Ustad Zakir Hussain Qureshi (9March 1951 – 15December 2024) was an Indiantabla player, composer, arranger, percussionist, music producer and film actor. The eldest son of esteemed tabla playerAlla Rakha,[1] Zakir Hussain was widely regarded as the greatest tabla player of his generation and one of its finest percussionists.[2][3][4] He produced music across multiple genres and contributed to popularizingIndian classical music to a global audience.[5]
Hussain received nineGrammy Award nominations, winning four times,[1] including three in 2024.[5][6] He was described as the most recognizable exponent of the tabla byThe Guardian.The New York Times marveled that the "blur of his fingers rivals the beat of a hummingbird's wings."[7]
Hussain and Niladri Kumar, SSF-2022, Nazrul Mancha Kolkata
Zakir Hussain Qureshi was born on 9 March 1951 in Bombay (nowMumbai),Maharashtra, toAlla Rakha Qureshi, one of the most celebratedtabla players in the history ofIndian classical music.[8][9][10] His formal training in Hindustani classical music began at the age of seven, starting each of his mornings with three hours of tuition. He started performing in concerts at aged seven, and began touring by the age of twelve.[8][9]
Hussain studied at St. Michael's High School inMahim and graduated fromSt. Xavier's College in Mumbai.[11] After college, he discovered the music ofJimi Hendrix andThe Doors and considered becoming a rock drummer. However, he was soon dissuaded from this byGeorge Harrison, lead guitarist ofThe Beatles, who told him that, as a tabla player, he could combine Eastern and Western music to create his own unique sound.[8]
In the late 1960s, Hussain moved toSan Francisco. There, he said he learnt as much from theGrateful Dead's drummer as he had from his classical studies,[8] including 'how to find the groove and understand thebackbeat, and not to play too many notes'. He recalled jam sessions with the band lasting two or three days.[8]
For over eighteen years, Hussain's tablas were made by Haridas R. Vhatkar.[27] Vhatkar said he learned how to make tablas so that he could make them for Hussain.[27]
Hussain lived most of his life in America, but spent several months each year in his native India, making music forBollywood films. In 1983, he acted in theMerchant-Ivory filmHeat and Dust, oppositeJulie Christie.[8] On one of his return visits to Mumbai, he formed an ensemble, 'The Masters of Percussion', with musicians from different parts of the country, later touring the world with the group. He said his heritage was important to him, and two-thirds of his shows consisted purely of Indian music.[8]
At the66th Annual Grammy Awards on 4 February 2024, Hussain became the first musician from India to receive three Grammys at one ceremony:This Moment for Best Global Music Album,Pashto for the Best Global Music Performance, andAs We Speak for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, a live collaboration with bluegrass banjo player Bela Fleck and classical double bassist Edgar Meyer.[29][30][1]
In a conversation with authorNasreen Munni Kabir, recorded in her bookZakir Hussain: A Life in Music, Hussain stated that he did not play at private gatherings, corporate events, or weddings. He believed that music should not be heard at events where people came to socialise, drink or eat, but instead should be the sole purpose of the event.[27]
Hussain was named an Old Dominion Fellow by the Humanities Council atPrinceton University, where he resided for the 2005–2006 semester as full professor in the music department.[31] He was also a visiting professor atStanford University.[32] In May 2022, he was awarded the honorary Doctor of Law (LLD) degree for his contribution to the field of music by theUniversity of Mumbai.[33]
Nasreen Munni Kabir compiled fifteen interview sessions from 2016 through 2017, each lasting about two hours, into the bookZakir Hussain: A Life in Music, which was published in 2018.[27] The book described Hussain's life from his youth, his years of intense training and his growth as a musician.[27]
Hussain married Antonia Minnecola, aKathak dancer and teacher, who was also his manager.[34] They had two daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi. Anisa graduated from UCLA and is a film maker. Isabella is studying dance inManhattan.[35]
Hussain has two brothers:Taufiq Qureshi, a percussionist, andFazal Qureshi, also a tabla player. Their brother Munawar died at a young age when he was attacked by a rabid dog.[27] His eldest sister Bilquis died before Hussain was born. A sister, Razia, died from complications during cataract surgery, a few hours before their father's death in 2000.[27] He has another sister, Khurshid.[27][36]
Hussain was undoubtedly one of the world's greatest tabla players. Prime MinisterNarendra Modi said he was "a true genius who revolutionised the world of Indian classical music." English guitaristJohn McLaughlin, who performed with Hussain in the band Shakti, described him as "the King, in whose hands, rhythm became magic."[38]
In 1992Planet Drum, an album co-created and produced by Hussain andMickey Hart, was awarded the first-ever Grammy forBest World Music Album,[65] the Downbeat Critics' Poll forBest World Beat Album and the NARMIndie Best Seller Award for a World Music Recording.[66]
In 2005, he was named anOld Dominion Fellow by the Humanities Council atPrinceton 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.[67]
Golden Strings of the Sarode (Moment! Records 2006) withAashish Khan and Hussain was nominated for aGrammy in theBest Traditional World Music Album category in 2006.[69]
In 2007, readers' polls from bothModern Drummer andDrum! magazines named HussainBest World Music andBest World Beat Drummer respectively.[70]
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.[27]
In 2022, he was conferred the honorary Doctor of Law (LLD) degree for his exceptional contribution in the field of music byMumbai University.[33]
On 17 June 2022, he was named by the non-profit Inamori Foundation to receive theKyoto Prize, Japan's highest private award for global achievement, in the category of Arts and Philosophy (field: Music).[72]
On 4 February 2024, Hussain received three awards at the66th Annual Grammy Awards.[73][74] Hussain's first win came forPashto, 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 albumThis Moment, the critically acclaimed comeback of the pioneering world-fusion band Shakti.[6]
Hussain received two nominations for the2026 Grammy Awards. His album withShakti titledMind Explosion (50th Anniversary Tour Live) received a nomination in theBest Global Music Album category, and the song "Shrini's Dream (Live)", from the same album, received a nomination in theBest Global Music Performance category.[75] With these nominations, his Grammy totals reached 4 wins and 9 nominations.[1]
The line "Zakir Hussain Tabela Ivaltana" in the Tamil song "Telephone Manipol" in the 1996 filmIndian, directed byS. Shankar is a tribute to him. This song was written by poetVairamuthu.[76]
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