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Ustad Zakir Hussain's last concert, Shakti's big loss – music fam and friends pay homage to the late tabla legend

Dec 17, 2024 11:34 AM IST

Ustad Zakir Hussain’s death has left the world in shock. Here, his family-like-friends from the fraternity talk about the bond they shared with the legend.

After being hospitalised for over a month, and in the ICU for two weeks, Ustad Zakir Hussain died in San Francisco (USA) from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an official statement from his family confirmed on Monday. The tabla maestro was 73. He is survived by his wife, Antonia Minnecola, his daughters Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi, his brothers Fazal and Taufiq Qureshi, and sister Khurshid Aulia. In the official statement on his passing, his family said: “His prolific work as a teacher, mentor and educator has left an indelible mark on countless musicians. He hoped to inspire the next generation to go further. He leaves behind an unparalleled legacy as a cultural ambassador and one of the greatest musicians of all time.”

Ustad Zakir Hussain
Ustad Zakir Hussain

Tributes pour in

Talat Aziz

Talat Aziz and Ustad Zakir Hussain
Talat Aziz and Ustad Zakir Hussain

“I first met Zakir bhai in 1978 on his birthday at his home in Nepean Sea Road (Mumbai). Post that, we met regularly. Though we would jam a lot at get-together, we never performed together, professionally. In fact, he would always jokingly say, ‘Arey bhai, humse bhi kabhi saath bajwa lo‘. He was such a down-to-earth person. His smile and humbleness were his USPs. There won’t be another like him . He took the tabla to the world stage and made everyone aware of the instrument. The last time I met him was this year at (sarangi player) Sabir Khan’s function. He wasn’t in a good shape. May God grant him a special place in heaven.”

Shabana Azmi

Shabana Azmi and Ustad Zakir Hussain acted together in Saaz
Shabana Azmi and Ustad Zakir Hussain acted together in Saaz

“I’m too shocked. My thoughts are with Tony and his two girls. It is a loss not only to our nation, but the whole world. He was an artiste beyond compare.”

 

Salim Merchant

 

Ustad Zakir Hussain with Salim Merchant
Ustad Zakir Hussain with Salim Merchant

“I feel like an orphan today. I have lost my father, once again. I am who I am because of him – as an artiste and a human being. He’s been my inspiration. The humility with which he would greet someone who’d serve him tea or drive his car was so inspiring. It’s a huge loss to the world of music. He’s gone, physically. But he’s always going to be around.”

Pandit Satish Vyas

Ustad Zakir Hussain with Pandit Satish Vyas
Ustad Zakir Hussain with Pandit Satish Vyas

“I am devastated. I had known Zakir bhai for over 45 years. In the 1980’s, my guru Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Zakir bhai and I would travel together for shows and there were times when Zakir bhai and I would share the same room. I still remember his impeccable sense of humour. He performed such a beautiful show to mark my father, Pandit CR Vyas’ centenary celebration last year on December 10. This is a personal loss for me.”

Rakesh Chaurasia

Ustad Zakir Hussain with Rakesh Chaurasia
Ustad Zakir Hussain with Rakesh Chaurasia

“As a kid, I would watch Zakir bhai play with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and I’d dream of a day when I would share the stage with the tabla maestro. I feel honoured that God blessed me with that honour so many times. Zakir bhai was always a problem-solver for me – be it on the personal front or work. He was like a friend, on and off the stage. Whenever we would perform abroad, we would go for walks and explore new restaurants and cuisines, and if the food wasn’t impressive, we would look for an Indian restaurant for comfort (laughs). I still can’t come to terms with the fact that he’s gone.”

Rabbani Mustafa Khan

Ustad Zakir Hussain with Rabbani Mustafa Khan
Ustad Zakir Hussain with Rabbani Mustafa Khan

“Zakir bhai was family to us. I grew up seeing the unconditional love he had for my father (late Indian classical music legend Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan). His first recording was with my father for HMV and he was in school then. He travelled with my father for a lot of shows. He was an elder brother to us and we learnt so much from him, not just professionally, but also life lessons. I can never forget how he came to my father’s barsi concert, Haazri, this year as he was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Award. He was unwell, but he managed to come and spend enough time with us. Besides the personal bond, I also worked with him. In fact, he was supposed to perform at three concerts organised by me in the next couple of months. While this is an irreparable loss to the world of music, it’s a personal loss to me.”

Mahesh Kale

Mahesh Kale with Ustad Zakir Hussain
Mahesh Kale with Ustad Zakir Hussain

“It pains me to talk about Zakir ji in the past tense. I remember one of the workshops I attended where he called me to see him. I went up to Zakir ji, and he said, ‘Mahesh ji, if you don't mind, would you be okay to play the nagma with me?’ There's another time I remember that UC Berkeley had hosted Zakir Talks, Zakir Plays, and he asked me to accompany him. Just before we got on stage, he said, ‘By the way, I might ask you to sing.’ He also asked me to sing an abhang. I was extremely touched by the confidence that he had in me and my singing. That moment is etched in my heart for the reason that he believed in my music. That belief is one of the biggest aashirwads I have got so far.”

The musician he was

Born on March 9, 1951, in Mumbai's Mahim to legendary tabla player Ustad Allarakha, Ustad Zakir Hussain’s inclination towards the tabla started at a very young age. He also learned to play the mridang (classical percussion instrument) from his father at the age of 3 and began performing at concerts by the age of 12. Hussain worked with almost all of India's legendary musicians, including Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. He also did some groundbreaking work in the West and worked with artistes such as The Beatles, Yo-Yo Ma, Charles Llyod, Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Mickey Hart, George Harrison and John McLaughlin, placing Indian classical music on the global map.

The awards

Ustad Zakir Hussain receiving the Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Award earlier this year
Ustad Zakir Hussain receiving the Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Award earlier this year

He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1988, Padma Bhushan in 2002 and Padma Vibhushan in 2023. He was also a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1990. He received the Kalidas Samman in 2006 and the Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Award earlier this year. In February this year, Hussain received three Grammy Awards. His 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. The second Grammy of the night was for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, which he won alongside Fleck, Meyer and Chaurasia, for the album As We Speak. His third win came for the album This Moment, the critically acclaimed comeback of the pioneering world-fusion band Shakti.

Shakti loses its shakti

The band Shakti after the Grammy Awards win earlier this year
The band Shakti after the Grammy Awards win earlier this year

Ustad Zakir Hussain was among the founding members of the fusion band Shakti in n1973, which also had guitarist John McLaughlin, violin player L Shankar and ghatam player TH Vikku Vinayakram. In 1997, McLaughlin and Hussain put together another band with the same concept, called Remember Shakti, including V Selvaganesh (son of Vikku Vinayakram), mandolin player U Shrinivas and singer Shankar Mahadevan. This year, Shakti won the Grammy Award for the Best Global Music Album for the album This Moment. Shankar Mahadevan says, “Today, I’ve lost a mentor and my guru. Ustad Zakir Hussain played such an important role in my music. I feel proud to have associated with him. He was not a great artiste, he was the greatest artiste that our country has produced. He took our rhythm to the world. I pray that his family gets the strength to face this loss. The tabla will never sound the same again.”

The last concert

Ustad Zakir Hussain's last concert was with santoor player Rahul Sharma
Ustad Zakir Hussain's last concert was with santoor player Rahul Sharma

Santoor player Rahul Sharma, who performed the last show with the tabla legend before he was rushed to the hospital in Ohio, tells us, “Zakir bhai and I performed in Urbana, Indiana (USA) on October 30. That was his last concert. I am deeply shocked. An era of music is over with him gone. A superstar in the real sense. He was such a learned and humble soul. I got to learn so much from him every time I shared the stage with him. One of his earliest concerts was with my father (late santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma) and his last concert was with me.”

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