Zakir Hussain was a tabla maestro, drummer, composer and actor who was a legend not only in India but also in the world.
Hussain died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in a San Francisco hospital early Monday morning. He was 73.
A great name in India and abroad, the artist has been saving music for over 60 years. He played on stage with some of the greatest Indian and international musicians in a fusion of Indian classical and world music, giving the tabla a new identity.
The great drummer created music across genres and styles including his concert jazz and concerto, naturally developing an all-encompassing musical creativity after studying and playing under the tutelage of his father and renowned tabla player Ala Raka.
Hussain was born to music as the son of Allah Rakha, one of the greatest tabla players of all time.
He started early. The child prodigy performed his first concert at the age of seven and began touring at 12. After completing his education in Mumbai where he was born, he moved to the US in 1970.
Borders melted when it came to his music.
In February, Hussain became the first musician from India to bag three awards at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in February for Best Global Music Album, Best Global Music Performance and Best Contemporary Music Album.
At the 2024 Grammy Awards, Hussain received his first honor for Best Global Music Album for The Moment as part of the Shakti Fusion Band, which includes founding member British guitarist John McLaughlin as well as vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan and drummer Selvaganesh Vinayakram. . . .
He later won two more awards for Best Global Music Performance for ‘Pashto’ and two awards for Best Contemporary Music Album for “As We Speak”, alongside flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, American banjoist Bela Fleck and American bassist Edgar Along with Meyer. In January last year, the Shakti quintet reunited for a world tour in India to much fanfare.
In addition to Shakti, Hussain contributed to many ground-breaking collaborations including The Masters of Percussion, Planet Drum and the Global Drum Project with Mickey Hart, Tabla Beat Science, Sangam with Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland, and Crosscurrent with Dave Holland and Chris Potter. Bla Fleck and Edgar Meyer, and, most recently, Hancock with Herbie.
Hussain composed three concertos. His Third, the First Concerto for Tabla and Orchestra, was premiered in India in September 2015 by the India Symphony Orchestra, in Europe and the UK in 2016, and in the US in April 2017.
Apart from his work as a tabla player, Hussain composed music for many films including ‘Manto’ and ‘Mr and Mrs Iyer’.
He also acted in Merchant Ivory productions ‘Heat and Dust’, ‘The Perfect Murder’ and ‘Saas’ alongside Shabana Azmi.
In 1988, Hussain became a household name as the face of the Taj Mahal tea brand.
In a 33-second TV commercial, the Ustad is shown engrossed in his tabla rias, only to sip a cup of Taj tea afterwards. After the voice of the famous Harish Bhimani, Hussain’s talent is appreciated with ‘Wah Ustad, Wah!’” To which the drummer would reply: “Hey Husoor, wa taj boliye!”
That Wah Taj became a catchphrase for many occasions, and is still remembered after many years.
In the same year, Hussain shared screen space with his father Alla Raqqa in the national integration song “Maile Sur Mera Tumhara”, which premiered on Doordarshan.
He is survived by his wife Antonia Minnecola and two daughters Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi.
Besides four Grammy Awards, Hussain has received countless awards and honors including Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Sangeet Natak Academy Award, National Heritage Fellowship of USA and Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters of France.
