Musicians from Bengaluru share memories of the ‘Crown of Indian Music’

Zakir Hussain with Dollu Kunita Artists at Udupa Music Festival in February 2024. Photo Credit: File photo

Tabla player Zakir Hussain, who breathed his last at a San Francisco hospital on Sunday, has been an inspiration to many young people who chose a career in music since the 1970s. He’s also iconic to those who don’t tune in to music, thanks to a 1990s television ad for a brand of tea that spotlights his face-framing curls.

A tour commemorating Zakir’s band’s 50th anniversary strengthThe internationally renowned Indo-Jazz fusion band made its debut last year with its first concert in Bengaluru. He was in the city again in February this year for the Udupa Music Festival. This was his last two visits to the city.

dream come true

speaking with HinduGhatam Prapadaka Giridhar Udupa, Curator of Udupa Sangeet Mahotsav said: “For me he was a guru, idol, inspiration and more. As a child, and to this day, I looked up to him as my role model. The biggest dream of my life was to play with him, and that happened during the festival.

The way Zakir took care of his co-musicians was also different for Mr. Udupa. “When I played with him for the first time, he created a comfort zone, where I didn’t feel like I was playing with a legend. Every musician in India loves his music more than anything.

Kumaresh Rajagopalan of Ganesh-Kumaresh Jodi fame, who has played with Zakir for more than 25 years, has agreed. “Being a musician was only a small part of Zakir brother Theo… He taught us what it means to be an artist, to perform, to dive into the depths of art and to explore beyond what we know.”

Arun Kumar, also known as ‘Drums Arun’, spoke about the opportunity he had to play with Zakir and in Coimbatore in 2008. “He was brought of Indian music.. His intense style, his improvisation and the way he plays on location for his co-musicians can’t be matched by anyone else. He can play any form, be it jazz, Latin, Afro-Cuban, Indian film music, Hindustani, Carnatic, folk music…”

Senior tabla player Rabindra Yawagal also recalls Zakir’s mastery of multiple styles. “As a tabla player, I can say that all musicians have their own style or form, which they stick to. We can act or pretend to know all the forms, but it can never be demonstrated. But Zakir brother He was one of those talented musicians who could do anything. We can all try to grow our hair like him, but no one can come close to what he was for music in India. He has been an inspiration to me, the generation after me and the generation to come,” he said, recalling how Zakir “could turn fans into family”.

‘Rajni of the music world’

Theater personality and tabla player Ganesh Shenoy recalls his fascination with Zakir beginning as a teenager. “We heard about the duo of Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha and then came Zakir Hussain, son of Rakha, who became an inspiration to all of us. Although there were many legends in his time, what made him stand out was that he attracted a young audience with his diverse music and style. It will not be wrong to say that he has become the Rajinikanth of the music world.