Are Huzoor Wah Zakir Boliye. Review on Ustad Zakir Husain

The day I saw this man perform from 630hrs in the morning to 2230 hrs on the 3rd Feb,2002, I thought to myself that he is not only an Ustad but a Badshah. I thought that I ll write the little bit that I know about him.That concert was in memory of his father Ustad Allah Rakha, who was the Father of the Badshah on his second death Anniversary. The other artists who played were Pt.Hariprasad Chaurasia on flute ,Pt. Shiv Prasad Sharma on the Santoor , U. Srinivas with his Mandolin , vocals by Shankar Mahadevan & many others. His jugalbandis with ghatam maestro Viku Vinayakram, Selvaganesh on the Kanjira & Pandit Bhawani Shankar on the Pakhwaj is a real treat to watch. It is simply mind blowing.

Ustad Zakir Hussain is today appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the music world at large as an international phenomenon. This classical tabla artist of the highest level has made a name for himself not only as a national treasure but also all round the world. He is the one responsible to put Hindustani classical music on the world. His experiments in the world music movement came through his contributions to Shakti which was formed with John Mc Laughin & L.Shankar. In addition he was also a part of Planet Drum & Diga Rhythm Band. He has also done a lot of recordings with Pandit Ravi Shankar & the beatle George Harrison.

Very few people know that this tabla maestro left his home & went to US to become a rock artist.But then the love for the tabla pulled him back again. He is voted one of the sexiest individuals a few years ago. He doesn’t relish this title though. At a very young age of 12 he used to tour with his father Ustad Allah Rakha all around the world & earned praises & various accolades. He has composed and recorded many albums and soundtracks, and has received widespread recognition as a composer for his many ensembles and historic collaborations. Most recently, he has composed soundtracks for the films.He composed music for the Sai Paranjpe movie Saaz, where he was cast opposite Shabana Azmi. Mind you he did not do bad in acting too.

Making Music was his first solo release and one of the best fusion music albums ever to have been released. He was the youngest percussionist to have received the Padma Shri Award and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. Zakir bhai is the recipient of the National Heritage Fellowship, the US of A’s most prestigious honor for a master in the traditional arts.

Every year on the 3rd Feb, he plays for almost the whole of the day which comprises of people from his group & various other artists in memory of his father Ustad Allah Rakha. Also accompanying him are his brothers Fazal & Taufiq & all of Abbajis Students

I never miss any of his concerts!! Its bliss…………………………̷
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