Zakir Hussain

The work of tabla maestro Zakir Hussain – born Zakir Hussain Allarakha Qureshi - on March 9, 1951, in Bombay, India – was featured on numerous soundtracks, the most famous of which was Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 Vietnam epic Apocalypse Now, which received an Academy Award nomination for the soundtrack. Zakir Hussain was schooled from the age of three in the art of Pakhawaj (the traditional Indian two headed, barrel-shaped drum) by his father. At the age of 11, he was performing and touring, and by the time he turned professional, he was regularly making more than 150 public appearances a year. As an established master of his craft, he was invited to participate in the percussion extravaganza Planet Drum, organized by the Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart. Zakir Hussain also played on the album The Global Drum Project and toured with Hart's ensemble. The critically acclaimed album earned Hart and his colleagues a Grammy Award in the newly established category of Best Contemporary World Music and was the first of a number of successful collaborations between Zakir Hussain and Hart. During his long and successful career, Zakir Hussain recorded more than 60 albums and appeared in several films. During his lifetime, he was widely acknowledged as one of the world's leading tabla players and percussionists. Zakir Hussain died on December 15, 2024, at the age of 73.

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