This article highlights the significance of tassa drumming, a traditional Indian percussion style, particularly in Trinidad & Tobago, where it has become a prominent cultural influence. It focuses on Ustad Lenny Kumar, a fifth-generation tassa drummer and founder of the NGC Trinidad & Tobago Sweet Tassa International band, who has played a pivotal role in promoting tassa globally. Kumar has not only performed and organized musical groups but also engaged in instrument engineering, teaching, and publishing the first tassa sheet music book. The band is recognized as a cultural ambassador, traveling worldwide and connecting traditional Indian rhythms with contemporary audiences, thereby elevating tassa’s prominence on the global stage. Additionally, the article discusses recent innovations in tassa drum manufacturing, including the adoption of stronger materials and modern tuning systems to enhance durability and performance.

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“Tassa” is a percussion style found in India and within the East Indian diaspora in various parts of the world. The ensemble consists of kettle drums accompanied by cylindrical bass drums and brass cymbals. Although various Indian communities worldwide may include tassa as part of their cultural celebrations, no other country in the world can boast of tassa’s popularity, advancement, and preeminence than the islands of Trinidad & Tobago. 

During the mid-19th century, the British colonialists introduced “indentured” labor to various countries. Most of that indentured labor came from India. The British West Indies was a primary destination for this labor and, as a result, countries like Jamaica, Guyana, Belize, and especially Trinidad & Tobago received a sizeable population of East Indians until the early 20th century, when indentured labor was abolished. Little did many know that East Indians would influence West Indian culture to what it is today. 

Aside from cuisine and fashion, Indian music in Trinidad plays a heavy part in local culture like a flourished tree, and a fruit of that tree is tassa drumming. Traditionally, the kettle drums were made of clay and goatskin, the bass drum made of wood and goatskin, and the cymbals made of brass. Prior to a performance, the skin of the kettle drums was required to be heated for expansion to achieve the proper tone. However, within the past 30 years, advancements were made to adopt stronger materials (e.g., metal), synthetic skins, and a nut-and-bolt tuning system; this adoption allowed for convenience, durability, and longevity in performing. The majority of the Trinidadian tassa bands of today utilize this system, although this innovation was already adopted in India in the early to mid-20th century. 

There are many tassa bands in Trinidad, but the band that honors itself as the global ambassador for tassa drumming is the NGC Trinidad & Tobago Sweet Tassa International band. This band was founded by Ustad Lenny Kumar, HBM, a professional tassa drummer with over 50 years of experience. Kumar is a fifth-generation tassa drummer, coming from a rare musical bloodline similar to that of the late tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussein. Kumar started training at the age of five and became a professional player by the age of eight. His youth drumming skills afforded him a well-earned reputation as a local musical prodigy, playing alongside his father and many local professionals. As the years went by, Kumar, his father, and his siblings had a family-based tassa band, which won numerous awards. 

Fast-forward to the early 2000s: Kumar started to envision tassa on a global rather than local scale. Starting from scratch with his daughter on cymbals and a friend on bass drum, humble beginnings brought this band into inception. Today the band consists of a senior group (in which Kumar is the lead drummer), the first-ever all-female band, in which two of the members are his own daughters, a junior section, an academy, and a U.S.-based group located in the greater Tampa Bay region of Florida. 

NGC Trinidad & Tobago Sweet Tassa doesn’t function only as a band, but as an organization. Kumar has traveled the world showcasing tassa in countries like Poland, Italy, India, and Germany. In addition to performances, he conducted discourses at the University of Florida, Indiana University in both Bloomington and Indianapolis, and Northern Illinois University, to name a few. 

Aside from performing, teaching, and lecturing, Kumar also specializes in engineering and manufacturing the ensemble’s instruments for personal use and purchase. Kumar and the band have also made a historical breakthrough, publishing the first ever sheet-music book for tassa (soon to be released), which will allow musicians/percussionists from all over the world to learn the rhythms. 

In 2022, the Office of the President of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago awarded Kumar with the rare Hummingbird Gold Medal, which is the highest rank, due to his lifelong contributions to the tassa artform. 

Kumar and the band are no strangers to PASIC, as he and the Florida crew attended and performed at PASIC 2011 along with steel pan maestro Liam Teague and the Steel Pan Orchestra. The band also attended and performed at PAS Days of Percussion at the University of South Florida and West Virginia University. They also attended PASIC 2013, by conducting a clinic and masterclass. 

NGC Trinidad & Tobago Sweet Tassa International credits itself with becoming the first tassa group ever to get involved with PAS, as well as attending and performing at PASIC. The band is honored and excited to perform and connect with many at PASIC50. 

For more information, visit www.sweettassaedu.com/about.