Indian Tabla Master and World Fusion Explorer Zakir Hussain Dies at 73
by John Diliberto 12/16/2024
Zakir Hussain March 9, 1951 – December 15, 2024
If there was a genius of the tabla drum, it was Zakir Hussain. In his hands, this instrument was not just a drum, but an entire orchestra for which Zakir composed the most magnificent symphonies. Now those symphonies are silenced. Zakir has departed at age 73.
Ustad Zakir Hussain Qureshi was born in 1951 in Mumbai India. He’s the son of Alla Rahka, the previous master of the tabla and longtime accompanist to Ravi Shankar. Even more than his father, Zakir took the tabla into new territory from rock to jazz to R&B and more.
Zakir was a whirlwind of rhythm and melody on his tablas, spinning out cycles in a dervish of groove as a soloist, but able to accompany the serene winds of artists like bansuri flutist Hariprasad Chaurasia with the deepest sensitivity.
Zakir’s talent didn’t end at simple virtuosity. He extended the breadth of the tabla drums into the music of the world, collaborating on many influential projects that have shaped modern music. Few were more influential than his work with guitarist John McLaughlin in the group, Shakti. Across five decades, they spawned a couple of music generations of Indian cross-over musicians and racked up a Grammy Award in 2024. I am sure that McLaughlin, who was both musically and emotionally intertwined with Zakir, is bereft at the moment. As is Mickey Hart. With the Grateful Dead drummer, Zakir expanded the consciousness for global music in the west, first in the Diga Rhythm Band, then on the five Planet Drum albums, most recently the 2022 release, In the Groove. Mickey Hart’s name is at the top of those projects, but it’s Zakir who provided much of the fuel and drove those bands to unparalleled heights.
Zakir also brought his music into the world through teaching, drawing western and eastern players into his rhythm, while also encouraging them to find their own sound and tradition.
Among some of his more auspicious appearances are with George Harrison, Van Morrison, Earth Wind and Fire, Pharoah Sanders and Pat Martino. Largely because of his work with Shakti, he was the go-to musician for those seeking an Indian fusion, including work on saxophonist John Handy’s 1976 raga-based album, Karuna Supreme, as well as his funk album, Hard Work that same year. More recently, banjoist Bela Fleck’s 2023 Indian-flavored album, As We Speak, was driven by Zakir. He also had a cameo in the 2024 film Monkey Man, as an ancient tabla player whose rhythms inspired Dev Patel’s “Kid” character into asserting himself in battle.
Despite all these forays into world fusion, Hussain remained a fierce rhythmist in traditional Indian music, performing and recording with santoor player Shivkumar Sharma, Hariprasad Chaurasia and Sultan Khan among others.
Zakir Hussain brought unparalleled joy to his music. He was usually smiling when he played and his presence on a project was a guarantee of creative integrity. I think it can be said that Zakir Hussain has probably exceeded the artistry of even his own father, the great tabla master Alla Rahka.
Now he joins him in the great rhythm orchestra of the sky. Leaving the planet at age 73, dying from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis on December 15. We’ve had Zakir on the show many times over the years and he was always a joy to interview, an articulate interpreter of his music. And for Zakir, it was only about the music. He was scheduled to play 2025’s Big Ears Festival among many other concert appearances, now lost.