What do you get when you mix tablas and turntables? One answer is Tabla Beat Science. This double-CD live effort proves that Indian classical and modern electronic-based music can cohabitate, particularly when the talented likes of tabla great Zakir Hussain and sarangi player Ustad Sultan Khan (both exponents of Indian classical music) combine with bassist Bill Laswell, drummer Karsh Kale (both involved in modern world music fusions), and several other guests. Laswell is an expert at organizing these kinds of musical mash-ups, but he's done something special here: his dubby bass lines sound great next to hyperpercussive tabla beats, and the voices of Khan and rising Ethiopian siren Gigi meld together particularly well on such tracks as "Nafeken" and "Mengedege." The tunes here are more jam-oriented than on the group's studio album Tala Matrix, but this only further illuminates the trancelike quality that brings these different schools together. Live in San Francisco at Stern Grove is a prime example of what can be accomplished with an open mind and formidable musical skills. --Tad Hendrickson