On a different beat
This is my interaction with the charming Zakir Hussain. There's so much more to the man than his music and the instrument he's become synonymous with. He has a way with words and women :)...he's gregarious, doesnt have any qualms about the much-vilifed remixes and hangs out with fellow-artists over a cup of chai..read on to find more of him..
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Tabla exponent Zakir Hussain thinks a Tabla player’s job is much like a psychiatrist’s. “ Take Pandit Jasraj for example. You know when he sings Raag Jog, he’ll explore every possibility and it’ll be a lavish travel. As a tabla player performing with him, my job is to make sure his ride is smooth. You’ve to gauge the mood of the artist, understand what he/she needs and subtly provide it to him,” he says. His performance takes on different colours for different artists. It’s a lesson in playing an important but thankless role. “ The choice is already made by the maestros. Once they start playing, I can’t be Mr Zee. Zakir Hussain doesn’t exist then. Only music does,” he tells us.
What doesn’t exist for this maestro, however, is the line that divides music. “ Music is going through an interesting phase right now. There are so many interactions and exchanges happening and so many different elements coming together to fit into a small space called the earth. One click and the whole world is right inside your home. We have to find a healthy environment for all these elements to co-exist,” he thinks. It’s this attitude that perhaps explains his whole-hearted acceptance of musical influences from the world over, which have been dissed often by senior classical musicians in India. “ I don’t mind remixes at all. In fact, if you consider the sound-sources of all the rhythms used in these remixes, they take you back to the sounds of India, Africa and the Middle East. You hear these instruments in remixes and you’re curious to know the origins. There’s a renewed interest in traditional forms because remixes have made these rhythms household names for us today,” he feels. And when most would haughtily tut-tut artists selling themselves out in commercials, the Ustad just refuses to be cynical. “ If a Wah Taj commercial can make people curious about me and rope them to my concert, that’s great. To convert them into music listeners, is then up to me,” he adds.
Be it remixes or fusion, in his mind, music flows seamlessly, bridging continents and spanning generations. The wider his music reaches, the deeper goes his belief in his roots.“ Indian classical music has a foundation of 2000 years and more. It’s not going die so just forget all talk about its decline. No matter how many forms of music come to us, no matter if Ghulam Ali, Zakir Hussain or Ravi Shankar are performing in the same city, everybody will have their own audience. That’s the great thing about India,” he affirms.
He’s crossed many musical milestones, but every time he performs, it’s a personal journey he takes the audience through. During solo performances, he visualizes a day in his life and turns it into a musical story for the listeners. What goes on in his mind when he’s performing fusion music with a group of artists? “ It’s again the same journey. Only this time, it’s with a group. We spend time together, hang around, go on tours, and share our days. That makes its way into our music,” he says. Much like the way Ravi Shankar and his father Alla Rakha Khan’s offstage chemistry created magic onstage? “ Yes. It’s important to bond well offstage. That’s why we try to spend time together with each other, understand each other’s music, know each other well. And that’s why I have to rush to meet them now and relax over a cup of tea,” the maestro signs off.
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Tabla exponent Zakir Hussain thinks a Tabla player’s job is much like a psychiatrist’s. “ Take Pandit Jasraj for example. You know when he sings Raag Jog, he’ll explore every possibility and it’ll be a lavish travel. As a tabla player performing with him, my job is to make sure his ride is smooth. You’ve to gauge the mood of the artist, understand what he/she needs and subtly provide it to him,” he says. His performance takes on different colours for different artists. It’s a lesson in playing an important but thankless role. “ The choice is already made by the maestros. Once they start playing, I can’t be Mr Zee. Zakir Hussain doesn’t exist then. Only music does,” he tells us.
What doesn’t exist for this maestro, however, is the line that divides music. “ Music is going through an interesting phase right now. There are so many interactions and exchanges happening and so many different elements coming together to fit into a small space called the earth. One click and the whole world is right inside your home. We have to find a healthy environment for all these elements to co-exist,” he thinks. It’s this attitude that perhaps explains his whole-hearted acceptance of musical influences from the world over, which have been dissed often by senior classical musicians in India. “ I don’t mind remixes at all. In fact, if you consider the sound-sources of all the rhythms used in these remixes, they take you back to the sounds of India, Africa and the Middle East. You hear these instruments in remixes and you’re curious to know the origins. There’s a renewed interest in traditional forms because remixes have made these rhythms household names for us today,” he feels. And when most would haughtily tut-tut artists selling themselves out in commercials, the Ustad just refuses to be cynical. “ If a Wah Taj commercial can make people curious about me and rope them to my concert, that’s great. To convert them into music listeners, is then up to me,” he adds.
Be it remixes or fusion, in his mind, music flows seamlessly, bridging continents and spanning generations. The wider his music reaches, the deeper goes his belief in his roots.“ Indian classical music has a foundation of 2000 years and more. It’s not going die so just forget all talk about its decline. No matter how many forms of music come to us, no matter if Ghulam Ali, Zakir Hussain or Ravi Shankar are performing in the same city, everybody will have their own audience. That’s the great thing about India,” he affirms.
He’s crossed many musical milestones, but every time he performs, it’s a personal journey he takes the audience through. During solo performances, he visualizes a day in his life and turns it into a musical story for the listeners. What goes on in his mind when he’s performing fusion music with a group of artists? “ It’s again the same journey. Only this time, it’s with a group. We spend time together, hang around, go on tours, and share our days. That makes its way into our music,” he says. Much like the way Ravi Shankar and his father Alla Rakha Khan’s offstage chemistry created magic onstage? “ Yes. It’s important to bond well offstage. That’s why we try to spend time together with each other, understand each other’s music, know each other well. And that’s why I have to rush to meet them now and relax over a cup of tea,” the maestro signs off.
posted by renu at 10:19 PM
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