Musician - Zakir Hussain

Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain is a veteran and prominent film and >> Read More... is an Indian composer and a famous Tabla Player. He was born on the 9th of March in the year 1951. Along with a composer, he is a music producer and has also tried his luck as a film actor. He has been accredited with the highest honour in India as he was awarded the Padma Shri in the year 1988 and the famous Padma Bhushan in the year 2002 by the esteemed Government of India. India’s National Academy for drama, dance and music – Sangeet Natak Academy has felicitated Zakir Hussain with Sangeet Natak Academy Award in the year 1990.

The highest award in the world given only to traditional musicians and artists is the National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship honour, given by the United States. He was awarded this honour in the year 1999. Hussain’s father is Alla Rakh who is a legendary tabla player. Hussain took his early training from his father. He completed his schooling in the town of Mahim from St. Michael’s High School. He graduated from the popular College, St. Xavier’s, which is situated in the commercial capital of India, Mumbai.

Since his childhood, Hussain was considered a child prodigy. His father initiated his training at an early age of three. By the age of eleven, he started touring. In the year 1969, he went to the United States of America to pursue his doctorate in music from University of Washington. Following the Ph.D., he became an international star and started doing about 150 concerts per year. Planet Drum or the Global Drum Project were ventures of Mickey Hart as he collaborated with Zakir Hussain, Giovanni Hidalgo and Sikiru Adepoju.

All of the four were from different countries and brought together their native music to build something new. Their album won the Grammy Award for the Best World Music Album in the year 1992. In the year 2009, they also won the Grammy for the Best Contemporary World Music Album. He has given his musical compositions to numerous songs in multiple flicks. His name has been attributed with not only Indian Films but also International ventures. He has also starred in multiple movies.

In the year 2016, for the auspicious occasion of All-Star Global Concert, then President Barrack Obama invited Zakir for the International Jazz Day. Humanities Council at the Princeton University has named him the Old Dominion Fellow; he was a professor there from the year 2005 to 2006. Zakir is married to a Kathak teacher and dancer, Antonia Minnecola. She is also his manager. Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi are their two daughters. Anisa has already graduated from UCLA and is working on filmmaking. Isabella lives in Manhattan and is studying dance. Zakir lives with his wife in the city of San Francisco.