APRIL 2025
OM SHANTI OM
A Tribute to the late
great Zakir Hussain whose
percussive genius will never bE forgotten.
Well-spoken, playful and wildly talented, Zakir Hussain, one of the world's top tabla players, is an inspiration to many artists. A giver and performer, who graced international stages with fusion stalwarts like Dave Holland and Rakesh Chauasia, concerts and recitals were filled with reciprocal understanding and cultural acceptance. Whether performing solo or alongside peers, his generosity showed time and time again, towards audiences and contemporaries, leaving everyone full and hungry.
Melding Indian classical music with African-American music seemed like a walk in the park when listening to the virtuoso. Considering the complexity of Indian music, finding a space to hold both may seem hard, but not when a musician comprehends that there is no separation between the worlds, only a merging that has yet to happen.
One of the pioneers of bridging sounds and bringing cohesiveness into territories unexplored, audiences learn, through his welcoming and open spirit, that so much beauty can be achieved by listening and allowing room for another to flourish. Zakir Hussain's ability to take both the back and front seat, as support and lead, demonstrated
humility and authority without pretence.
One of his last performances was on NPR's 'Tiny Desk', which brought him and his outstanding collaborators to a new and younger audience. Although it has only garnered a millions views as compared to the views garnered with younger artists, it highlights
the yearning for quality music that is not one tone but
engaging and synergetic.
Zakir Hussain may be gone but he leaves music that will travel through time
and be studied and discussed as the years pass. An evolution of coalescence awaits
the generations that follow. Like a speck, it may get lost in universal transpositions, but the sparks from rooms kept warm with respect and friendship by the maestro, will
burn new paths into the future.