It’s not everyday that you get to see a concert that features Hungary-born, multiple Grammy-winning banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck, classical upright legend Edgar Meyer, sensational Latin-jazz drummer Antonio Sanchez and Ustad Zakir Hussain on tabla — on stage together, making music on the go. This year’s edition of the Homage To Abbaji concert, Hussain’s annual tribute to his father, the Late Ustad Allarakha, on his death anniversary, offered Mumbai a rare chance to witness magic from this stellar cast.

The marathon concert, organised by Reliance and HSBC in association with Ustad Allarakha Institute of Music, spanned 16 hours — from 6am to 10pm — at Shanmukhananda Auditorium, Sion. It also hosted performances by drummers Ranjit Barot and Sivamani, mrudangam virtuoso Shridhar, Carnatic violinist Kala Ram Nath and up-and-coming sitar player Niladri Kumar.

A treat for musicians and listeners alike, the concert was especially a drummer’s delight. One of the primary reasons for this was three-time Grammy winner and Mexico City-native Antonio Sanchez, widely known for his work with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny and pianists Chick Correa and Danilo Perez. Known as an incredibly musical player, Sanchez indulged a primary audience of drummers — most of whom were Hussain and his brother Taufiq Qureshi’s students — in his afternoon performance for over one-and-a-half hours.

There were surprises in store, as the Afro-Cuban master began his performance that stretched boundaries of breakbeat /drum’’bass playing for the first 30 minutes. He egged on an audience full of drummers to clap and then played with their time, almost testing it as he broke down tempos, hinted at melodic motifs and even tehais and finally built it all up in a solid groove. Playing solo, Sanchez’s music truly sounded like a conversation with the drumset — a testimonial to his reputation as a master melodic drummer.

It was only after delivering this set did Sanchez move on to a more Latin-tinged piece, playing dazzling patterns around the drums that has always wowed audiences around the world. It had a similar effect on the sparse afternoon gathering, bringing drummers in the throng to the edge of their seats. At the end of this brilliant performance, Hussain — that’s right, Ustad Zakir Hussain — bowed to Sanchez.

“What I just played takes in traditions of jazz and Afro-Cuban music and a little of your traditions as well. It’s an honour to be invited by a legend like Ustad Zakir Hussain to play. I’ve also never been this nervous in my entire life, knowing that every third person here is a drummer,” smiled Sanchez.

If the day’s session saw a half-empty auditorium with primarily musicians in the audience, the evening was a different story. Almost the whole of Mumbai’s jazz fraternity trooped down to Sion, resulting in a full house.

The evening commenced with the trio of Bela Fleck, Hussain and Edgar Meyer creating onstage magic. The Ustad presented a sterling performance, demonstrating how the tabla can blend in seamlessly with any given instrument and how he remains the original master at straddling genres. Sanchez was called upon again to add colour to the trio.

Being a homage to one of the greatest tabla players ever, more drummers were called on stage, including Taufiq Qureshi, who delivered a lively set of beatboxing, along with Sivamani and Ranjit Barot. The final jam featured all the musicians who played during the course of the day, much to the audience’s delight.