicians, he began to play Tabla at a very early age. His initial training was with the late Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan, and he has received additional training from Ustad Shamim Ahmed Khan. He has also received special rhythmic training from his mother, the renowned Urmila Nagar--one of the most famous Kathak dancers and vocalists.
Vishal plays in the style of the Delhi gharana (school), and draws upon techniques of the various other tabla gharanas such as Ajrara and Farukhabad. He has also developed a precise and elegant style of padhant (the recitation of Tabla rhythm patterns) that adds special excitement to his solo performances.
Vishal has been praised in the Indian press for his unique combination of a melodic Tabla sound with a masterful command of rhythm. He is equally acclaimed for his performances as an accompanist of dancers, vocalists and instrumentalists, as well as for his performances as a soloist.
Vishal Nagar
In addition to his mastery of classical Tabla, he has a vast knowledge of the folk rhythms of India and several folk percussion instruments such as nal, dholak, etc. He also has a great understanding of the many special rhythm patterns of Kathak dance and pakhawaj (another Indian popular Indian percussion instrument). During his visits to Seattle in the past few years, Vishal has taught a talented group of Tabla students.
Vishal started his performance career at the age of eight, and despite his young age Vishal has already performed all over India including performances in Calcutta, Jalandhar, Bombay, Gwalior, Patna, Mysore, Jaipur, Lucknow and Delhi. Some of the festivals he has performed at include Jaipur Sangeet Utsav, Lucknow Mahotsav, Harivallabh Sangeet Sammaillen, Mysore Mahotsav and the famous Sahitya Kala Parishad Yuva Mahotsav, to mention a few.
Vishal has also expanded his cultural boundaries and collaborated with musicians from around the world. Some of his memorable works have been with the Ghanaian Guitarist Koo Nimo with whom he appeared in the WOMAD festival. Vishal has also performed in major festivals around the world including performances in Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Thailand and the United States.