Badal Roy Essentials

Born in Bangladesh, percussionist Badal Roy first fell in love with jazz watching Duke Ellington perform at the Metropole Hotel in Karachi. After earning a master's degree in statistics, he moved to the U.S. for his PhD, but fate intervened. While playing tabla at a restaurant with saxophonist Steve Gorn in 1972, he caught the ear of Miles Davis. Roy joined Davis' band, and soon became a go-to tabla player in the jazz scene, accompanying greats like Ornette Coleman. Roy's innate ability and unique musical background made him an ideal sideman to explore the burgeoning sounds of world fusion.