Zakir Hussain Qureshi (9March 1951–15December 2024) was an Indian tabla player, composer, arranger, percussionist, music producer and film actor. The eldest son of esteemed tabla player Alla Rakha,[1] Zakir Hussain was widely regarded as the greatest tabla player of his generation and one of its finest percussionists.[2][3][4] He produced music across multiple genres and contributed to popularizing Indian classical music to a global audience.[5]
Hussain received seven Grammy Award nominations, winning four times,[1] including three in 2024.[5][6] He was described as the most recognizable exponent of the tabla by The Guardian.The New York Times marveled that the "blur of his fingers rivals the beat of a hummingbird's wings."[7]
Hussain and Niladri Kumar, SSF-2022, Nazrul Mancha Kolkata
Early life and education
Zakir Hussain Allarakha Qureshi was born on 9 March 1951 in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, to Alla Rakha Qureshi, one of the most celebrated tabla players in the history of Indian classical music.[8][9][10] His formal training in Hindustani classical music began at the age of seven, starting each of his mornings with three hours of tuition. He started performing in concerts at aged seven, and began touring by the age of twelve.[8][9]
Hussain studied at St. Michael's High School in Mahim and graduated from St. Xavier's College in Mumbai.[11] After college, he discovered the music of Jimi Hendrix and The Doors and considered becoming a rock drummer. However, he was soon dissuaded from this by George Harrison, lead guitarist of The Beatles, who told him that, as a tabla player, he could combine Eastern and Western music to create his own unique sound.[8]
In the late 1960s, Hussain moved to San Francisco. There, he said he learnt as much from the Grateful Dead's drummer as he had from his classical studies,[8] including 'how to find the groove and understand the backbeat, and not to play too many notes'. He recalled jam sessions with the band lasting two or three days.[8]
For over eighteen years, Hussain's tablas were made by Haridas R. Vhatkar.[27] Vhatkar said he learned how to make tablas so that he could make them for Hussain.[27]
Hussain lived most of his life in America, but spent several months each year in his native India, making music for Bollywood films. In 1983, he acted in the Merchant-Ivory film Heat and Dust, opposite Julie Christie.[8] On one of his return visits to Mumbai, he formed an ensemble, 'The Masters of Percussion', with musicians from different parts of the country, later touring the world with the group. He said his heritage was important to him, and two-thirds of his shows consisted purely of Indian music.[8]
At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on 4 February 2024, Hussain became the first musician from India to receive three Grammys at one ceremony: This Moment for Best Global Music Album, Pashto for the Best Global Music Performance, and As We Speak for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, a live collaboration with bluegrass banjo player Bela Fleck and classical double bassist Edgar Meyer.[29][30][1]
In a conversation with author Nasreen Munni Kabir, recorded in her book Zakir Hussain: A Life in Music, Hussain stated that he did not play at private gatherings, corporate events, or weddings. He believed that music should not be heard at events where people came to socialise, drink or eat, but instead should be the sole purpose of the event.[27]
Hussain was named an Old Dominion Fellow by the Humanities Council at Princeton University, where he resided for the 2005–2006 semester as full professor in the music department.[31] He was also a visiting professor at Stanford University.[32] In May 2022, he was awarded the honorary Doctor of Law (LLD) degree for his contribution to the field of music by the University of Mumbai.[33]
Book
Nasreen Munni Kabir compiled fifteen interview sessions from 2016 through 2017, each lasting about two hours, into the book Zakir Hussain: A Life in Music, which was published in 2018.[27] The book described Hussain's life from his youth, his years of intense training and his growth as a musician.[27]
Personal life
Hussain married Antonia Minnecola, a Kathak dancer and teacher, who was also his manager.[34] They had two daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi. Anisa graduated from UCLA and is a film maker. Isabella is studying dance in Manhattan.[35]
Hussain has two brothers: Taufiq Qureshi, a percussionist, and Fazal Qureshi, also a tabla player. Their brother Munawar died at a young age when he was attacked by a rabid dog.[27] His eldest sister Bilquis died before Hussain was born. A sister, Razia, died from complications during cataract surgery, a few hours before their father's death in 2000.[27] He has another sister, Khurshid.[27][36]
Hussain was undoubtedly one of the world's greatest tabla players. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "a true genius who revolutionised the world of Indian classical music." English guitarist John McLaughlin, who performed with Hussain in the band Shakti, described him as "the King, in whose hands, rhythm became magic."[38]
In 1992 Planet Drum, an album co-created and produced by Hussain and Mickey Hart, was awarded the first-ever Grammy for Best World Music Album,[65] the Downbeat Critics' Poll for Best World Beat Album and the NARM Indie Best Seller Award for a World Music Recording.[66]
In 2005, he was named an Old Dominion Fellow by the Humanities Council at Princeton University, where he resided for the 2005–2006 semester as full professor in the music department, teaching a survey course in Indian classical music and dance.[67]
Golden Strings of the Sarode (Moment! Records 2006) with Aashish Khan and Hussain was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Traditional World Music Album category in 2006.[69]
In 2007, readers' polls from both Modern Drummer and Drum! magazines named Hussain Best World Music and Best World Beat Drummer respectively.[70]
In 2019, Sangeet Natak Academy, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama, honored Hussain with the Academy Fellow award, also known as the Academy Ratna, for the year 2018.[27]
In 2022, he was conferred the honorary Doctor of Law (LLD) degree for his exceptional contribution in the field of music by Mumbai University.[33]
On 17 June 2022, he was named by the non-profit Inamori Foundation to receive the Kyoto Prize, Japan's highest private award for global achievement, in the category of Arts and Philosophy (field: Music).[72]
On 4 February 2024, Hussain received three awards at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.[73][74] Hussain's first win came for Pashto, written and recorded in collaboration with American banjo player Béla Fleck, American bassist Edgar Meyer and Indian flautist Rakesh Chaurasia. Hussain's second Grammy of the night was for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, which he won alongside Fleck, Meyer and Chaurasia, for the eclectic classical-meets-jazz album, As We Speak. His third win of the night came for the album This Moment, the critically acclaimed comeback of the pioneering world-fusion band Shakti. [6]
Tribute
The line "Zakir Hussain Tabela Ivaltana" in the Tamil song "Telephone Manipol" in the 1996 film Indian, directed by S. Shankar is a tribute to him. This song was written by poet Vairamuthu.[75]
↑ "FIPRESCI – Awards – 2000". archive.ph. 30 July 2012. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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