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Ustad
Zakir Hussain
He is an international phenomenon and India's
national treasure. He can mesmerise you with the magic of his
fingers when he plays the tabla. For he is Ustad
Zakir Hussain, one of the most famous
percussionists of the modern era.
The foremost disciple of his father, Ustad Alla Rakha,
Hussain was a child prodigy who began his professional career
at the age of 12. By 18, he was touring abroad with great
success. He is the recipient of several awards and honors,
including the Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
Planet Drum, which he co-created and co-produced
with Mickey Hart, won the Grammy for Best World Music in 1992.
He has recorded and performed with such artistes as George
Harrison, Van Morrison and Joe Henderson. In San Anselmo,
California, in 1992, he launched Moment! Records, featuring
original works and collaborations in contemporary world music.
Hussain has composed music for many films, including
Saaz and Ismail Merchant's In Custody, and
was the Indian music director for Bernardo Bertolucci's Little Buddha.
Recently,
Nitish S Rele caught up
with the tabla whiz before a concert with sarod maestro Amjad
Ali Khan in Tampa, Florida.
You spend half a year in the United States and the
other half in India. Tell us about a typical day in your life
in both these countries.
In India, I start the day
with riyaaz with my father. Then, I am off to
whichever city I've to perform. From November through March, I
am based in India, though I do travel for my concerts.
Usually, though, I am busy doing film music. The entire day
goes quickly. In the US, I go to the office at Moment! Records
for work, then rehearse. Presently, I have been commissioned
by the San Francisco Jazz Festival to write a piece of jazz.
You do about 150 concerts a year. Isn't that
exhausting?
Actually, I was doing 180 earlier but
am now down to 150. It's not exhausting because, if you think
about it, people go to work on an average of 280 days a year.
Well, it's the same for me. I spend eight hours flying and
settling down in a new place before giving a three-hour
concert.
How do you prepare for a concert? For example, this
Amjad Ali Khan-Zakir Hussain tour?
I focus on what
that musician is all about by listening to his recordings and
getting a feel of him. I rehearse by myself and by the time I
arrive for a concert, I am into the mindset. Now, Amjad will
act as the initiator and I will find a rhythm and then we
explore. We start with a blind canvas and if there are
connoisseurs audience, they will respond. So we paint this
canvas along with the audience.
What do you look forward to from an audience at a
concert?
Focus, attention. If the audience is not
focused, it is a waste. If kids are screaming or there is a
commotion, we would request that they try to settle down.
Are you doing any acting assignments like your role
in Sai Paranjpe's Saaz?
My first love is
music. I have not hired anyone to get me acting roles. I am
not at an age where I can run around trees. So, if the role is
something that will not embarrass me, I will do it.
What is music to you? How would you define
it?
Music is the highest form of yoga. It's the
only form of communication, which is universal and, therefore,
the most positive element that a human being can control.
Do you think most westerners know a lot about
Indian percussion instruments?
In this age, the
First World has become very deeply aware of Third World
culture. There is a recognition of the necessity to recognise
what Third World culture is all about. Percussion is one
element in the world that is most known. All music is
percussion nowadays. Every popular form of music is
rhythm-based. People are trying to latch onto music that comes
from our part of the world.
What do you think of music director A R Rahman's
work?
Very intelligent, smart and creative. He
started as a young boy working with great composers like R
Mahadevan, for example. He knows the public pulse and has
given the public a very intelligent combination package. This
reminds me of R D Burman. These guys made it possible to bring
together all elements of world music.
What do you think of film music in
general?
It is going through a transition. As I
said, the western mind is looking to the Third World. Some of
the film music is good, some is bad.
What are your current projects?
I am
doing a film Vardhanayakam for Kamal Hassan. Then
there is a Merchant-Ivory film, Cotton Mary. Also, a
solo album for Kavita Krishnamurthy, for which lyrics have
been written by Javed Akhtar. I am also doing two Hollywood
films -- The Bowl and Memories Of The
Future. And there is Moment! Records, which I formed to
promote Indian artistes and music.
If you hadn't become a tabla player, who would you
be?
I can't imagine what I would be doing. I have
been happy and content all my life. No regrets for me.
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