HPR All Things Considered host Dave Lawrence sends off percussion master Zakir Hussain in style today. The tabla legend died Monday at age 73, of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Today's piece starts with legendary guitarist John McLaughlin, in a 2023 chat, taking about Zakir, his partner in the groundbreaking Indian acoustic fusion band Shakti. In a statement remembering him after the news of his passing, John said of the artist he’d known for over fifty years, “The King, in whose hands rhythm became magic, has left us.”
We remember Zakir, ourselves, thanks to a 2019 interview when he was our guest, ahead of a rare concert tour he and one of his own projects were doing here in the islands.
Here is the complete 30-minute+ chat with Zakir:
Hear the interview segment with John from 2023, with lots of Shakti and Zakir:
Check out a Shakti concert video from their 2023 tour:
