Musical icon Zakir Hussain has died at 73. This is the advice he said changed his career | CBC News

Zakir Hussain, one of India’s most accomplished classical musicians who defied genres and introduced tabla to global audiences, died on Sunday. He was 73.

The musical icon died from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease, at a hospital in San Francisco, his family said in a statement.

“His prolific work as a teacher, mentor and educator has left an indelible mark on countless musicians. He hoped to inspire the next generation to go further,” the statement read.

“He leaves behind an unparalleled legacy as a cultural ambassador and one of the greatest musicians of all time.”

Hussain was globally recognized for his skill playing tabla, a pair of hand drums that is the main percussion instrument in Indian classical music.

The son of legendary tabla artist Alla Rakha, Hussain was born in 1951 in Mumbai and was taught how to play the instrument by his father at the age of seven. Both Alla Rakha and Hussain were given the honorific “Ustad,” an Urdu word that means master.

Hussain described how his relationship with tabla and music started when he was only a few days old, during a 2023 interview on CBC’s Q with Tom Power. There’s an Indian tradition where a newborn’s father is supposed to whisper prayers in the baby’s ear, Hussain told Power. But instead of prayer, Hussain’s father took him in his arms and sang tabla rhythms to him. 

Hussain said at first his mother was upset by this, but that his father told her, “This is my prayer. This is how I pray.”

That whispering of rhythms would go on for months, said Hussain. 

“It printed itself on my subconscious mind,” he told Power. 

A child prodigy, Hussain was touring by age 12 and performing alongside India’s classical music legends during his teens. During a career that spanned six decades, he collaborated with other famous musicians including singer-songwriter George Harrison, jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd, drummer Mickey Hart and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Hussain also spoke to Power about the advice he received during a conversation with George Harrison about his desire to play the drums and be a “rock star.” 

He said Harrison told him to “do what you want to do,” but to remember he was here because he did something no one else did. 

“As a tabla player, you are unique,” Hussain said Harrison told him. 

While discussing music, Harrison suggested he take all of his knowledge about rock music, and imprint it on his tabla playing. It “set me on the right path,” Hussain said, allowing him to be what he called a “window to the rhythm world.” 

“It was a very, very revealing landmark moment in my life,” he told Power. 

In 1973, Hussain formed the Indian jazz fusion band Shakti with jazz guitarist John McLaughlin. The band played acoustic fusion music that combined Indian music with elements of jazz, introducing a new sound to Western audiences.

In 2024, Hussain became the first musician from India to win three Grammy awards in the same year.

Hussain’s Shakti won Best Global Music Album, and his collaboration with Edgar Meyer, Béla Fleck and flutist Rakesh Chaurasia won Best Global Music Performance and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. He had earlier won a Grammy in 2009.

Remembered primarily for his music, Hussain is also being recognized by some today for his kindness. Nikhil Taneja, the co-founder of Indian media organization, Yuvaa, wrote about a time he interviewed Hussain as a young journalist. 

“He treated every moment of our conversation with just as much grace, respect and affection, as he did his audiences over decades of being a tabla virtuoso,” wrote Taneja, in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. 

In 2023, Hussain received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award.

Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, called Hussain a “true genius who revolutionized the world of Indian classical music” and “an icon of cultural unity.”

“He also brought the tabla to the global stage, captivating millions with his unparalleled rhythm,” Modi wrote in a post on X. 

Hussain is survived by his wife and two daughters.