Tabla Maestro and Highly Influential Musician Zakir Hussain Dies at 73

(headline image: Zakir Hussain – Photo by Jim McGuire)

Zakir Hussain, one of the most celebrated tabla maestros and a transformative figure in world music, passed away in San Francisco on December 15, 2024, at 73 due to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He is survived by his wife, Antonia Minnecola; daughters, Anisa Qureshi (with her husband, Taylor Phillips, and their daughter, Zara) and Isabella Qureshi; brothers, Taufiq Qureshi and Fazal Qureshi; and sister, Khurshid Aulia.

Born into a legacy of Indian classical music as the son of tabla legend Ustad Allarakha, Hussain was widely recognized as the leading tabla artist of his generation. A child prodigy, he performed with luminaries such as Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, and Shivkumar Sharma, while also breaking new ground in global collaborations. His work with international artists like Yo-Yo Ma, George Harrison, Béla Fleck, Mickey Hart, and John McLaughlin elevated Indian classical music to a worldwide platform and established him as a cultural ambassador of indian music.

A pivotal figure in the world music scene, Hussain was known for bridging musical traditions with authenticity and innovation. He co-founded groundbreaking projects such as Shakti, Remember Shakti, Planet Drum, Tabla Beat Science, and the Global Drum Project. His collaborations spanned diverse genres, involving artists like Charles Lloyd, Van Morrison, and the Kodo drummers, among others. His performances, including a sold-out Carnegie Hall Artist Perspective series in 2009, highlighted his unmatched mastery of rhythm and cross-cultural musical dialogue.

Hussain’s compositional achievements included concertos, film scores, and collaborations with dance companies such as Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet and the Mark Morris Dance Group. Over his career, he earned numerous honors, including two Grammy Awards for Planet Drum with Mickey Hart and three more in 2023 for collaborations with Shakti, Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, and Rakesh Chaurasia. He became the first Indian artist to win three Grammy Awards in one night.

Recognized with some of the world’s highest cultural honors, Hussain received the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan from the Indian government, as well as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, India’s highest lifetime honor for performing artists. Internationally, he was awarded the Kyoto Prize in 2022 for his contributions to cultural and spiritual enrichment, the National Heritage Fellowship in 1999, and the SFJazz Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. The Aga Khan Award in 2022 further acknowledged his enduring effect on global music and cultural heritage.

In addition to his performances, Hussain was a dedicated educator, mentoring countless students and inspiring future generations of musicians.

The family has requested privacy during this time.

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