Obituary: Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain’s music transcended cultures, continents, genres
The sound of tabla fell silent for millions of fans of Ustad Zakir Hussain when the legendary percussionist, composer and occasional actor passed away at 73.
Born on March 9, 1951, in Mumbai, the son of legendary tabla virtuoso Alla Rakha, Zakir Hussain was exposed to a rich musical environment at an early age. By three, he was aware of the rhythmic patterns, while at seven, he was already participating in school concerts. It was a performance in New York with sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar that paved the way for an illustrious career for 19-year-old Hussain. In his six-decade-long career, he put the tabla on the global stage, winning over the west with his trademark ‘tihaais’.
At its 66th edition this year, Hussain won three Grammys. Back in time, he came together with George Harrison, and in the 1970s, he formed ‘Shakti’, a fusion band with legendary guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist L Shankar and percussionist TH ‘Vikku’ Vinayakram. Recently, he collaborated with Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer. Their album ‘As We Speak’, a fusion of banjo, bass and tabla, won a Grammy in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category.
Honours and awards were not new to him. If he won four Grammys, including one with Mickey Hart in 1991 for ‘Planet Drum’, he was feted with the second highest civilian honour of India, the Padma Vibushan. Most visible, celebrated and admired ambassador of Indian classical music, he became a bridge between traditional and contemporary music, blending both effortlessly. In his hands, fusion was a melodious confluence --- transcending cultures, continents and genres. If he whipped up magic on tabla, his aura was no less charismatic. In 1994, he was voted the ‘sexiest man’ by women readers of the ‘Gentleman’ magazine.
Ever versatile, he composed music for many films such as Merchant-Ivory’s ‘Heat and Dust’, besides ‘In Custody and Mystic Masseur’, ‘Vanaprastham’, ‘Everybody Says I’m Fine’ and ‘Mr And Mrs Iyer’. He acted in ‘Perfect Murder’, ‘Saaz’, and recently in ‘Monkey Man’. A scene from the film where he is playing tabla and the film’s hero Dev Patel is throwing punches went viral. The boxing-tabla jugalbandi was described by his fans as ‘raga’ meets rage.
Concerts in prestigious venues like Royal Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall stood testimony to his rhythmic brilliance. His father’s advice, ‘Always remain a student’, ensured that he remained open to all kinds of musical influences --- eager to learn and forever passionate about his muse. Classical music always has a niche audience, but he took it to a pinnacle where even layman was compelled to echo ‘Wah Ustad Wah’. Survived by his wife Antonia Minnecola, a kathak exponent, and two daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi, his legacy lives on but the sound of music he created will never be the same again. “Without love, music and harmony, we are nothing,” he said during his award acceptance speech at the Grammys. And he brought all three into the lives of millions. Beyond genres, even ‘gharanas’, this purist was forever in pursuit of pure sound.
