The pre-eminent classical tabla virtuoso of our time, Zakir Hussain is appreciated as one of the world’s most esteemed and influential musicians, one whose mastery of his percussion instrument has taken it to a new level, transcending cultures and national borders. A child prodigy who began his international touring career by the age of eighteen, Zakir has been at the helm of many genre-defying collaborations including Shakti, Remember Shakti, Masters of Percussion, Planet Drum, Tabla Beat Science, and Sangam. In February 2024, Zakir made history by receiving three Grammys in one Grammy Awards Ceremony, the first musician from India to be thus honored.

As a composer, he has scored music for numerous feature films and has composed four concertos, enjoying premieres and acclaimed performances in India, Europe, and in the USA by the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. He is the recipient of countless awards, including 5 Grammys, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Officier in France’s Order of Arts and Letters, and several honorary doctorates.  Voted “Best Percussionist” by both the Downbeat Critics’ and Readers’ Polls and Modern Drummer’s Reader’s Poll over several years, including 2023, Zakir was honored with SFJazz’s Lifetime Achievement Award at their 2017 Gala for his “unparalleled contribution to the world of music”. In 2022, he was named the Kyoto Prize Laureate in Arts and Philosophy.

He is the founder and president of Moment Records, an independent record label presenting rare live concert recordings of Indian classical music and world music. Winner of three Grammy awards in 2024, Zakir Hussain enjoys fame in his native India and throughout the world. The Chicago Tribune says, “if there is such a thing as a tabla superstar, Zakir Hussain is it.” The ensemble includes great percussionists from many world traditions, including jazz, as well as the occasional stringed instrument in this genre-defying collaboration.

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