Suphala is a tabla artist, composer, and producer – a protégé of the great tabla masters Ustad Allarakha and Ustad Zakir Hussain. She has been studying music since she was four years old, and found her calling in the tabla, which won her over with its beautiful sound and the freedom of its improvisatory nature. In February 2005, Suphala made history when she became the first musician to play in public in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban. Her latest CD is Blueprint – buy it here: CD Baby, Amazon, MP3.com

I recently had a chance to sit down with her in the GRITtv studio, and we were blessed with in-studio performances.