Zakir Hussain turned 73.
New Delhi:
His fingers flew, fluttered and floated in quicksilver changes of raga and rhythm, as he stirred up music and magic. Zakir Hussain was the maestro of the tabla, percussionist, composer and even actor – a legend that was India's own and yet belonged to the world.
Hussain died early Monday in a San Francisco hospital of “idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,” a lung disease. He was 73.
The artist, a big name in India and abroad, leaves behind more than 60 years of music. He performed on stage alongside some of the greatest Indian and international musicians in a mix of Indian classical and world music, giving the tabla a whole new identity.
The great percussionist created music in various genres and styles, including jazz and concertos in his repertoire, naturally developing an “all-encompassing musical creativity” after learning and playing under the tutelage of his father and famed tabla player Alla Rakha.
“The mentality when I was growing up was attuned to the idea that music is music, it's not Indian music or that music, so when I started working with musicians who were non-Indian it seemed like a natural handshake,” Hussain shared to PTI. almost a year ago ahead of a performance in Goa.
The son of Alla Rakha, one of the greatest tabla players of all time, Hussain was born for music.
He started early. The child prodigy gave his first concert at the age of seven and started touring at the age of twelve. After completing his education in Mumbai, where he was born, he moved to the United States in 1970.
The boundaries melted away when it came to his music.
In February, Hussain became the first musician from India to receive three Grammys at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in February for Best Global Music Album, Best Global Music Performance and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.
“I am overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of love, affection and blessings for my multiple Grammy wins. It is impossible for me to respond to all of you individually, but rest assured that you are all in my heart and I bow to you all thank you. It was a great day for India at the Grammys and I'm proud to carry the national flag,” he wrote on Instagram at the time.
At the 2024 Grammys, Hussain earned his first honor for best global music album for 'This Moment' as part of the fusion music group Shakti, which also includes British guitarist John McLaughlin, singer Shankar Mahadevan, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan and percussionist. Selvaganesh Vinayakram.
He later won two other awards for best global music performance for “Pashto” and best contemporary instrumental album for “As We Speak”, along with flutist Rakesh Chaurasia, American banjoist Bela Fleck and American bassist Edgar Meyer.
In January last year, much to the excitement of fans, the Shakti quintet reunited for a world tour in India.
In addition to Shakti, Hussain has also contributed to many groundbreaking collaborations, including Masters of Percussion, Planet Drum and Global Drum Project 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 recently 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 in the US in April 2017.
The composer, who traveled and performed all over the world, had reservations about performing at private gatherings and hated latecomers. He was also very outspoken in his views.
In a conversation with author Nasreen Munni Kabir, as written in her book “Zakir Hussain: A Life in Music”, Hussain said that a private gathering, corporate events or weddings are not places “where music should be heard”.
“These are places where people come to socialize, drink and possibly eat. That's not the way music should be heard. For me it is the concert hall or the theater people take their seats, the room becomes darker and we musicians take our places,” he said.
Hussain would ask the organizers to close the doors as soon as the performance starts and not allow latecomers.
Then there was the man himself. His wide smile, boyish good looks and curly locks that followed the rhythm of his fingers gave him a signature star personality that sometimes went beyond his music.
In 1994, the percussionist was once voted 'sexiest man' by female readers of the Indian magazine 'Gentleman' in a competition against Amitabh Bachchan, among others.
“The magazine team came to me and wanted me to wear all these suits, jackets and western clothes and be on the cover. I think they were equally shocked and surprised that I got the highest number of votes as they assumed the winner would be Amitabh Bachchan,” Hussain told Kabir.
Besides his work as a tabla player, Hussain also composed music for many films, including “Manto” and “Mr and Mrs Iyer”.
He also starred in the Merchant Ivory film production “Heat and Dust”, “The Perfect Murder” and “Saaz”, opposite 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 was shown immersed in his tabla riyaaz, later sipping a cup of Taj tea. The voiceover, by the famous Harish Bhimani, would then complement Hussain's skills by saying “Wah Ustad, wah!”. To which the percussionist replied: “Arre huzoor, wah Taj boliye!” That 'Wah Taj' became a common buzzword on many occasions, and was still remembered all these years later.
The same year, Hussain also shared screen space with his father Allah Rakha in the iconic national integration song “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara”, which premiered on Doordarshan.
He is survived by his wife Antonia Minnecola and two daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi.
In addition to four Grammys, Hussain has received numerous awards and accolades, including Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the US National Heritage Fellowship and Officer of the French Order of Arts and Letters.
As his legions of fans bid farewell to the artist who crossed boundaries, music and geography and went too soon, many could only say: “Wah Ustad”.
