Zakir Hussain (musician)

Zakir Hussain ( born March 9, 1951 in Bombay, India) is considered as the most distinguished living tabla player. In addition to the tabla Hussain plays among others the doubt then Indian tube drums Dhol, Dholak, Dholki and Khol and the boiler drum Duggi.

Outside of India, it is mainly for his role in John McLaughlin 's group Shakti, the recordings with various percussion ensembles (eg, Diga Rhythm Band, Planet Drum, Rhythm Experience) and his collaborations with musicians such as George Harrison, Joe Henderson, Van Morrison, Jack Bruce, Tito Puente, Pharoah Sanders, Billy Cobham, Mickey Hart, Trilok Gurtu and Bill Laswell ( material, tabla Beat Science) known.

The North Indian music tradition from which he comes, but still plays the most significant role in his musical creation. As he says himself, he plays 80 percent of Indian classical music. The fact that he has long been recognized as a musician in his homeland, reflected in the fact that he is a sought-after musicians from masters such as Ravi Shankar ( sitar ), Ali Akbar Khan ( sarod ), Shiv Kumar Sharma ( Santoor ) or the Kathak dancer Birju Maharaj is.

Biography

At the age of three years, he became a pupil of his father, tabla virtuoso Alla Rakha. At the age of 12 he had his first public appearance with him and soon became regarded by many as a child prodigy. At age 13, he met George Harrison, who had come to India to study the sitar master Ravi Shankar. Hussain's father was the tabla virtuoso, with the Shankar made ​​his most appearances and recordings. So Zakir Hussain came to his first impressions of of contemporary western pop music. Harrison was subsequently one of the first young Western musicians who made ​​known to the audience in America and Europe with the Indian music, in a merger that Hussain would continue even in later decades.

1970 Zakir traveled in the support group Ravi Shankar for the first time in the United States and made ​​his first appearance at the Fillmore West outside of India in San Francisco. In the same year he moved to the United States. In 1973 he was a founding member of the Valley Vadya Rhythm Band, from which in the following years, the Diga Rhythm Band developed ( with Mickey Hart in 1976 worked ). Together with saxophonist John Handy and sarod player Ali Akbar Khan, he played in 1975 at the initiative of Joachim Ernst Berendt Album Karuna Supreme one, which in 1980 (reinforced by L. Subramaniam ) was followed by the album Rainbow.

1975 accepted an invitation from the British guitarist John McLaughlin and together with the North Indian violinist L. Shankar and the South Indian Ghatamspieler TH Vinayakram they created at a time when there was no term for it yet, the " fusion group " Shakti. This formation lasted until 1977, recorded three groundbreaking albums, and played a successful concert tours both in the West and in India. During the 1980s, Hussain played a series of concerts with Zakir Hussain 's Rhythm Experience, and was a guest musician with a variety especially American pop and jazz musicians. To a first reunion of Shakti came in 1984 for a tour in India.

In 1992 he founded the record label moment! Records. Are posted next to world music albums Hussain - also his percussion ensemble Rhythm Experience - especially live recordings of concerts of masters of classical North and South Indian music and the series Best of Shakti and the Masters of Percussion.

From 1997 to 2000 McLaughlin and Hussain played with a series of changing Indian musicians, including Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute), in the group Remember Shakti together again.

Since the late 1980s, Hussain also working together again and again with the New York bassist and producer Bill Laswell. Early 2000s, they founded the group Tabla Beat Science, which created an additional form of East-West fusion.

Work

Hussain's music is characterized by his acquired in long years of study, knowledge of Indian classical music, his excellent technical virtuosity and his talent for improvisation. Although his playing is deeply rooted in the Indian tradition, he is regarded today as a result of its many collaborations with Western musicians as one of the creators of the so -called world music.

His work can be classified into two major areas:

• Increased cooperation with Western musicians from jazz, pop and avant-garde, in which he introduces the element of "world music".
• On the other hand, Hussain also plays over and over again - and more in total than with Western musicians - in India. A particular merit comes to him while bringing together masters of the North and the South Indian musical traditions; a path which had already begun with McLaughlin's Shakti.

Again and again composed Hussain also music to movies. As early as 1979 he was on the soundtrack for Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now! involved. In 2003 he composed the music for Vijay Singh's movie One Dollar Curry. In 1993, he composed and performed the music for Ismail Merchants film In Custody and Bernardo Bertolucci Little Buddha. In Little Buddha he appeared himself as a Vanaprastham, a living in the woods hermit who has left behind material needs to. In 1996 he was one of the composers of the music for the opening of the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996.

Discography

A selection of publications with / by Zakir Hussain:

• Shakti ( Shakti, established in 1975 ) - the debut album compiled by McLaughlin Group.
• Natural Elements ( Shakti, recorded 1976) - the second album Shakti (without Ramnad V. Raghavan, mridangam ).
• A Handful of Beauty ( Shakti, recorded 1977) - the last studio recording of Shakti in the original cast.
• Making Music (Z. Hussain, 1986) - the first published under his name, album, described by critics as "one of the most inspired albums ever recorded with East-West Fusion".
• Who's To Know (L. Shankar, 1990) - a milestone of the violinist L. Shankar, the revived here with Z. Hussain Indian classical music in his own way.
• Planet Drum ( Z. Hussain Mickey Hart, 1992) - the multi-award -winning album, percussion traditions from around the world connects. Created at the behest of the former drummer of the Grateful Dead, Mickey Hart.
• Remember Shakti ( Remember Shakti, 1997) - live recordings in number of new members as Remember Shakti back together playing group ( John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, TH Vinayakram, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Uma Metha )
• Tala Matrix ( Tabla Beat Science, 2000) - the first album initiated by Bill Laswell group, which also includes the sarangi player Sultan Khan belongs.
• Remember Shakti: The Believer ( Remember Shakti, 2000) - live recordings of concerts played in Europe ( John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, U. Shrinavas, V. Selvaganesh )
• Remember Shakti: Saturday Night in Bombay ( Remember Shakti, 2001) - Recorded live at the final concert of Remember Shakti - world tour, in addition to McLaughlin and Hussain are also heard a number of high-caliber musical guests from India

Awards

Zakir Hussain has already received a variety of prizes and awards, the following are some of the most important:

• Padma Shri (1988 ) - the fourth highest civilian award which is awarded by the Government of India for services to the country. Zakir Hussain was the youngest percussionist to ever receive the award.
• Indo- American Award ( 1990) - for his outstanding achievements in the field of cultural exchange between India and the United States.
• Sangeet Natak Academy Award (1991 ) - one awarded by the President of India award from the leading cultural institution of the country.
• Grammy ( category " World Music", 1992) - for the produced by Zakir Hussain and Mickey Hart Planet Drum album.
• Best World Beat Album ( 1992) - Awarded by Downbeat magazine, one of the leading publications for Jazz, also for Planet Drum
• NARM Indie Best Seller Award ( category " World Music Recording ", 1992) - Award of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, again for Planet Drum
• National Heritage Fellowship ( 1999) - the most prestigious award that is awarded in the United States to champion traditional arts.
• Padma Bhushan (2002) - the third-highest civilian award of India, in his case for his contribution to Indian music.