Early on Monday, Hussain passed away in a San Francisco hospital from a lung condition known as “idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.” He was seventy-three.
His fingers drummed out melody and magic as they flew, fluttered, and floated in swift shifts of rhythm and raga. A legend who was both Indian and international, Zakir Hussain was a master of the tabla, percussionist, composer, and even an actor.
Early on Monday, Hussain passed away in a San Francisco hospital from a lung condition known as “idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.” He was seventy-three.
The artist, who is well-known both in India and elsewhere, has produced music for over 60 years. In a blend of Indian classical and world music, he performed on stage with some of the best Indian and foreign artists, giving the tabla a whole new identity.
After studying and performing under the guidance of his father, the well-known tabla player Alla Rakha, the outstanding percussionist naturally developed a “all-inclusive musical creativity” that encompassed music from a variety of genres and styles, including jazz and concertos.
Hussain told The Ultimate News nearly a year ago before a show in Goa, “The mindset as I was growing up tuned itself to the idea that music is music, it’s not Indian music or that music, so when I actually started working with musicians who were non-Indian it seemed like a natural handshake.”
Hussain was born into the music as the son of Alla Rakha, one of the best tabla players in history.
He got started early. At the age of seven, the young prodigy gave his first concert, and at twelve, he started traveling. He was born in Mumbai and finished his schooling there before relocating to the US in 1970.
When it came to his music, the lines vanished.
At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in February, Hussain won three Grammys for Best Global Music Album, Best Global Music Performance, and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, becoming him the first Indian musician to do so.
“The outpouring of love, gratitude, and blessings for my numerous Grammy awards has humbled and overwhelmed me. Although I can’t reply to each of you personally, know that you are all in my thoughts and that I kneel down to you all in gratitude. At the moment, he posted on Instagram, “I’m proud to be carrying the national flag, and it was a great day for India at the Grammys.”
As a member of the fusion music group Shakti, which also features vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan, percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram, and founding member British guitarist John McLaughlin, Hussain won his first Grammy Award for best global music album for “This Moment” at the 2024 Grammys.
Along with American bassist Edgar Meyer, flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, and banjo player Bela Fleck, he went on to win two more awards: one for best contemporary instrumental album for “As We Speak,” and another for best worldwide music performance for “Pashto.”
To the delight of fans, the Shakti five reunited for a world tour in India in January of last year.
In addition to Shakti, Hussain was a part of numerous innovative partnership projects, such as 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.
Three concertos were written by Hussain. The Symphony Orchestra of India debuted its third, the first-ever concerto for tabla and orchestra, in September 2015; it was then performed in Europe and the UK in 2016 and the United States in April 2017.
Traveling and performing all over the world, the composer was wary about performing at private parties and detested latecomers. He also expressed his opinions quite loudly.
According to an interview with author Nasreen Munni Kabir for her book “Zakir Hussain: A Life in Music,” Hussain stated that weddings, business gatherings, and private parties are not “places where music should be heard.”
People congregate in those locations to mingle, drink, and possibly eat. Music shouldn’t be heard that way. For me, it’s the theatre or concert hall—people sit down, the room gets dark, and we musicians take our seats,” he remarked.
Hussain would request that after the performance starts, the doors be closed to any latecomers.
The man himself came next. He had a unique celebrity character that occasionally extended beyond his music because of his wide smile, boyish good looks, and curly hair that moved in tune with his fingers.
The percussionist was once voted the “sexiest man” by women readers of the Indian magazine “Gentleman” in 1994 in a competition against the likes of Amitabh Bachchan.
“When the magazine crew visited me, they wanted me to appear on their cover wearing all these suits, jackets, and Western attire. Kabir quotes Hussain as saying, “I think they were equally shocked and surprised that I won the greatest number of votes because they had assumed the winner would be Amitabh Bachchan.”
In addition to playing the tabla, Hussain wrote the music for a number of films, such as “Mr. and Mrs. Iyer” and “Manto.”
In addition, he starred with Shabana Azmi in the Merchant Ivory films “Heat and Dust,” “The Perfect Murder,” and “Saaz.”
Hussain rose to fame in 1988 as the spokesperson for Taj Mahal Tea.
In a 33-second television ad, the ustad was depicted drinking Taj tea after being engrossed in his tabla riyaaz. The well-known Harish Bhimani would then remark, “Wah Ustad, wah!” in praise of Hussain’s abilities. “Arre huzoor, wah Taj boliye!” would be the percussionist’s response.The phrase “Wah Taj” became often used and is still remembered after all these years.
In the same year, Hussain and his father Allah Rakha appeared on film together in the Doordarshan debut of the classic national unification song “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara.”
His two daughters, Anisa and Isabella Qureshi, as well as his wife, Antonia Minnecola, survive him.
In addition to four Grammys, Hussain received other honors and distinctions, such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the USA’s National Heritage Fellowship, the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, and the Officier in France’s Order of Arts and Letters.
Many of his innumerable fans could only exclaim, “Wah Ustad,” as they bid farewell to the artist who crossed musical and geographic barriers and passed away too soon.