Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI; Legendary Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain’s death has been confirmed by Jon Bleicher, the PR who represents his family.
The statement released by Jon reads “Zakir Hussain, one of the world’s most transcendent musicians, passed away from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in San Francisco at the age of 73.
He is survived by his wife, Antonia Minnecola; his daughters, Anisa Qureshi (her husband, Taylor Phillips, and their daughter, Zara) and Isabella Qureshi; his brothers, Taufiq Qureshi and Fazal Qureshi; and his sister, Khurshid Aulia. He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy cherished by countless music lovers around the globe, with an influence that will resonate for generations to come.
The son of legendary tabla master Ustad Allah Rakha (Ravi Shankar’s longtime accompanist), Zakir Hussain was widely regarded as the greatest tabla player of his generation.
A child prodigy, he collaborated with virtually all of India’s iconic performers, including Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan and Shivkumar Sharma.
His groundbreaking work with Western musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma, Charles Lloyd, Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Mickey Hart, George Harrison and John McLaughlin brought Indian classical music to an international audience, cementing his status as a global cultural ambassador. Moreover, his work raised his instrument to virtuoso status. Widely considered a chief architect of the contemporary world music movement, Zakir Hussain’s contributions were uniquely transformative.
His unique mastery of rhythm allowed him to cross borders freely and create authentic connections between different genres of music.
He participated in many historic collaborations, including Shakti (which he founded with John McLaughlin and L. Shankar), Remember Shakti, Making Music, The Diga Rhythm Band, Planet Drum and Global Drum Project with Mickey Hart, Tabla Beat Science, and Sangam with Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland.
His performances and recordings include collaborations with artists as diverse as George Harrison, Yo-Yo Ma, Joe Henderson, Van Morrison, Airto Moreira, Pharoah Sanders, Billy Cobham, Alonzo King, Mark Morris, Rennie Harris and the Kodo drummers.
His extraordinary contributions to the music world were honoured in April 2009 with four widely heralded, sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall’s Artist Perspective series.
