His fingers flew, fluttered and floated in quicksilver modifications of raga and rhythm, drumming up music and magic. Zakir Hussain was the maestro of tabla, percussionist, composer and even actor – a legend who was India’s very personal and but belonged to the world.
Hussain died from ‘idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis’, a lung illness, in a San Francisco hospital early Monday. He was 73.
The artiste, a marquee identify in India and overseas, leaves behind greater than 60 years of music. He performed on the stage alongside a few of the biggest Indian and worldwide musicians in a fusion of Indian classical and world music, giving the tabla an entire new identification.
The nice percussionist created music throughout genres and kinds, together with in his repertoire jazz and concertos, naturally growing an “all-inclusive musical creativity” after studying and taking part in underneath the tutelage of his father and famend tabla participant, Alla Rakha.
“The mindset as I used to be rising up tuned itself to the concept music is music, it’s not Indian music or that music, so once I really began working with musicians who have been non-Indian it appeared like a pure handshake,” Hussain instructed PTI nearly a yr in the past forward of a efficiency in Goa.
Because the son of Alla Rakha, one of many biggest tabla gamers of all time, Hussain was to the music born.
He began early. The kid prodigy carried out his first live performance on the age of seven and commenced touring at 12. After finishing his schooling in Mumbai, the place he was born, he moved to the US in 1970.
The borders melted away when it got here to his music.
In February, Hussain turned the primary musician from India to obtain three Grammys on the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in February for Greatest World Music Album, Greatest World Music Efficiency and Greatest Modern Instrumental Album.
“I’m overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of affection, affection, and blessings for my a number of Grammy wins. It’s inconceivable for me to individually reply to all of you however be assured that you’re all in my coronary heart and I’m bowing to each one in every of you in thanks. It was an awesome day for India on the Grammys and I’m proud to be carrying the nationwide flag,” he wrote on Instagram on the time.
On the 2024 Grammys, Hussain earned his first honour for finest international music album for “This Second” as a part of the fusion music group Shakti, which incorporates founding member British guitarist John McLaughlin, in addition to vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan and percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram.
He later gained two different awards for the very best international music efficiency for “Pashto” and finest up to date instrumental album for “As We Communicate”, together with flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, American banjo participant Bela Fleck and American bassist Edgar Meyer.
In January final yr, the Shakti quintet reunited for a world tour in India to a lot pleasure from followers.
Apart from Shakti, Hussain additionally contributed to many groundbreaking collaborations, together with Masters of Percussion, Planet Drum and World Drum Challenge with Mickey Hart, Tabla Beat Science, Sangam with Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland, CrossCurrents with Dave Holland and Chris Potter, in trio with Béla Fleck and Edgar Meyer, and, most lately, with Herbie Hancock.
Hussain composed three concertos. His third, the first-ever concerto for tabla and orchestra, was premiered in India in September 2015, by the Symphony Orchestra of India, in Europe and the UK in 2016, and within the US in April, 2017.
The composer who travelled and carried out all throughout the globe had reservations in opposition to acting at personal gatherings and disliked latecomers. He was additionally very vocal in his views.
In a dialog with writer Nasreen Munni Kabir as written in her ebook “Zakir Hussain: A Life in Music”, Hussain mentioned a non-public gathering, company occasions or weddings aren’t locations “the place music needs to be heard”.
“These are locations the place folks come to socialize, to drink and maybe have a meal. That’s not the way in which music needs to be heard. For me, it’s the live performance corridor or the theatre-people take their seats, the corridor darkens and we musicians take our place,” he mentioned.
Hussain would ask the organisers to shut the doorways as soon as the efficiency begins and never enable latecomers.
Then there was the person himself. His broad smile, boyish attractiveness and curly locks preserving rhythm along with his fingers gave him a particular star persona that generally went past his music.
The percussionist was as soon as voted the “sexiest man” by ladies readers of the Indian journal “Gentleman” in 1994 in a contest in opposition to the likes of Amitabh Bachchan.
“The journal crew got here to see me and needed me to put on all these fits and jackets and Western garments and have on their cowl. I feel they have been equally shocked and shocked that I gained the best variety of votes as a result of they’d assumed the winner can be Amitabh Bachchan,” Hussain is quoted as saying by Kabir.
In addition to his work as a tabla participant, Hussain additionally composed music for a lot of motion pictures, together with “Manto” and “Mr and Mrs Iyer”.
He additionally acted within the Service provider Ivory movie manufacturing “Warmth and Mud”, “The Excellent Homicide” and “Saaz”, reverse Shabana Azmi.
In 1988, Hussain turned a family identify because the face of the Taj Mahal Tea model.
In a 33-second TV business, the ustad was proven immersed in his tabla riyaaz, solely to later sip on a cup of Taj tea. The voiceover, by the well-known Harish Bhimani, would then praise Hussain’s expertise saying “Wah Ustad, wah!”. To which, the percussionist would reply: “Arre huzoor, wah Taj boliye!”That “Wah Taj” turned an oft used buzzword for a lot of an event, and nonetheless remembered all these years later.
The identical yr, Hussain additionally shared display screen area along with his father Allah Rakha within the iconic nationwide integration track “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara” which premiered on Doordarshan.
He’s survived by his spouse Antonia Minnecola and two daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi.
Other than 4 Grammys, Hussain was the recipient of numerous awards and honours, together with Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the USA’s Nationwide Heritage Fellowship and Officier in France’s Order of Arts and Letters.
As his numerous followers bid farewell to the artiste who transcended boundaries, of music and of geography, and went too quickly, many might solely say – “Wah Ustad”.
