Up, and Coming: Zakir Hussain and the Masters of Percussion

Concert
Zakir Hussain, tabla
Niladri Kumar, sitar
Dilshad Khan, sarangi
V. Selvaganesh, kanjira and ghatam
Vijay S Chavan, dholki
Deepak Bhatt, dhol
Steve Smith, drums

Tickets and information:
World Music/CRASHarts
(617) 876-4275
(Please confirm performance details on venue website.)

I first became aware of Zakir Hussain when he traveled with John McLaughlin, the English guitarist who became famous as the leader of the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the 1970s, when McLaughlin formed a group with Hussain and two other Indian musicians – L. Shankar, a violinist, and T.H. Vikku Vinayakram, a clay pot player – and called it Shakti. They toured fairly widely and produced several notable albums. It was a really fabulous fusion of classical Indian music and McLaughlin’s amazingly fluid guitar.

Since that time, several decades have passed, and Zakir Hussain has now been a major figure in world music in his own right for many years. He has played or recorded with a wide range of Western musicians including George Harrison, Yo Yo Ma, Joe Henderson, Van Morrison, Pharoah Sanders, Billy Cobham, Mickey Hart and Bela Fleck, among others. In 2009, Hussain received a Grammy award in the Best Contemporary World Music category for Global Drum Project, and has received countless other awards for his music.

I got to hear Hussain and the Masters of Percussion (with a somewhat different group of players) at Sanders Theater at Harvard several years ago. Not only was Hussain’s playing incredibly impressive, as it had seemingly always been, but the entire troupe of percussionists were full of surprises.

The venue has now moved to the even more capacious Symphony Hall. No doubt it will be filled with Hussain’s minions of admirers and many of those who are likely to be charmed and surprised not only by his virtuosity, but by that of the musicians who will accompany him.

Here are some brief notes on the other Masters of Percussion:

Nilandi Kumar, sitar, has also recorded with John McLaughlin, on the album Floating Point, and has innovated even further in his own right, creating the zitar, an electrified hybrid of sitar and guitar.

Selvaganesh Vinayakram is noted for his mastery of the kanjira, the South Indian frame drum. He is the son of T.H. Vikku Vinayakram, the master of the clay pot in the original Shakti. Selvaganesh Vinayakram also performed on Remember Shakti with John McLaughlin.

Vijay S. Chavan is known for his accomplishments on the dholki, the premiere folk instrument of Maharashtra. He is also well known as an actor in the Indian film industry.

Deepak Bhatt is accomplished on the dhol, a double-headed drum. He also played on Zakir Hussain¹s 2009 Grammy winning CD, Global Drum Project.

Steve Smith is the first non-Indian drummer to be included in a Masters of Percussion tour. He is a Berklee College graduate and toured with the jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. He was also a long-time member of the American band, Journey. He was voted by readers The World’s #1 All-Around Drummer in Modern Drummer magazine for five consecutive years.

(Details about musicians courtesy of World Music/CRASHarts.)

– BADMan