It’s not every day that a sitar player gets a phone call at home from Cyndi Lauper. It’s even less likely that such a call would result in the appearance of said sitar player on David Letterman’s Late Show, plucking his many, many strings alongside Lauper and bhangra bastion DJ Rekha over Wyclef Jean’s “Slumdog Millionaire.” Neel Murgai might now claim the distinction of being the man who brought Indian instrumentation to 21st-century late-night television. (“A s-s-sitar? Is that what it is?” Letterman stammered at a cross-legged Murgai, who sat on the floor. “Can I get you a chair?”)

The Neel Murgai Ensemble was just featured on NPR’s Song Of The Day. Check out their song “Space Twang” below.

The Neel Murgai Ensemble perform at LPR on July 23rd. Get tickets here.