Live is Better!» Zakir Hussain http://www.liveisbetter.com Thu, 09 Sep 2010 04:59:44 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Zakir Hussain in Concert http://www.liveisbetter.com/zakir-hussain-in-concert/ http://www.liveisbetter.com/zakir-hussain-in-concert/#comments Sun, 18 Jul 2010 02:01:04 +0000 Vinay http://www.liveisbetter.com/?p=25 Zakir Hussain in Concert FleckHussainMeyer 300x241Wah Ustad! A phrase synonymous with the one and only, Zakir Hussain. Ustad meaning Master which he truly is. A child prodigy who began touring the world by the age of twelve! He went to the United States in 1970, embarking on an international career which includes more than 160 concert dates a year.

We don’t believe we need to say more about Zakirji himself.

Zakirji is back on Tour – ”Melody of Rhythm”, with Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer.

Please see below for tour dates

You can check out ticket details at Zakir Hussain’s tour section

]]> http://www.liveisbetter.com/zakir-hussain-in-concert/feed/ 1 Masters of Percussion! http://www.liveisbetter.com/masters-of-percussion/ http://www.liveisbetter.com/masters-of-percussion/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:26:00 +0000 Vinay http://www.liveisbetter.com/?p=1015 The concert series will feature the traditional repertoire from both Hindustani (North Indian) and Carnatic (South Indian) classical traditions, Ustad Zakir Hussain’s masterful tabla solo, as well as excursions exploring the frontier between traditional and contemporary, folk and classical

Masters of Percussion! Zakir Hussain resizedUstad Zakir Hussain is today appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the music world at large as an international phenomenon. A classical tabla virtuoso of the highest order, his consistently brilliant and exciting performances have not only established him as a national treasure in his own country, India, but have earned him worldwide fame. His playing is marked by uncanny intuition and masterful improvisational dexterity, founded in formidable knowledge and study and till today, remains one of the most the favorite accompanist for many of India’s greatest classical musicians and dancers.

We really do not know where to begin telling our readers about Zakirji’s acheivements but thought this with a magical clip of Zakirji’s Masters of Percussion 2008 performance will do the trick!

A Little about the other Artists he will be performing with: (excerpts about artists from IMGArtists)

Taufiq Qureshi, an ace percussionist of India, is also an acclaimed composer. Being the son and disciple of the legendary tabla maestro Ustad Allarakha and younger brother of Zakir Hussain himself, Taufiq’s performances showcase the traditional flavor and intricacies of Indian rhythm and the sparkle of contemporary world percussion. Taufiq’s trademark style incorporates body and vocal percussion to create unique rhythmic motifs spanning across cultures. His sense of tone and his command over a wide variety of percussion instruments and styles is phenomenal. His albums have been released internationally and he has performed at prestigious music festivals all over the globe. Taufiq has been greatly influenced by his illustrious brother Zakir Hussain and is privileged to receive guidance from Ghatam Vidhwan Pandit “Vikku” Vinayakram. While the realm of studio music keeps him constantly engaged creatively, Taufiq is continuously evolving as a percussionist in the ever-inspiring world of live performance.

Ganesh & Kumaresh are best known for their scintillating and spirited duo violin recitals. Their music is laden with pure virtuosity and brims with novel surges of soul-stirring creativity soaked in classicism. Their concerts at home and abroad have engaged not only audiences of Indian origin but have captivated audiences across the world, keeping them spellbound and enthralled with electrifying energy. Trained by their father, Shri Rajagopalan, they were rubbing shoulders with veterans in Indian music at a very young age. Their deep-rooted strength in playing Carnatic music in the traditional way has made them a favorite with purists as well as with the uninitiated. Their ability to combine traditional Carnatic Music with other global musical forms has created a unique identity for them with audiences the world over.

Sabir Khan was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, and belongs to the Sikar gharana (school or style) of music, a gharana which has introduced several stalwarts to Indian classical music. He is the ninth generation of his family to take up sarangi and is considered one of the beacons of the younger generation. With a technique displaying tonal, melodic and rhythmic prowess, Sabir is proving a worthy successor to his proud lineage.

Sridhar Parthasarathy has been studying the mridangam since the age of six as a disciple of Vidwan Shri. Karaikudi R. Chandramouli. During his career, he has accompanied leading Carnatic musicians such as Smt. D. K. Pattammal, Shri. Madurai G. S. Mani, Dr. M. Balamurali Krishna and Shri Ranganatha Sharma and has appeared in jugalbhandi (duet) with such illustrious musicians as Shankar Mahadevan, Rattan Mohan Sharma, Sanjeev Abhyankar and Nandkishor Muley. He regularly performs with rhythm ensembles headed by Ghatam Vidwan Shri. T.H. “Vikku” Vinayakaram, Louiz Banks, Ranjit Barot, Fazal Qureshi, Taufiq Qureshi and Niladri Kumar and recorded and performed for the Miles from India album produced by Bob Beldon in 2008.

Navin Sharma was born in the Ulhasnagar district of Maharashtra in 1975, to a musical family and started studying the dholak at a very young age. His first guru was Shyam Rughuram Sharma, his father, and through these studies was introduced to other local musicians who were actively composing scores for Bollywood films. After realizing Navin’s desire to study more Indian Classical music, his father insisted he learn from tabla master Ustad Allarakha, with whom he studied for several years. Navin has performed with many master musicians over his career, including jazz, fusion, pop, rock, ghazal and bhajan ensembles.

The Motilal Dhakis from Bengal are from the eastern part of the state of Bengal, the region dominated by Kolkata (Calcutta), India. They are keepers of a folk tradition which combines an active style of drumming with dance movements. The rhythms generally come from weddings and festival processions – the happy occasions of our lives. As they drum, they demonstrate the shapes of the rhythm patterns with dance movements. The stimulating combination of both visual and audible patterns makes for a highly exciting experience.

The Tour is as follows:

  • When: March 3rd, 2010
    Where: Moore Theatre (Seattle Theatre Group),Seattle
  • When: March 6th, 2010
    Where: Paramount Theater, Austin, TX
  • When: March 7th, 2010
    Where: Boulder Theater, Boulder, CO
  • When: March 9th, 2010
    Where: Lensic Theater, Santa Fe, NM
  • When: March 10th, 2010
    Where: SF Jazz Festival – Herbst Theater, San Francisco, CA
  • When: March 12th, 2010
    Where: Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center (World Music Institute),NYC, NY
  • When: March 13th, 2010
    Where: Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center (World Music Institute) NYC, NY
  • When: March 16th, 2010
    Where: Slee Hall – Triveni at University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
  • When: March 18th, 2010
    Where: Ferguson Hall (Tampa Bay PAC), Tampa, FL
  • When: March 20th, 2010
    Where: Rialto Center, Atlanta, GA
  • When: March 21st, 2010
    Where: Orchestra Hall (Symphony Center), Chicago, IL
  • When: March 25th, 2010
    Where: Singletary Center for the Arts, Lexington, KY
  • When: March 27th, 2010
    Where: Concert Hall – UMass Amherst, Massachusetts, NE
  • When: March 28th, 2010
    Where: Berklee Performance Center,Boston, MA
  • When: March 30th, 2010
    Where: Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington, VT
  • When: April 1st, 2010
    Where: Spaulding Auditorium (Dartmouth College Hopkins Center), Hanover, NH
  • When: April 3rd, 2010
    Where: Bailey Hall, Ithaca, NY

But we ask a favor. We would really really apprecialte it if you could send us some tit bits of how the concert was. We’d love to hear from you. We’d want to put your review up for people to read!

]]> http://www.liveisbetter.com/masters-of-percussion/feed/ 1 Interview with Zakir Hussain http://www.liveisbetter.com/interview-with-zakir-hussain/ http://www.liveisbetter.com/interview-with-zakir-hussain/#comments Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:02:17 +0000 Vinay http://www.liveisbetter.com/?p=1135 Interview with Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain3 150x150Ustad Zakir Hussain will be on tour for the next month on the Masters of Percussion tour. He was very kind to spend some time talking to us about the forthcoming series, his collaborations and reminiscing about old times. Below is Live is better’s interview with Zakirji

LiB: Hello Zakirji, How are you?
ZH: I’m doing very well, Thank you.

LiB: How’s Mumbai? Are you there for a concert series or just visiting?
ZH: Usually in India the music season begins around Mid November and continues till the end of February. so this is the time when all the Indian musicians gather in India, back from their world tours, to learn from each other, tell stories, share new experiences, practice and jam. Basically, back in India its when concerts are galore. There are almost 15-20 concerts in every major city!

Artists come together just to plug in , relax and rejuvenate, connect with their musical peers and gurus, etc. and then go back after April-May for their concert season. I personally have concerts everyday till the tail end of February and after that, I fly out to Seattle for Masters of Percussion starting on March 3rd.

LiB: Speaking of Masters of percussion, we’ve read that you believe ‘Masters of Percussion’ is a unique and different experience. What is unique about this series/group?
ZH: Masters of Percussion was initiated with the idea that there are over 200 different percussion instruments spread all over India with a number of Indian legends who are great exponents of the same. People outside of India rarely get a chance to hear much of that. So in 1999, we started this bi-annual series bringing in different drum traditions from remote corners of India and giving them a chance to be heard and thus giving the audience a fresh sound every time. So that’s what makes it unique. The different combinations of rhythms and a varied lineup in this kind of a setting. Some of these artists have never interacted with each other before and in fact, some them haven’t even left their village and so its interesting to bring them out here and have an extempore on stage and showcase their talent. So in that sense, it’s very unique.

Also, it isn’t about Zakir Hussain with Shiv Kumar Sharma or Amjad Ali Khan. This is a whole different ball game. I’m a small part of this concert, that’s all. Each musician in this series is a master in his own right and they each deserve a concert series of their own. I’m thankful that they have consented to perform and I get a chance to sit back and enjoy their performance and learn something more about drumming, expand my repertoire and get inspired.

LiB: Yes I agree that there’s loads of talent on that stage. From Sridhar Parthasarthy to Taufiq Qureshi and Sabir Khan – all wonderful percussionists…
ZH: I have to mention that we have great melody players along with our percussionists too. Sabir khan is one of two best young Sarangi players we have from India and what he brings to the table is not only his training in traditional music but also a flavor of Rajasthani folk music. It just amazing to tackle that music and those rhythms and bring those sounds out. Kumaresh and Ganesh are great violinist from south India. They provide south Indian melodic structures and also some contemporary styles to work with.
So we as drummers get so much inspiration and support from the best Indian musicians around. This helps us to give the audience, especially the western audience, a bird’s eye view of what India and its core music is all about

LiB: Recently you toured with Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyers? What distinguishes Indian from international artists? What is it that you do or think different to adapt?Interview with Zakir Hussain zakir hussain bela fleck edgar myers 300x163
ZH: First of all Vinay, I forget that there is something different. We have the same melody notes in India as they have abroad. They have Do re me fa and we have Sa re ga ma. Similarly we have rhythms, whether it is 4/4’s or 6/8’s which are common and universal.

The musical instruments across the globe play the same notes and so in the basic core sense, there is no difference. If anything at all, the difference may come through in how we package it. When we’re working with musicians who are not from India, the main thing is to understand their way of life, more importantly their culture, their social scene and how they interact with each other. Similarly they have to understand what it means when I get on stage and bow to my drums and what it means when I touch my Guru’s feet. Once we understand the social backgrounds, it becomes clear the kind of reverence being put forth towards the art form, the respect and honor one bestows to their elders, etc and this is what reflects in our music. For instance, in an orchestra, I need to know that the only person who is called maestro is the conductor and so when I know that I know how to interact with him.

When this understanding is in place, hearts meet, minds meet and there’s no question of egos or anything else and so this gives way to beautiful music. Forgetting any differences, we need to relate at different levels and this makes the music very multidimensional.

LiB: Anybody in particular you’ve wanted to collaborate with? What can we see in the future with respect to collaborations?
ZH: Well Vinay, I’ve been lucky that I’ve somehow ended up in situations where I’ve gotten the opportunity to work with the big names around and people who I’ve always wanted to work with. I’ve been at the right place at the right time.

For instance, When John McLaughlin was looking for a Tabla player, I just happened to be there. When Mickey Hart wanted to learn Indian rhythms, experiment and showcase this on stage, I just happened to be there around available to work with. Of course, it finally comes to the point where one needs to deliver when given the chance but when all these interactive elements begin to work for you; something special is definitely to come about.

It really all began in the bay area in California where all the world musicians were hanging out there and they were wondering ‘Okay, so what’s next’. That brought about the fusion revolutions and I just happened to be there. I got a chance to perform with Santana, Miles Davis, Mickey Hart, John McLaughlin, Jefferson Airplane and many more.

A quick anecdote if I may – I was playing once at a Jazz fest in South of France and a friend, Chris Jagger swings by and invites me to his brother Mick’s birthday party. I reach the house and there he was – the birthday boy Mick Jagger. There were a lot of stars and musicians there that evening. Slowly and surely, they all wanted to jam and play some music. Coincidentally, I was the only drummer there and that was my chance to jam with Mick and many other musicians.

All in all, I can’t complain about any artist in particular who’ve I’ve always wanted to collaborate with. I’m just thankful to god for the chances I’ve been blessed with.

Interview with Zakir Hussain Remember Shakti Shrinivas McLaughlin Selvaganesh 225x300 LiB: Any Shakti reunions we can look forward to?
ZH: In fact, I just spent time with John McLaughlin in Monte Carlo some months ago. I was invited to write music for the 100th year celebration of the Ballet of Russia and they were housed in Monte Carlo and it was premiered there. This is when I got a chance to hang out with John there.

I keep meeting and playing with Vikkuji (“Vikku” Vinayakram) and L Shankar so it’s not like we’re over or anything of that sorts but just that we make smaller and coupled performances.

As Shakti, we might come together in 2011 as John has commitments till 2010 after which we prepare for it in 2011. Just the other night we have having dinner and just reminiscing about the music movement that took place during the 60’s and 70’s. Now that just gets us all excited about Shakti!

LiB: And what about Tabla Beat Science (TBS)?
ZH: It’s around. It’s around (laughs). TBS played in India not too long ago and it was a fun time. Karsh Kale has a lot of projects going on now and Bill Laswell has been producing some Jazz music and he’s busy with that. We’re hoping Sabir Khan can contribute and fill his father, Ustad Sultan Khan’s shoes. Ustad Sultan Khan’s is currently not well these days.

Incidentally, Shakti actually sparked this idea of world music and the coming together of these artists to form TBS and I was just lucky that they made me a part of it.

LiB: The ever modest Zakir Hussain…
ZH: No way. There were a lot of great artists around at that time when this was all came together. L Shankar, John, Vikkuji, Ravi Shankar, only to name a few. So there were a lot of great names behind any success that I’ve had.

LiB: Three Indian representations for Grammy nominations this year is incredible and something that has never happened before. You’ve yourself won in 1991 and 2009 and now A R Rahman in 2010. Is the world finally standing up and recognizing Indian art? How do you see the future of world music?
Interview with Zakir Hussain zakir hussain1 ZH: It’s a natural flow of things and it had to happen eventually. India has been one of the premiere forms of music in the world in the last 20 years and it was important that the western world needed to recognize that there was something significant there. And well its happening now and it’s only going to get bigger. It’s important for the western world to understand India and for that matter Asian influences because this will give the western audience exposure to a whole new dimension in music and culture and this will only do a world of good for both worlds.

See how ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’ became famous thus recognizing artists like Ang Lee. Similarly Hollywood has accepted so many artists from China like John woo and Chow Yun-Fat which helped them gain a whole spectrum of Asian viewership.

Rahman being nominated last year and winning will only boost the western worlds viewership amongst the Indians. This is tremendous and they’re starting to see that Asia (especially South East Asia) cannot be ignored

LiB: We believe in encouraging people to go out to concerts, encourage the artists and have a good time. What do you think of our initiative? Advice and direction?
ZH: I think it’s important to have this one stop shop for concerts. Supermarkets do very well in the Western world and so it’s great that your taking this approach. The growth of non western music in the western world is key and it’s good that now people can go online and actually see’s who and what’s out there from Asia

This is only going to help promote Asian culture and Art form.

LiB:Thank you very much Zakirji for your time. It was a pleasure and an honor talking to you.
ZH: The pleasure was all mine Vinay. Now get a beer and take it easy! (laughs)

]]> http://www.liveisbetter.com/interview-with-zakir-hussain/feed/ 3