Who Is Zakir Hussain? The Legandary Tabla Player

Name	Ustad Zakir Hussain
Age/DOB	73 (March 9, 1951)
Known For	Married
Marital Status	Composer, Tabla Player, Music Producer
Family	Wife: Antonia Minnecola Father: Alla Rakha Mother: Bavi Begum Brothers: Taufiq Qureshi, Fazal Qureshi
Education	Graduated from University of Washington
Native	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Social Media

Zakir Hussain is an Indian musician and film actor who is widely regarded as one of the greatest tabla players of all time. He is the son of the legendary tabla maestro Ustad Alla Rakha. Hussain has performed over 150 concerts annually throughout his career. In 1999, the prestigious United States National Endowment for the Arts awarded him the National Heritage Fellowship. He has achieved seven Grammy nominations, and four wins, including three at the 66th Grammy Awards.

In November 2024, Zakir Hussain was hospitalized due to complications from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. His condition deteriorated and was transferred to the ICU. On December 16, 2024, his family confirmed his demise at a hospital in San Francisco, California. His fans and celebrities offered their condolence through social media.

Did You Know?

• In 1990, Zakir Hussain was honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by the Government of India.
• He collaborated with many legendary musicians, including Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, among others.
• In his early twenties, Zakir attained the peak of his popularity and started visiting the United States frequently for concerts.
• His wife, Antonia Minnecola is a professional Kathak dancer and a dance instructor.
• Zakir was featured in several documentaries such as Zakir and His Friends, The Speaking Hand: Zakir Hussain, the Art of the Indian Drum, and Manto.
• In 2016, he was one of the few legendary musicians invited by President Obama for the All-Star Global Concert at the White House.
• Zakir was a founding member of the World Music Supergroup.
• He also serves as a visiting professor in the Department of Music at Stanford University.

Discography

• Evening Ragas (1970) Vasant Rai
• Shanti (1971)
• Rolling Thunder (1972) – Mickey Hart
• Shakti (1975) – Shakti with John McLaughlin
• Karuna Supreme (MPS, 1976) – John Handy with Ali Akbar Khan
• Hard Work – John Handy (ABC/Impulse, 1976)
• A Handful of Beauty (1976) – Shakti with John McLaughlin
• Diga (1976) – Diga Rhythm Band
• Natural Elements (1977) – Shakti with John McLaughlin
• Morning Ragas (1979) with Vasant Rai
• Who’s to Know (1980) – L. Shankar
• Song for Everyone (1985) – L. Shankar
• Making Music (1987) with Jan Garbarek, John McLaughlin, and Hariprasad Chaurasia
• Tabla Duet (1988) – Zakir Hussain & Alla Rakha
• Venu (1989) – Hariprasad Chaurasia & Zakir Hussain
• At the Edge (1990) – Mickey Hart
• Maestro’s Choice Series One (1991) – Alla Rakha
• Planet Drum (1991) – Mickey Hart
• When Words Disappear (1991) – David Trasoff & Zakir Hussain
• Flights of Improvisation (1992)
• Sangeet Sartaj (1992)
• The One and Only (1992)
• Zakir Hussain and the Rhythm Experience (1992)
• Music of the Deserts (1993)
• Rag Madhuvanti / Rag Misra Tilang (1993) – Shivkumar Sharma
• Concert for Peace (1993) – Ravi Shankar
• Jog And Rageshri (1994)
• Ustad Amjad Ali Khan & Zakir Hussain (1994) – Amjad Ali Khan & Zakir Hussain
• Golden Krithis Colours – (1994) – Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan
• Raga Aberi (1995) – Shankar
• Maestro’s Choice – Series Two (1995) – Sultan Khan & Zakir Hussain
• World Network Series, Vol. 1: India- Raga Purya Kalyan (1995) – Zakir Hussain & Shivkumar Sharma
• The Elements – Space (1996)
• Mickey Hart’s Mystery Box (1996) – Mickey Hart
• Kirwani (1997)
• Magical Moments of Rhythm (1997)
• And the Rhythm Experience (1998)
• Essence of Rhythm (1998)
• Night Spinner (1998) – George Brooks (Moment Records)
• Supralingua (1998) – Mickey Hart
• Fire Dance (1998) collaboration with Pat Martino
• Save Our Children (1998) – Pharoah Sanders
• Remember Shakti (1999) – Remember Shakti
• Spirit into Sound (1999) – Mickey Hart
• The Believer (2000) – Remember Shakti
• Tala Matrix (2000) – Tabla Beat Science
• Golden Strings of the Sarode (2001) – Aashish Khan & Zakir Hussain
• Saturday Night in Bombay (2001) – Remember Shakti (Universal Records)
• Selects (2002)
• Summit (2002) – George Brooks (Earth Brothers Music BMI)
• The Best of Mickey Hart: Over the Edge and Back (2002) – Mickey Hart
• Live in San Francisco at Stern Grove (2002) – Tabla Beat Science
• Ustad Mohammad Omar: Virtuoso from Afghanistan (2002)- Zakir Hussain
• Energy (2003)
• Live at Miles Davis Hall (8 July 2004) – Remember Shakti
• Live at 38th Montreux Jazz Festival (18 July 2004) – Remember Shakti
• Punjabi Dhamar (2004)
• Raag Chandrakauns (2004)
• Sangam (2006) – Jazz collaboration with bandleader Charles Lloyd.
• Soukha (2006) – V. Selvaganesh (with John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, Vikku, Shrinivas) – Naive
• Global Drum Project (2007) – Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Imran Hussain, Chandan Sharma Sikiru Adepoju, Giovanni Hidalgo – Shout Factory
• The Melody of Rhythm (2009) – Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer
• Venu (2011) Hariprasad Chaurasia, Zakir Hussain
• Mysterium Tremendum (2012) – Mickey Hart Band
• Good Hope (2019) – Dave Holland, Zakir Hussain, Chris Potter
• Is That So? (2020) – John McLaughlin, Shankar Mahadevan, Zakir Hussain
• In the Groove (2022) – Planet Drum
• This Moment (2023) – Shakti
• As We Speak (2023) – Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Zakir Hussain, with Rakesh Chaurasia

Filmography

• 1983 – Heat and Dust
• 1988 – The Perfect Murder
• 1991 – Thanduvitaen Ennai in cameo role
• 1992 – Miss Beatty’s Children
• 1998 – Saaz
• 1998 – Zakir and His Friends
• 2003 – The Speaking Hand: Zakir Hussain and the Art of the Indian Drum – Sumantra Ghosal
• 2003 – Talamanam Sound Clash – Further Adventures in Hype as Tabla Beat Science
• 2006 – The Way of Beauty (DVD) – Remember Shakti
• 2008 – The Rhythm Devils Concert Experience (DVD) – The Rhythm Devils
• 2018 – Manto
• 2024 – Monkey Man

Soundtracks

• 1993 – In Custody
• 1993 – Little Buddha
• 1998 – Saaz
• 1999 – Vanaprastham
• 2001 – The Mystic Masseur
• 2002 – Mr. and Mrs. Iyer
• 2003 – One Dollar Curry

Images