Zakir Hussain- Life in Pictures of Tabla Maestro, 4-Time Grammy Winner

One of the greatest tabla players of all time, Ustad Zakir Hussain was born as the eldest son of Ustad Alla Rakha. When born, it’s said that Alla Rakha whispered the rhythms of tabla in his ears instead of azaan and thus born a true star, a legendary artist who took tabla to mainstage and got Indian classical music global recognition like never before. 

Zakir Hussain started off early. After being trained by his father, and rigorous lessons since the age of 3, Zakir performed on stage for the first time at the age of 7. He began touring at the age of 12. He studied in Mumbai and got practical training in music. 

In 1973, Zakir Hussain co-founded Shakti with guitarist John McLaughlin, a group that fused Indian classical music with jazz and Western traditions. Over five decades, Shakti evolved, featuring luminaries like violinist L Shankar, percussionist Vikku Vinayakram, and mandolin maestro U Srinivas.

In addition to Shakti, Hussain also contributed to many groundbreaking collaborations, including Masters of Percussion, Planet Drum and Global Drum Project with Mickey Hart, Tabla Beat Science, Sangam with Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland, CrossCurrents with Dave Holland and Chris Potter, in trio with Béla Fleck and Edgar Meyer, and, most recently, with Herbie Hancock.

Hussain composed three concertos. His third, the first-ever concerto for tabla and orchestra, was premiered in India in September 2015, by the Symphony Orchestra of India, in Europe and the UK in 2016, and in the US in April, 2017.
 

Ustad Zakir Hussain became a household name when in 1988 he was roped in as the face of the Taj Mahal Tea brand.

The TV commercial now regarded as a classic had him sipping on the tea as a voiceover praises his craft and says, "Wah ustad, wah!" to which the maestro responds "Arre huzoor, wah Taj boliye!"

Zakir Hussain was bestowed with Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Padma Shri. The tabla maestro was also a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow in the United States. He was nominated seven times at the Grammys and won four times. In February 2024, he received three Grammys.

The first Grammy win for him came in 2009 when he won in the Contemporary World Music Album category for his collaborative album Global Drum Project with Mickey Hart and Giovanni Hidalgo.

Besides his work as a tabla player, Zakir Hussain also composed music for many movies, including Manto and Mr and Mrs Iyer. He also acted in the Merchant Ivory film production Heat and Dust, The Perfect Murder and Saaz, opposite Shabana Azmi.