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| World Music Presents Zakir Hussain & Masters Of Percussion |
Press Release
02/29/2012
ZAKIR HUSSAIN & MASTERS OF PERCUSSION
Sunday, March 18, 7:00 pm
Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
World Music/CRASHarts presents Zakir Hussain & Masters of Percussion on Sunday, March 18, 7pm, Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., Cambridge. Tickets are $50, $42, $37 and $28. For tickets and information call World Music/CRASHarts at (617) 876-4275 or buy online at www.WorldMusic.org.
In a dazzling display of Indian percussion, tabla superstar Zakir Hussain is joined by the finest percussionists from India’s classical and folk traditions, including Fazal Qureshi, tabla and kanjira; Rakesh Chaurasia, bansuri (bamboo flute); T.H.V. Umashankar, ghatam (clay pot); Sabir Khan, sarangi; Navin Sharma, dholak; Abbos Kosimov, doyra, and the Meitei Pung Cholom Performing Troupe, dancing drummers of Manipur.
Under the direction of percussion legend Zakir Hussain, Masters of Percussion offers the audience an opportunity to experience both melodic (raga) and rhythmic (tala) development. The show features traditional repertoire from both Hindustani (North Indian) and Carnatic (South Indian) classical traditions, Zakir Hussain’s masterful tabla solo work and excursions exploring the frontier between traditional and contemporary, folk and classical music.
Zakir Hussain is appreciated in both the field of percussion and in the music world at large as an international phenomenon. A classical tabla virtuoso of the highest order, Hussain plays with uncanny intuition and masterful improvisational dexterity, founded in formidable knowledge and study. The favorite accompanist for many of India's greatest classical musicians and dancers, he has not let his genius rest there. His contribution to world music has been unique, with many historic collaborations including Shakti, which he founded with John McLaughlin and L. Shankar in the early 1970’s; the Diga Rhythm Band; Making Music; the Grammy Award−winning Planet Drum with Mickey Hart; Tabla Beat Science; and Sangam with Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland. Hussain has recorded and performed with artists as diverse as George Harrison, Yo Yo Ma, Joe Henderson, Van Morrison, Airto Moreira, Giovanni Hidalgo, Pharoah Sanders, Billy Cobham, Mark Morris, Bela Fleck and Rennie Harris, among many others. His music and extraordinary musical contributions were honored in April 2009 with four widely heralded and sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall’s Artist Perspective series.
The recipient of countless honors, Hussain was the youngest percussionist to receive the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Shri in 1988, awards given to civilians of merit by the Indian government. In 1990, he was granted the Indo-American Award in recognition of his outstanding cultural contribution to relations between the United States and India. In April 1991, he was presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by the President of India, making him one of the youngest musicians to receive this recognition from India's governing cultural institute. He is the recipient of the 1999 National Heritage Fellowship, most prestigious U.S. honor for a master in the traditional arts. In 2006, he was the recipient of the prestigious Kalidas Samman from the government of Madhya Pradesh, an award for artists of exceptional achievement. On February 8, 2009, Hussain received a Grammy Award in the Best Contemporary World Music category for Global Drum Project, his group with Mickey Hart, Giovanni Hidalgo and Sikiru Adepoju. In 2009, he was conferred the title of Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters by France’s Ministry of Culture and Communication. His work with Edgar Meyer and Bela Fleck resulted in The Melody of Rhythm, which was nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award. Most recently, the National Symphony Orchestra with Christoph Eschenbach commissioned and premiered Zakir’s Concerto for Four Soloists at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts; it was met with great acclaim.
Fazal Qureshi began his training early under the keen eye of his father and guru, Ustad Allarakha. With encouragement and inspiration from his elder brother, Zakir Hussain, Fazal has developed a style distinguished by a fine sense of rhythm, versatility and eloquence. He has performed both as a soloist and as an accompanist in prestigious classical music festivals in India and around the world. The remarkable ease with which Fazal accompanies veteran as well as young Indian classical instrumentalists, vocalists and dancers of both North and South, as well as Western instrumentalists, speaks of the discipline and dedication with which this talented artist has pursued music. For the past 16 years, he has performed with and composed for his world music band Mynta, based in Sweden. The group has six immensely popular and successful albums and tours regularly.
Rakesh Chaurasia, nephew of flute maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, is the most accomplished disciple of his uncle and promises to carry the Chaurasia legacy to new heights. Rakesh possesses the right balance of strength and serenity, critical factors for an exceptional flutist. Rakesh has already globe-trotted many times over, enthralling audiences at classical and semi classical concerts in Japan, Australia, Europe, South Africa and the United States. He is also an accomplished and versatile studio performer, having recorded with most of the leading stalwarts of the Indian film industry.
T.H.V. Umashankar is descended from a lineage of highly accomplished Carnatic (South Indian classical) percussionists. The grandson of Shri T. R. Hariharan Sharma and son of ghatam legend T. H. “Vikku†Vinayakram, he has distinguished himself as an accompanist to the esteemed Carnatic musicians of our time, including M.S. Subbulakshmi, Balamurali Krishna and U. Srinivas. He has also performed with great musicians in the Hindustani (North Indian classical) tradition, with Western jazz artists such as John McLaughlin and Jonas Hellborg and as a regular session artist for Indian cinema music composers such as A. R. Rahman and Illayaraja.
Sabir Khan is an Indian sarangi player belonging to the Sikar Gharana style of music — the style of some of the most respected, prodigious talents in Indian classical music. Sabir was exposed to music when he was six years old through his grandfather, Ustad Gulab Khan. He is well known today for his delicate mastery of sarangi. His technique of playing is a rare combination of sur and laya (note and rhythm). Sabir has performed alongside great Indian artists such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Kumar Bose, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, gazal maestros Ustad Gulam Ali and Talat Aziz and the legendary singer Asha Bhosle. Sabir most recently released an album with the great Lata Mangeshkar.
Navin Sharma was born in the Ulhasnagar district of Maharashtra in 1975 to a musical family and started studying the dholak at a very young age. His first guru was his father, Shyam Rughuram Sharma, and through his studies was introduced to other local musicians who were actively composing scores for Bollywood films. After recognizing his son’s desire to study more Indian classical music, his father insisted he learn from tabla master Ustad Allarakha, with whom he studied for several years. Navin has performed with many master musicians over his career and with many ensembles, including jazz, fusion, pop, rock, ghazal and bhajan.
Abbos Kosimov was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to a very musical family. He studied at the College of Culture and Music under doyra master Mamurjon Vahabov and graduated in 1988. In 1991, Abbos won second prize in Central Asia and Kazakhstan’s Competition of Percussion Instruments. A few years later, he established the Abbos School, where he taught the talented youth of his country to play the doyra (presently there are over 100 students in his school). In 2001, in honor of the 10th anniversary of Uzbekistan’s independence, Abbos was awarded a medal celebrating his status as an Honored Artist of Uzbekistan. In 2005, he moved to the United States, and he has since recorded and performed with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Randy Gloss’s Hands OnSemble, Giovanni Hidalgo and Zakir Hussain.
Meitei Pung Cholom Performing Troupe is one of India’s premier performance troupes, combining dance, drumming and martial arts in its repertoire. Dedicated to the rejuvenation of traditional folk and classical Manipuri dance styles, the company was established in 1963 by the late Guru Padmashri Amubi Singh, has performed thousands of concerts in India and has enjoyed many successful international tours. Known for its dynamic athleticism and proficiency as well as its unique-sounding drums, the troupe presents a visual feast, dazzling audiences with its acrobatic choreography.
To download high resolution digital photos go to www.WorldMusic.org and click “PRESS CENTER.â€
For additional information please visit: www.momentrecords.com/zakir.html
About World Music/CRASHarts
World Music, a nonprofit organization established in 1990, is New England’s premier presenter of global culture, featuring music and dance from the far and near corners of the globe. In 2001, World Music launched CRASHarts as a division of World Music dedicated to presenting a contemporary performing arts series in greater Boston. World Music/CRASHarts strives to offer audiences an opportunity to share in many different cultural and artistic expressions and seeks to foster an atmosphere of discovery and exploration. The organization presents approximately 70 concerts and 15 educational programs per year. For more information, call (617) 876-4275 or visit www.WorldMusic.org
World Music/CRASHarts is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency that also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
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