Ahead of the kickoff show of Shakthi’s much-anticipated India tour in Bangalore, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain talks about how the jazz-fusion group has maintained, nurtured and rooted their musical ideas
Even some of the most celebrated musicians turned to video calls and remote productions of their recordings during the first two years of the pandemic. Now, after a gap of nearly three years, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain talks about getting back in the same room with Shakthi bandmates John McLaughlin, Shankar Mahadevan, V. Selvaganesha and Ganesh Rajagopalan.
Rehearsals are being held in Bengaluru ahead of their first show on the 50th anniversary tour, which will begin in the city on January 20 and travel to Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi. Zakir Hussain tells that earlier they were sending each other recordings for the upcoming album and were talking on Zoom. “But there was no negotiation in terms of being able to sit face to face and work,” says the tabla legend.
Bengaluru Karnataka 18/01/2023 : Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain in conversation with The Hindu, in Bengaluru on January 18, 2023. Photo of Murali Kumar
So now, according to Hussain, a bit of “reprogramming, rebooting and remembering” is happening. “After an hour or so, the wheels started turning, the oil was poured and the ideas started pouring in like never before,” he adds. Shakthi has dived into 12 different songs to prepare for the tour set and is figuring out how to navigate each piece.
As a band that thrives on spontaneity and flexibility, Hussain says there is trust each band member has in the other. “There’s no hesitation and no embarrassment in being able to put an idea on the table. That’s what characterizes Shakti and hence working with this group is immense joy and musical satisfaction. It’s a great time for Indian classical musicians to work together.” Similar to the way of , ”explains the artist.
In the 50 years since Shakti came together – it was originally composed of McLaughlin, Hussain, violinist L.K. Bringing together Shankar, mridangam veteran Ramnad Raghavan and ghatam ace Vikku Vinayakam – styles of music such as jazz-fusion, new age and “world music” (a term that may be on its way out but still have takers) band were born because of the creations of
Hussain recalls, “It was just the four of us playing a concert, and that was it. I had no idea what was going to happen. But John called me up and said, ‘Hey, would you like to come over to New York and consider putting a band together?’ The idea of forming a band like this never occurred to me.”
Bengaluru Karnataka 18/01/2023 : Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain in conversation with The Hindu, in Bengaluru on January 18, 2023. Photo of Murali Kumar
Hussain likens the energy of the first power performance to the same as going into rehearsal or getting on stage for a concert today. “We still have the same way of seeing each other, loving each other, hugging each other. Figuratively, musically, physically… whatever you want to call it,” he says. One of the things that happened along the way was the ripple effect that Shakti’s music arguably gave birth to Indo-fusion. gave.
“I remember (record producer) Clive Davis asking John what we would call this music. We didn’t have an answer because we hadn’t thought of it. While he admits that Pandit Ravi Shankar and Yehudi Menuhin Working together, they had a more directed approach than the members of Power, who were on the same wavelength in terms of playing and composing.
This period from the 1960s to the 1980s arguably changed the way Indian classical musicians interacted with artists from the West and vice versa. From The Beatles to Trilok Gurtu, everyone had something to contribute to this exchange of ideas. Today, as Hussain says, we are not living in the same era. “We’re living in a little 16-inch or 15-inch screen called a computer. And that’s where our world is, and it’s all kinds of creative exercises for us to experience, to interact, to communicate.” and enables learning.
Bengaluru Karnataka 18/01/2023 : Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain in conversation with The Hindu, in Bengaluru on January 18, 2023. Photo of Murali Kumar
According to Hussain, fifty years ago, Shakti was about communicating at scale rather than seeking niche audiences. “It is important that we have a global communication, that we have a statement that captures the attention of the world at large and is followed.”
She has taken her music all over the world, but Bengaluru has the honor of opening Shakti’s 50th anniversary India tour. Hussain recalls that it was a sleepy town when he first visited around 1963. Shakti finally made its way to India only by the 1980s, and over the years, Hussain says he has seen Bengaluru become a city with an “ethnic-tasting audience”.
He adds, “People who come here for concerts are versatile in their tastes. They will go to a jazz concert or an Indian classical concert today and then go to a rock show in a club and enjoy each equally and be aware of what is being presented to them. He admires the openness and generous listening skills of Bangaloreans and calls it special.
Bengaluru Karnataka 18/01/2023 : Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain in conversation with The Hindu, in Bengaluru on January 18, 2023. Photo of Murali Kumar
“When you come and you play for an audience here, you know they’re going to give you their attention and allow you to give them the time they need to be able to explain what you’re doing. Legitimate. To come on stage and then mingle with him is really inspiring and exciting,” concluded the tabla master.
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