From Prodigy To Global Icon: The Life And Legacy Of Zakir Hussain

Zakir Hussain, India바카라�s legendary percussionist and globally celebrated tabla maestro, has passed away at the age of 73. His family confirmed that he had been battling idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and breathed his last in the early hours of Monday morning in San Francisco. 

A pioneer of modern world music, Zakir Hussain was born on March 9, 1951, to the legendary tabla virtuoso Ustad Allah Rakha Khan and Bavi Begum. Building on his father바카라�s illustrious legacy, he elevated the tabla to global prominence, blending it seamlessly into a variety of musical genres and collaborating with an array of artists from around the world.

Outlook revisits the key milestones in the life of this Zakir Hussain:

Early Life

From an early age, music was ingrained in Zakir Hussain's life. Recognising the musical talent in his son, Allah Rakha began teaching him the mridang, a classical percussion instrument, at the age of three. By the time Zakir was seven, his father formally introduced him to the tabla with rigorous lessons that often began in the middle of the night. A child prodigy, Zakir gave his first public performance at just 12 years old, marking the beginning of his remarkable journey in the world of music.

Zakir completed his schooling from St. Michael's High School in Mahim and later graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. Driven by a desire to expand his musical horizons, he moved to the United States, earning a doctorate in music from the University of Washington. 

There, he immersed himself in world music and further honed his craft, participating in musical concerts.

Rise to Fame

In the early 1970s, Zakir Hussain made his American debut performing alongside Pandit Ravi Shankar at the Fillmore East in New York. In 1971, he recorded with the American psychedelic band Shanti  and by 1973, he appeared on George Harrison바카라�s acclaimed album Living in the Material World. Hussain had initially wanted to play drums instead of the tabla, but Harrison convinced him otherwise, saying, 바카라�You are here because you have something unique to offer. If you want to play drums, that바카라�s fine. But then you will join the 5,000 other drummers who are waiting in line to play with me.바카라�

While in New York, he met guitarist John McLaughlin, and their friendship led to the formation of the iconic Indo-Jazz band Shakti in 1975, which included Indian violinist L. Shankar, T H Vinayakram, and R Raghavan.

In 1983, Hussain featured in Powerlight, the twelfth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released by Columbia Records. Over his life, Zakir Hussain also appeared in many films and documentaries, the first one being 'Heat and Dust' in 1983.

In 1987, Zakir Hussain released his debut solo album, Making Music, hailed as one of the most groundbreaking East-West fusion works. In 1988, he was awarded the Padma Shri. He received the Indo-American Award in 1990 for his contributions to cultural exchange. In 1991, he was honoured with the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by India바카라�s premier cultural institution, becoming one of the youngest musicians to receive this recognition.

The same year, Zakir Hussain joined the percussion supergroup Planet Drum, led by Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. Featuring musicians from around the world, their debut album won a Grammy for Best World Music Album and the Downbeat Critics Poll for Best World Beat Album.

In 1996, Zakir Hussain contributed to the music composition for the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

In 1998, Zakir Hussain was asked to create music for Alonzo King바카라�s Lines Ballet, which earned him the Isadora Duncan Award. That same year, he also composed an original piece for the San Francisco Jazz Festival.

In 1999, Zakir Hussain co-founded Tabla Beat Science with Bill Laswell, creating Tala Matrix, a landmark in tabla fusion. That same year, he received the National Heritage Fellowship, the highest U.S. honour for traditional arts, presented by First Lady Hillary Clinton at the U.S. Senate.

Illustrious career marked with achievements

Throughout his illustrious career which spanned decades, he won numerous prestigious awards, collaborated with a wide range of artists, and contributed to ground breaking work in the world of music.

In 2000, he composed music for The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and in 2002, he collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma on the Silk Road Project, premiering Kolam. He also received the Padma Bhushan the same year.

Zakir Hussain reunited with John McLaughlin and others from the Shakti band after a 20-year hiatus in 1999. his collaboration resulted in several highly acclaimed albums, including Remember Shakti (1999), The Believer (2000), Saturday Night in Bombay (2001), Live at 38th Montreux Jazz Festival (2004), and Live at Miles Davis Hall (2004).

In 2006, he co-composed Triple Concerto for Banjo, Bass, and Tabla with Edgar Meyer and Béla Fleck, performed by the Nashville Symphony. 

In 2007, Zakir created the anthem Jai Hind for India바카라�s 60th Independence celebration and worked once again with Alonzo King for Rasa.

His career milestones continued in 2009 when the collaborative album Global Drum Project, featuring Zakir Hussain, Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, Nigerian percussionist Sikiru Adepoju, and Puerto Rican percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo, won the Grammy for Best Contemporary World Music Album.

In 2012, Zakir was named Best Percussionist in the Downbeat Critics바카라� Poll. 

The same year, he was also honoured with the Guru Gangadhar Pradhan Lifetime Achievement Award at the Konark Dance & Music Festival. 

In 2017, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the San Francisco Jazz Center. In 2019, he was awarded the Academy Fellow (Academy Ratna) by the Sangeet Natak Academy for his contributions to Indian music. 

In February 2024, Hussain made history at the Grammy Awards, becoming the first Indian to win three Grammys in one night for his collaboration on Pashto, a piece that pays tribute to the tradition of Indian classical musicians performing with British imperial bands in early-20th-century India.

Zakir Hussain was also a visiting professor at Princeton University, where he served as an Old Dominion Fellow for the 2005바카라�2006 semester in the music department. He was also a visiting professor at Stanford University. In May 2022, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law (LLD) degree by Mumbai University in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of music.