USTAD ZAKIR HUSSAIN
Tabla Player
1951-2024
Zakir Hussain Alla Rakha Qureishi, one of the most accomplished
Tabla player in the world was born in Mumbai on 9 March, 1951.The style and
mastery over the Tabla seen in his brilliant performances have established
him as a genius in the world of percussion both in India and abroad. This
innovator has helped in bridging both the Hindustani and Carnatic traditions
as well as the East and the West by performing with North and South Indian
masters as well as with western musicians.
Zakir Hussain, son of renowned tabla maestro Ustad Alla Rakha,
showed unusual talent on tabla drums as a child. He began his musical career
at the age of seven and was touring by the age of twelve. At the age of 19,
he accompanied the legendary sitar player, Pandit
Ravi Shankar to the United States to perform at the Fillmore East.
Three years later, he became the leader of the Tal Vadya Rhythm Band. The
group subsequently evolved into the Diga Rhythm Band. In 1976, the band collaborated
on a self-titled album with Mickey Hart of Grateful Dead. In 1975, Hussain
joined with British guitarist John McLaughlin, Indian violinist L. Shankar
and ghatam drummer Vikku Vinayakram to form the east-meets-west super group,
'Shakti'. Although the group disbanded in 1978, they reunited to tour as Remember
Shakti in 1998. He founded Moment Records in 1992 which releases recordings
and live concerts albums of great masters in Classical music.
In
1987, Zakir's first solo release, 'Making Music', was acclaimed as 'one of
the most inspired East-West fusion albums ever recorded'. He has also composed
and released many albums with the likes of George Harrison, Van Morrison,
Joe Henderson etc and soundtracks of films like 'Apocalyse Now', 'In Custody',
'Little Buddha', 'Heat and Dust' etc for which he was nominated for the best
music Director at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival. He arranged the opening music
for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Zakir has received many awards for his contributions to the
world of music. In 1988, he became the youngest percussionist to be awarded
the title 'Padma
Shri', in 2002 'Padma Bhushan' and in 2023 'Padma Vibhushan' by the Indian government. In 1990, he was awarded the Indo-American
Award, in recognition for his outstanding contribution to relations between
the United States and India. In 1991, the President of India honoured him
with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. He won 'Kalidas Samman for Classical
Music' in 2006. In 2009, one of the projects 'Global Drum Project' that Zakir Hussian did with Mickey Hart, received a Grammy for 'Best
Contemporary World Music Album', the Downbeat Critics Poll for 'Best World Beat Album'
and the NARM India Best Seller Award for World Music Recording. He won
three more Grammy awards for his contribution to world music & 7 nominations, and the
prestigious National Heritage Fellowship in 1999, the highest award for traditional
artists in the US.
Zakir Hussain made history at the 66th Grammy Awards in
February 2024, becoming the first Indian to win three trophies in a single
night. He was among the winners in the Best Global Music Performance (Pashto),
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album (As we Speak) and Best Global Music Album
(This Moment) categories.
Zakir married Antonia Minnecola,an Italian American, Kathak
dancer and settled San Francisco. They have two grown daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi.
Beyond the stage, Ustad Zakir Hussain dedicated much of his
time to nurturing future generations of musicians. He taught extensively at
institutions like the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Francisco and conducted
workshops around the world. Apart from teaching, the maestro continued to tour
the world tirelessly in various live concerts. The legendary tabla virtuoso,
passed away on Sunday, December 15, 2024, in San Francisco, USA at 73 years of
age, from complications from Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease.
Official website: http://www.momentrecords.com/
| Updated on 15/12/2024 |
