Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain joins music journalist Andrew Gilbert in conversation about his pioneering cross-cultural collaborations.
Scion of North Indian music’s greatest percussion dynasty, Hussain moved from Mumbai to Marin County in the early 1970s. Within weeks he had started building a vast web of creative connections, encompassing jazz legends, Latin American percussion greats, rock stars, South Indian classical music virtuosos, traditional Celtic musicians, European classical music masters, and a Grateful Dead drummer. He’s earned similar renown as a composer, writing for Bollywood, British, and Hollywood films, orchestras, and various smaller ensembles. He has won dozens of awards and distinctions in India and the United States, including two Grammy Awards.
Long based in Berkeley, Andrew Gilbert has covered music and dance for numerous publications, including the Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, San Francisco Chronicle, KQED, JazzTimes, and San Francisco Classical Voice.