Caravan World Rhythms presents Indian Classical tabla virtuoso and world music legend Zakir Hussain, making a rare and highly anticipated appearance in Victoria at the prestigious Royal Theatre on April 28, 2024.
“Zakir Hussain … Virtuosity that is barely to be believed.” – Washington Post
Zakir Hussain is one of the greatest Indian percussionists of our time. Considered to be one of the main artisans of contemporary world music, his influence is undeniable, as his many collaborations with the likes of John McLaughlin, L. Shankar, George Harrison, Yo-Yo Ma, Joe Henderson, and Van Morrison have proven.
For this performance, Zakir will be presenting his new show “TISRA”, in which he will be accompanied by two other maestros of Indian classical music, female bansuri flautist Debopriya Chatterjee and sarangi player Sabir Khan, which promises to make this concert both mesmerizing and unforgettable!
Sarangi and bansuri each have roots in ancient India and its mythology; both are also folk instruments. TISRA showcases rich folk and classical traditions: the musical influence of Rajasthani nomads has been heard far beyond the borders of India, and Uttar Pradesh incorporated folk music forms of Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet into its music. This colorful mix, combined with Indian classical music and the rich rhythm repertoire of Punjab, makes for a compelling offering of traditional Indian music led by masterful performers!
ARTIST BIOS:
Zakir Hussain
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. Along with his legendary father and teacher, Ustad Allarakha, he has elevated the status of the tabla both in India and around the world.
A child prodigy touring in India from the tender age of twelve, Zakir quickly became a favorite accompanist for India’s greatest musicians and dancers. He began his international touring career by the age of eighteen, and has been at the helm of many genre-defying collaborations including Shakti, Remember Shakti, Masters of Percussion, Diga, Planet Drum, Tabla Beat Science and Sangam. His first solo album Making Music was released in 1987, acclaimed as “one of the most inspired East-West fusion albums ever recorded.” In 1991, Planet Drum, an album co-created and produced with Mickey Hart, became the first recording to win a Grammy in the Best World Music category and the Downbeat Critics’ Poll for Best World Beat Album. Zakir’s music and extraordinary contribution to the music world were honored in April, 2009, with four widely-heralded and sold-out concerts for Carnegie Hall’s Artist Perspective series.
Zakir is the 2022 Kyoto Prize Laureate in Arts and Philosophy and is the recipient of countless other awards, including two Grammys, Padma Vibhushan (2023), Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Officier in France’s Order of Arts and Letters, the 2022 Aga Khan Music Award and the 1999 National Heritage Fellowship, the USA’s highest honor for a master of traditional arts. Voted “Best Percussionist” by both the Downbeat Critics’ Poll and Modern Drummer’s Reader’s Poll over several years, including 2020, Zakir was honored with SFJazz’s Lifetime Achievement Award at their 2017 Gala for his “unparalleled contribution to the world of music”.
Sabir Khan
Sabir Khan is one of India’s most talented and sought-after musicians of the present day. His instrument is the sarangi, a bowed instrument said to possess the sound closest to the human voice. He is the son of the great sarangi player/vocalist Padma Bhushan Ustad Sultan Khan, their family belonging to the Sikar gharana (school) of music, which has given several stalwarts to Indian classical music, including his great-grandfather Ustad Azim Khansahib, a court musician at Sikar in Rajasthan.
Sabir was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, and began training at the age of 6 with his grandfather, Ustad Gulab Khan. The 10th generation of his family to play sarangi, Sabir is known today for his consummate mastery, employing a technique that is a rare combination of sur and laya (note and rhythm). He often performed with his illustrious father in concert and has appeared as a soloist and alongside many of India’s greatest artists, including Zakir Hussain, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Ustad Rashid Khan, gazal maestro Ustad Gulam Ali, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. Sabir is a popular composer for film and TV, having scored and composed songs for many feature films, including Jodha Akbar, Dangal and Sanwariya. He appeared with A.R. Rehman and Shreya Ghosal in their episode of MTV Unplugged and has recently founded his own record label, featuring a number of talented artists and celebrity singers, including Salim-Sulaiman
Debopriya Chatterjee
The musical journey of Debopriya Chatterjee began at home, under the guidance of her parents Professor Robin Chatterjee & Mrs. Krishna Chatterjee, both vocalists & composers from Allahabad. Debopriya started her initial flute training under the guidance of the late Pandit Bholanath Prasanna Ji of Allahabad. Her quest to express the depth and richness of Hindustani classical music, and of her chosen instrument, the bansuri (bamboo flute), brought her to the feet of her guru, the great exponent of the Maihar Senia Gharana Padmavibhushan Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia.
In the past 25 years, under the tutelage of her guru, she has grown tremendously as a musician and a performer. She has had the honor & privilege of accompanying her guru on stage for various prestigious concerts in India and abroad. She has also performed individually and along with her elder sister Suchismita at various music conferences and soirees all over the world. Known as the “Flutesisters”, they are among very few women flautists performing Hindustani classical music.
Accolades and awards have been showered on her, including the “Rashtriya Kumar Gandharwa Puraskar” by the government of Madhya Pradesh for the year 2020, the prestigious “Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar” by the Sangeet Natak Akademy, “Award for Excellence” by Sahara India, and “Surmani” by Kal ke Kalakar, to name a few. She achieved her Sangeet Pravin (Master of Music) and Sangeet Prabhakar (Bachelor of Music) from Prayag Sangeet Samiti – Allahabad in Vocal and Flute with Gold Medal honors. At Rotterdam’s World Music Conservatory, she acquired a DM (Docenten Musicus) and UM (Uitvoerend Musicus) with distinction. She is a graded artist of All India Radio-Mumbai and an empaneled artist of ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations).