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UstadZakir Hussain
Hussain in 2012
Background information
Birth name	Zakir Allarakha Qureshi
Born	(1951-03-09)9 March 1951 Bombay, Bombay State, India
Died	15 December 2024(2024-12-15) (aged 73) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Genres	Hindustani classical music Jazz fusion World music
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Tabla
Years active	1963–2024
Labels	HMV
Website	Official website
Honours	Padma Shri (1988) Padma Bhushan (2002) Padma Vibhushan (2023) Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1990)

Zakir Hussain Allarakha Qureshi (9 March 1951 – 15 December 2024) was an Indian tabla player, composer, percussionist, music producer, and film actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest tabla players of all time, he was known for bringing Indian classical music to a global audience. He was the eldest son of the tabla player Alla Rakha, and won four Grammy Awards.

Hussain was awarded the United States National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship, the highest award given to traditional artists and musicians. He was also awarded the Government of India's Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1990 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, Ratna Sadsya, in 2018.

Hussain received seven Grammy Award nominations, with four wins, including three in 2024. He was described as the most recognizable exponent of the tabla by The Guardian, and The New York Times marveled that the "blur of his fingers rivals the beat of a hummingbird's wings."

Early life and education

Zakir Hussain Allarakha Qureshi was born on 9 March 1951 in present-day Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, to tabla master Alla Rakha Qureshi.

Hussain started performing in concerts by the age of 7 and began touring by the age of 12.

He attended St. Michael's High School in Mahim and graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.

Career

Hussain played on George Harrison's 1973 album Living in the Material World and John Handy's 1973 album Hard Work. He also performed on Van Morrison's 1979 album Into the Music and Earth, Wind & Fire's 1983 album Powerlight.

Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, who had known Hussain since the 1960s, invited him to create the special album Planet Drum, featuring drummers from different parts of the world. Featured along with Hussain, from India, was Vikku Vinayakram, with whom Hussain had collaborated in Shakti. The first Planet Drum album, released in 1991 on the Rykodisc label, went on to earn the 1992 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album, the first Grammy ever awarded in this category. The Global Drum Project album and tour brought Mickey Hart, Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju, and Giovanni Hidalgo together again in a reunion sparked by the 15th anniversary of the Planet Drum album. The album Global Drum Project won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album at the 51st Grammy Awards Ceremony held on 8 February 2009.

Hussain composed, performed and acted as Indian music advisor for the Malayalam film Vanaprastham, a 1999 Cannes Film Festival entry which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival (AFI Fest) in 1999, and won awards at 2000 Istanbul International Film Festival (Turkey), 2000 Mumbai International Film Festival (India), and 2000 National Film Awards (India). He composed soundtracks for several movies, most notably In Custody and The Mystic Masseur by Ismail Merchant, and played tabla on the soundtracks of Francis Coppola's Apocalypse Now, Bernardo Bertolucci's Little Buddha, and other films. He starred in several films specifically showcasing his musical performance both solo and with different bands, including the 1998 documentary Zakir and His Friends, and the documentary The Speaking Hand: Zakir Hussain and the Art of the Indian Drum (2003 Sumantra Ghosal). Hussain co-starred as Inder Lal in the 1983 Merchant Ivory film Heat and Dust, for which he was an associate music director.

Hussain was a founding member of Bill Laswell's world music supergroup Tabla Beat Science.

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

Haridas Vhatkar made Hussain's tablas for more than 18 years. Haridas said he learned how to make tablas so he could specially make them for Hussain.

In a conversation with author Nasreen Munni Kabir, as written 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 music should not be heard at events where folks come to socialise, drink or enjoy a meal, but instead should be the sole purpose of the event.

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. He was also a visiting professor at Stanford University. In May 2022, he was conferred the honorary Doctor of Law (LLD) degree for his contribution to the field of music by the University of Mumbai.

Book

Nasreen Munni Kabir compiled 15 interview sessions (each lasting about 2 hours) from 2016 to 2017 into the book Zakir Hussain: A Life in Music, which was published in 2018. The book takes the reader through Hussain's life from his youth, his years of intense training, and his growth as a musician.

Personal life

Hussain married Antonia Minnecola, a Kathak dancer and teacher, who was also his manager. They had two daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi. Anisa graduated from UCLA and is a film maker. Isabella is studying dance in Manhattan.

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. His eldest sister Bilquis died before Hussain was born. Another sister, Razia, died due to complications during a cataract surgery, just a few hours before their father's death in 2000. He has another sister named Khurshid.

Death and legacy

Hussain died from complications arising due to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in San Francisco, California, on 15 December 2024, at the age of 73.

According to Neyaz Farooquee, he was 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."

Discography

Filmography

• Heat and Dust (1983)
• The Perfect Murder (1988)
• Thanthu Vitten Ennai (1991 Tamil movie, cameo role)
• Miss Beatty's Children (1992)
• Saaz (1998)
• Zakir and His Friends (1998)
• The Speaking Hand: Zakir Hussain and the Art of the Indian Drum (2003) – Sumantra Ghosal
• Talamanam Sound Clash – Further Adventures in Hype (2003 – DVD) – Tabla Beat Science
• The Way of Beauty (2006 – DVD) – Remember Shakti
• The Rhythm Devils Concert Experience (2008 – DVD) – The Rhythm Devils
• Manto (2018)
• Monkey Man (2024)

Soundtracks

• In Custody (1993)
• Little Buddha (1993)
• Saaz (1998)
• Vanaprastham (1999)
• The Mystic Masseur (2001)
• Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002)
• One Dollar Curry (2003)

Awards and honours

• Hussain was awarded the titles of Padma Shri in 1988, Padma Bhushan in 2002, and Padma Vibhushan in 2023.
• Awarded the Indo-American Award in 1990 in recognition of his outstanding cultural contribution to relations between the United States and India.
• Presented with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1990 by the President of India, making him one of the youngest musicians to receive this recognition given by the Sangeet Natak Academy, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama.
• 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, the Downbeat Critics' Poll for Best World Beat Album and the NARM Indie Best Seller Award for a World Music Recording.
• Recipient of a 1999 National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the United States government's honour for a master in the traditional arts, presented by First Lady Hillary Clinton at the United States Senate on 28 September 1999.
• 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.
• Recipient of the Kalidas Samman in 2006, an award for artists of exceptional achievement, from the Government of Madhya Pradesh.
• 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.
• In 2007, readers' polls from both Modern Drummer and Drum! magazines named Hussain Best World Music and Best World Beat Drummer respectively.
• On 8 February 2009 for the 51st Grammy Awards, Hussain won the Grammy in the Contemporary World Music Album category for his collaborative album Global Drum Project along with Mickey Hart, Sikiru Adepoju & Giovanni Hidalgo.
• On 23 February 2012 for Guru Gangadhar Pradhan Lifetime Achievement Award at Konark Dance & Music Festival, organised by Konark Natya Mandap
• Summer of 2016, he was nominated for President's Medal of the Arts, however, new rule stated non-Americans could not receive the medal.
• On 18 January 2017, San Francisco Jazz Center gave Hussain a Lifetime Achievement Award
• 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.
• In 2022, he was conferred the honorary Doctor of Law (LLD) degree for his exceptional contribution in the field of music by Mumbai University.
• 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).
• On 4 February 2024, Hussain received three awards at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. 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.

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.

References

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External links

• Official website

news source

• Zakir Hussain at IMDb
• Zakir Hussain discography at Discogs
• Zakir Hussain's channel on YouTube

• 1951 births
• 2024 deaths
• Edition Records artists
• Grammy Award winners
• Hindustani composers
• Hindustani instrumentalists
• Indian drummers
• Indian film score composers
• Indian male classical musicians
• Indian male film actors
• Indian male film score composers
• 21st-century Indian Muslims
• Indian percussionists
• Indian world music musicians
• Instrumental gharanas
• Jazz fusion musicians
• Male jazz musicians
• Musicians from Mumbai
• National Heritage Fellowship winners
• Punjab gharana
• Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts
• Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
• Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in arts
• Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
• Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
• Remember Shakti members
• Shakti (band) members
• St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni
• Tabla players
• University of Washington alumni
• Deaths from pulmonary fibrosis
• 20th-century Indian Muslims
• 21st-century Indian male actors
• 20th-century Indian male actors
• 20th-century Indian male musicians
• 21st-century Indian male musicians
• 20th-century drummers
• 21st-century drummers