Tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain has died

It has been reported that the revered Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain has died, aged 73. The news arrives just months after he played dates in Sydney and Melbourne.

In a statement, his family said: “His prolific work as a teacher, mentor and educator has left an indelible mark on countless musicians. He hoped to inspire the next generation to go further. He leaves behind an unparalleled legacy as a cultural ambassador and one of the greatest musicians of all time.”

Hussain’s career spanned five decades and he collaborated with musicians from across the spectrum, from Indian classical players to jazz players such as Charles Lloyd and John Handy, bluegrass artists Edgar Meyer and Béla Fleck, and songwriters such as George Harrison and Van Morrison.

Born in Mumbai in 1951, the eldest son of the esteemed tabla player Alla Rakha, Hussain was regarded as a virtuoso of the instrument. His musical upbringing began when he was just two days old, he told Limelight’s Jansson J. Antmann in an interview published earlier this year:

“My mother brought me back from the hospital after I was born and handed me to my father. Now, according to tradition, my father was supposed to whisper prayers in my ear . . . [but] instead of saying prayers, he started reciting rhythm riffs and patterns. My mother, of course, was livid and said, ‘What the heck are you doing? You’re supposed to say a prayer.’ And he told her, ‘That is my prayer. This is how I pray, and this is how he will pray.’”

Hussain came to international attention in 1973 as a contributor to George Harrison’s album Living in the Material World and saxophonist John Handy’s 1973 album Hard Work.

He made his American live debut performing with Ravi Shankar at the Fillmore East in New York City. While there, he met guitarist John McLaughlin and together they formed Shakti, a musical group that also included Indian violinist L. Shankar.

Hussain was in-demand as a session player, too. He performed on Van Morrison’s 1979 album Into the Music and the Earth, Wind & Fire release Powerlight (1983). He was key to the making of the album Planet Drum (1991), featuring drummers from different parts of the world. That project went on to earn the 1992 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album – the first Grammy ever awarded in that category.

Hussain composed composed soundtracks for several movies and played tabla on the soundtracks of Francis Coppola’s Apocalypse Now and Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha. He also featured in several films showcasing his musical performances, including the 1998 documentary Zakir and His Friends and The Speaking Hand: Zakir Hussain and the Art of the Indian Drum. Hussain co-starred in the 1983 Merchant Ivory film Heat and Dust, for which he was an associate music director.

In 2016, Hussain was among the musicians invited by US President Obama to the International Jazz Day 2016 All-Star Global Concert at the White House.

Contribute to Limelight and support independent arts journalism.