Anil Bhagwat

About

Anil Bhagwat was an Indian tabla player, resident in London, and member of the Asian Music Circle (AMC). He was invited to play table on George Harrison’s “Love You To“, released on the “Revolver” album in 1966.

The session came out of the blue. A chap called Angardi called me and asked if I was free that evening to work with George. I didn’t know who he meant — he didn’t say it was Harrison. It was only when a Rolls Royce came to pick me up that I realised I’d be playing on a Beatles session. When I arrived at Abbey Road, there were girls everywhere with Thermos flasks, cakes, sandwiches, waiting for the Beatles to come out.

George told me what he wanted and I tuned the tabla with him. He suggested I play something in the Ravi Shankar style, 16-beats, though he agreed that I should improvise. Indian music is all improvisation. I was very lucky, they put my name on the record sleeve. I’m really proud of that, they were the greatest ever and my name is on the sleeve. It was one of the most exciting times of my life.

Anil Bhagwat – From The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn, 2004

Last updated on October 2, 2022