Zakir Hussain, Bay Area tabla master and prolific Indian classical musician, dies at 73
Zakir Hussain, one of India's most accomplished classical musicians who defied genres and introduced tabla to global audiences, died on Sunday. He was 73.
The Indian classical music icon died from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease, at a hospital in San Francisco, his family said in a statement.
"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," the statement read.
Hussain was the most recognizable exponent of tabla, a pair of hand drums that is the main percussion instrument in Indian classical music.
Considered the greatest tabla player of his generation, Hussain had a career that spanned six decades in which he collaborated with the likes of singer-songwriter George Harrison, jazz saxophonists Charles Lloyd and Pharaoh Sanders, pianist Herbie Hancock, guitar great John McLaughlin, Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
The son of legendary tabla artist Alla Rakha, Hussain was born in 1951 in Mumbai and was taught how to play the instrument by his father at the age of 7. A child prodigy, he was touring by age 12 and performing alongside India's classical music legends during his teens.
In an interview that was shared widely on social media in India, Hussain says his father welcomed him into the world after he was born by speaking tabla rhythms into his ears.
"I was brought home, handed over to my dad in his arms. The tradition was that the father is supposed to recite a prayer in the baby's ear ... So he takes me in his arms, puts his lips to my ear and recites the tabla rhythms into my ears," Hussain says in the interview, verbally imitating the rhythmic pattern of the instrument.
Both Alla Rakha and Hussain were given the honorific "Ustad," an Urdu word that means master.
Hussain would move to the Bay Area in 1971 at the age of 20, settling in Marin County where he would find some of his earliest collaborators in western music. Hussain joined Hart on his debut solo album Rolling Thunder in 1973, starting what would be decades of collaboration. The tabla player was also in Hart's Diga Rhythm Band as well as his later Planet Drum project.
In 1973, Hussain formed the Indian jazz fusion band "Shakti" with jazz guitarist McLaughlin. The band played acoustic fusion music that combined Indian music with elements of jazz, introducing a new sound to Western audiences.
Expanding on McLaughlin's extensive study of Indian music, the group explored Hindustani and Carnatic styles, including the percussive South Indian vocal technique konnakol while introducing ragas and Indian percussion to many jazz aficionados starting with their 1975 live debut album Shakti with John McLaughlin. The guitarist played a custom-made steel-string acoustic guitar with the group that had seven additional "sympathetic strings" similar to those on a sitar or veena as well as a specially crafted scalloped fretboard. Appearances at notable festivals like the Montreux Jazz Fest and celebrated tours featuring the band were met with ecstatic reviews, leading to two more studio recording in the next few years.
While Hussain frequently focused on Indian classical music and world music hybrids, he was not shy about embracing modern technology. In 2000, he contributed to bassist Bill Laswell's all-star project Tabla Beat Science that mixed traditional Indian music and electronic dance sounds that also featured fellow percussion giant Trilok Gurtu and Indian drum n' bass production wizards Karsh Kale and Talvin Singh as well as sarangi player Ustad Sultan Khan and Bay Area turntable great DJ Disk. The group played a stunning concert at Stern Grove in the summer of 2001 that was documented with a celebrated live album the following year.
Last year, Hussain and McLaughlin reunited with a new line-up of Shakti that performed across the globe, including a sold-out SFJAZZ concert at Davies Symphony Hall. In 2024, Hussain became the first musician from India to win three Grammy awards in the same year. Hussain's latest album with Shakti This Moment won Best Global Music Album, and his collaboration with Edgar Meyer, Béla Fleck and flutist Rakesh Chaurasia won Best Global Music Performance and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. He had earlier won a Grammy in 2009.
In 2023, Hussain received the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Hussain a "true genius who revolutionized the world of Indian classical music" and "an icon of cultural unity."
"He also brought the tabla to the global stage, captivating millions with his unparalleled rhythm," Modi wrote in a post on the social platform X.
Hart eulogized Hussain in a heartfelt post on social media Monday morning, calling him "my brother for over 50 years, my closest collaborator, and my dearest friend."
"His knowledge of both western and eastern world rhythms was unequaled. He had perfect pitch and total recall for the most complicated rhythmic cycles," Hart's post continued. "His instruments were like the rains, dense sheets of sounds performed like blurs of lightning-fast fingers on small, tuned drums. With the skill of a surgeon, he weaved a rhythmic spell with each finger at the most rapid speeds that can be imaginable."
"The world will never be the same without him," he added in closing.
SFJAZZ also posted a tribute on their website about the musician, hailing him as an early supporter who played the organizations's stages "dozens of times" including concerts "as part of our Sacred Space series at Grace Cathedral in duo with Joe Henderson, Pharoah Sanders, and Charles Lloyd." He was also a member of the SFJAZZ Board of Trustees and served as an SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director from 2014-2016.
Hussain is survived by his wife and two daughters.
Dave Pehling contributed to this story.
