Mumbai: Legendary Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain’s death has been finally confirmed by Jon Bleicher, the PR who represents his family.
The statement released by Jon reads “Zakir Hussain, one of the world’s most transcendent musicians, passed away from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in San Francisco at the age of 73.
He is survived by his wife, Antonia Minnecola; his daughters, Anisa Qureshi (her husband, Taylor Phillips, and their daughter, Zara) and Isabella Qureshi; his brothers, Taufiq Qureshi and Fazal Qureshi; and his sister, Khurshid Aulia. He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy cherished by countless music lovers around the globe, with an influence that will resonate for generations to come.
The son of legendary tabla master Ustad Allah Rakha (Ravi Shankar’s longtime accompanist), Zakir Hussain was widely regarded as the greatest tabla player of his generation.
A child prodigy, he collaborated with virtually all of India’s iconic performers, including Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan and Shivkumar Sharma.
His groundbreaking work with Western musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma, Charles Lloyd, Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Mickey Hart, George Harrison and John McLaughlin brought Indian classical music to an international audience, cementing his status as a global cultural ambassador.
Moreover, his work raised his instrument to virtuoso status. Widely considered a chief architect of the contemporary world music movement, Zakir Hussain’s contributions were uniquely transformative.
His unique mastery of rhythm allowed him to cross borders freely and create authentic connections between different genres of music.
He participated in many historic collaborations, including Shakti (which he founded with John McLaughlin and L. Shankar), Remember Shakti, Making Music, The Diga Rhythm Band, Planet Drum and Global Drum Project with Mickey Hart, Tabla Beat Science, and Sangam with Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland.
His performances and recordings include collaborations with artists as diverse as George Harrison, Yo-Yo Ma, Joe Henderson, Van Morrison, Airto Moreira, Pharoah Sanders, Billy Cobham, Alonzo King, Mark Morris, Rennie Harris and the Kodo drummers.
His extraordinary contributions to the music world were honoured in April 2009 with four widely heralded, sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall’s Artist Perspective series.
Zakir Hussain was a prolific composer, creating concertos, scoring for films and collaborating with dance companies such as Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet and The Mark Morris Dance Group.
Over his illustrious career, he earned numerous accolades, including two Grammy Awards with Mickey Hart for Planet Drum, and three more this past March: one with John McLaughlin and the band Shakti, and two for his collaborations with Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Rakesh Chaurasia.
Zakir Hussain is the first Indian to receive three Grammy Awards in one night.
Zakir Hussain’s extraordinary global impact was recognised with the highest honours that can be given in the world of music.
His contributions “to the cultural and spiritual betterment of mankind,” were acknowledged in 2022 with his awarding of the Kyoto Prize.
In India, he received the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri.
He was also a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, India’s most prestigious honour for performing artists, and later the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, a lifetime honour awarded to only 40 artists at a time.
In the US, Zakir Hussain was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship in 1999 by the National Endowment for the Arts, the nation’s highest lifetime honour for traditional artists.
In 2017, he was honoured with SFJazz’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his “unparalleled contribution to the world of music”.
In 2022, he was awarded the Aga Khan Award for his “enduring contributions to the musical heritage of humanity, peerless musical mastery and sustained social impact”.
His prolific work as a teacher, mentor and educator has left an indelible mark on countless musicians.
He inspired the next generation to go further and leave behind an unparalleled legacy as a cultural ambassador and one of the greatest musicians of all time.
Concluding the statement he wrote: “The family requests privacy at this time.”
(IANS)
