Ali Akbar Khan
Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (b.1922), popularly known as the "Indian Johann
Sebastian Bach", is considered a "National Living Treasure" in
India. He is one of the greatest Sarod players of all times. He is
also adept in other instruments like the Pakhawaj and Tabla. He also
mastered different forms of music like dhrupad, dhammar and khayal
from his father Ustad Allauddin Khan. Ali Akbar Khan gave his first
public performance in Allahabad at age thirteen. In his early
twenties, he became the court musician for the Maharaja of Jodhpur.
Since his father's death in 1972, He has continued his father's
tradition, that of the Baba Allauddin Seni Gharana of Maihar in
Central India. He has composed music for the Bengali films Kshudhito
Pashan and Devi and for the Hindi film Andhiyan. A devoted musician,
his aim has been to promote better understanding of Indian music in
the Western world. He performed an unprecedented concert at the
Museum of Modern Art in New York way back in 1955. Since then, he
has continued to tour extensively in Asia, Africa, Europe, The
Netherlands, Australia, Canada, and the United States. In order to
popularize Indian classical music, Ali Akbar founded colleges to
teach Indian music in Japan, Canada and the US. He also established
a College of Music in Calcutta in 1956. He is credited with the
introduction of five new ragas, Chandranandan, Gauri-Manjari,
Lajwanti, Mishra-Shivaranjani and Hem-Hindol. He is the recipient of
several awards which include the President of India award (1963),
Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibushan (1988), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
(1963), Sangeet Natak fellowship (1992) and the Kalidas Samman
(1991). He is also conferred with an honorary Doctorate Degree in
Arts from the California Institute of the Arts, in Valencia, CA. He
has also received the degree of Doctor of Literature, honoree causa,
from the Rabindra Bharati University in Calcutta. In June of 1991,
Ali Akbar Khan became the first Indian musician to be awarded the
most prestigious Macarthur Foundation Fellowship in recognition of
his excellent work in the field of creating, cultivating and
transmitting the highly complex musical tradition of Northern India.
He has received four Grammy Award nominations: in 1970 for Shree
Rag, in 1983 for Misra Piloo, in 1996 for Then and Now, and recently
in 1997 for Legacy.
Alla Rakha
Ustad Alla Rakha (1919-2000) was one of the most celebrated tabla
players in the world. He was hailed not only for his performing
finesse but also for the incomparable accompaniment he provided to
other musicians. Alla Rakha got his initial training from Lal Ahmed
and later from the renowned Mian Kader Baksh of the Punjab Gharana
and Ashiq Ali Khan of the Patiala Gharana. In 1936 he entered the
Bombay film world as a music director under his real name, A.R.
Qureshi and scored music for a number of Hindi and Punjabi films,
including superhits like Sabak, Khandan, Maa Baap, Madari and
Bewafa. He founded the Institute of Music in Mumbai in 1986. He
earned great recognition abroad as a soloist and accompanist, with a
string of awards in San Francisco and California. He was the
recipient of Padma Shri (1977), the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
(1982), the Indo-American Achievement Award and the Maharashtra
Gaurav Puraskar. He died of heart attack on 4 February 2000 in
Mumbai.
Baba Allauddin Khan
Ustad Baba Allauddin Khan (1862-1972) is a legendary figure in
Indian music. He developed a thirst for music and musical knowledge
from a very young age that eventually led to one of the most
incredible musical journeys of this century. He mastered many
instruments including Tabla, Violin, Sursringar and Surbahar but
finally turned to the Sarod and became a student of the Sarod wizard
Ahmed Ali Khan. The great Wazir Khan of Rampur, scion of the Seni
Beenkar Gharana taught him for 12 years. He himself remained a
student of music till the age of 70 completely mastering the Dhrupad
and instrumental compositions of the Seni Gharana and adding
innumerable new compositions and many new Ragas, such as Hemant,
Shobhavati and Durgeshwari. His eventual contributions are so
outstanding that today this Gharana is known as the Seni Baba
Allauddin Gharana. Among his large number of disciples, the most
famous are his son the supreme Sarodist Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and his
son-in-law the Sitar Maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar.
Amjad Ali Khan
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (b.1945) is one of the greatest exponents of
Sarod. He learnt the Sarod from his father Hafiz Ali Khan. He has
the distinction of being the first north Indian artist to have
performed in honour of Thyagaraja at the saint-musician’s
Thiruvaiyur shrine. He founded the Hafiz Ali Khan Memorial Society
in 1977, which organises music festivals in different parts of
India. He made many changes to the conventional style and structure
of the Sarod. He has also been an innovator in introducing the
gayaki ang in the Sarod, which has added new dimensions to
performances on this instrument. He has contributed in propagating
and creating music for children. He has composed special songs for
children all over the country, including a special ‘Birthday Song’.
He has composed new ragas like Amiri Todi, Haripriya Kannada,
Jawahar Manjari and Shivanjali for special occasions. He is the
recipient of many awards and honours including the Sangeet Natak
Akademi Award (1989), Padma Shri (1975), Tansen Award (1989), the
Padma Bhushan (1991) and the International Music Forum Award, UNESCO
(1970).
Dr Bal Murali Krishna
Dr Bal Murali Krishna (b.1930) is an enterprising instrumentalist
who plays Violin, Khanjira, Veena and Mridangam, besides being a
renowned music composer. He is the recipient of several awards which
include Padma Vibhushan, Padma Shri (1971), the Best Play Back
Singer (23rd National Film Festival, 1976), Best Music Director
(34th National Film Festival, 1987) and the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi
Silver Medal (1995). Dr. Balamuralikrishna has also been conferred
with Doctor of Letters by the Sri Venkateshwara University (1981).
Bismillah Khan
Born on 21st March, 1916 in Dumraon, Bihar, Ustad Bismillah Khan is
the most outstanding and popular Shehnai player of contemporary
times. His ancestors were court musicians in the princely state of
Dumraon in Bihar and he was trained under his uncle, the late Ali
Bux `Vilayatu’, a Shehnai player attached to Varanasi’s Vishwanath
Temple. His first major public appearance was in 1930 at the age of
14, when he played in the All India Music Conference in Allahabad.
Ustad Bismillah Khan’s specialisation lies in his ability to produce
intricate sound patterns on the Shehnai which was hitherto,
considered impossible on this instrument. For his outstanding
services in the field of music, he has been bestowed with several
honours and awards including, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
(1956), Shehnai Chakravarti by the National Cultural Organisation
(955), Padma Shri (1961), Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and the
Tansen Award. A jugalbandi of the Shehnai and Sitar performed by
Bismillah Khan and Sitat Nawaz Abdul Halim Jaffar Khan, for the film
Gunj Uthi Shehnai was an outstanding success. He performed at the
Edinburgh Festival along with Ustad Vilayat Khan and the album
produced, known as Thumri Piloo, is considered as one of the best by
the Ustad. He has also been conferred with honorary doctorates from
the Benares Hindu University and Shantiniketan.
Bundu Khan
Bundu Khan (1880-1955) is the legendary Sarangi Nawaz belonging to
the Delhi Gharana. He has written several parts of Sangit Viveka
Darpan, which was published in 1934.
Chinna Maula
Chinna Maula (b.1924), who is a renowned Nagaswara player in South
India, hails from an illustrious music family whose ancestry goes
back to Sheikh Nabi Sahib (18th Century). He gave his first concert
in 1960. Chinna Maula's favourite themes are Ramayana and
Mahabharata. He is a recipient of several honours and awards which
include Padma Shri, Kalaimamani, Nagaswara Kalanidhi, Kala
Prapoorna, Isai Perarignar, etc. In 1982 he founded and nurtured the
Sarada Nagaswara Sangeeta Asramam in Srirangam, which later produced
several promomising nagaswaram players like Pedda Kasim, Chinna
Kasim, Mahaboob Subani and Kalishabi.
T.V. Gopalakrishnan
T.V. Gopalakrishnan has a solid musical heritage of over two
centuries. He is an accomplished Mridangam artiste and a creative
music composer gifted with a mellow, bass voice, capable of a large
and panoramic range. He is especially famous for bringing out the
rich tonal colours and the evocative and articulate rhythm patterns
on both faces of the Mridangam
Hariprasad Chaurasia
Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia (b. 1938) is one of the most popular
contemporary flautists and is regarded as the greatest living master
of the north Indian flute. He belongs to the Senia gharana but has
imbibed the best features and facets of other forms and styles in
his presentation. As a musician, Chaurasia is a rare combination of
innovator and traditionalist and has significantly expanded the
expressive possibilities of classical North Indian flute. He learnt
the techniques of vocal classical music from Pandit Raja Ram of
Benaras and the renowned Annapurna Shankar. Later, he switched to
flute playing after hearing Pandit Bholanath, a noted flautist from
Varanasi. He tutored under Pandit Bholanath for eight years and in
1957, he became a regular member of All India Radio in Cuttack,
Orissa where he worked as a performer and a composer. He is the
recipient of several honours and awards like the Sangeet Natak
Akademi Award (1983), Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar (1990), Padma
Bhushan (1992), the Konarak Samman (1992) and the Yash Bharati
Sanman by UP government (1994). Chaurasia tours the world regularly
and has recorded with artistes like John McLaughlin to Jan Garbarek.
He is the only Indian soloist to have performed at the Bolshoi
Theatre in Moscow, and his playing caused appreciative riots in the
Theatre Odeon in Paris. He, along with Shivkumar Sharma, composed
the scores for Hindi films like Silsila and Chandni. He has also
recorded a compact disc at Oslo along with Western artists John
Mclaughlin and Jan Garbarek, which has gained international
popularity.
V.G.Jog
Vishnu Govind Jog (b.1922) is an established violinist whose name is
synonymous with the violin genre in Hindustani classical. His
recitals are known for their dignity and crispness of swara and
tala. He is noted for the purity of his rendition and the ease with
which he communicates the idioms of music. His style owes much to
the Gwalior, Agra and Bakhley Gharanas. He was professor of
Instrumental Music at the Bhatkhande University of Music, Lucknow
till 1952. He is a recipient of several honours and awards, which
include the Vadya Nipurna from the Bhatkhande University of Music,
Lucknow (1944), the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1980) and the Padma
Bhushan (1983). He was given the title of ‘Tantri Vilas’ by Swami
Haridas Sangeet Sammelan Mumbai in 1978 and the Lalit Kala Pitra,
Bhuvaneshwar, Orissa conferred on him the title of ‘Behala Samrat’
in 1980. In 1973 the Indian Music Circle of Vassar, USA honoured him
as ‘Violin Samrat’.
Lalgudi Jayaraman
Lalgudi Jayaraman is a violin virtuoso who has excelled far beyond
anyone else since the time of Dwaram Sri Venkateswara Naidu. The
unique feature about Lalgudi is that his music is very expressive.
Lalgudi's instrumental genius comes to the fore in the form of
lyrical excellence. More particularly, there is no structural damage
done to the edifice of the composition as envisaged by the composer,
be it a Varnam, Kriti, Tillana or a Padam. He is probably one of a
select few instrumentalists who is capable of rendering a very good
vocal music concert. The quality in his playing is spellbinding and
his technique is immaculate. He has been in great demand for
accompanying vocalists, and has accompanied such great vocal
virtuosos as Ariyakkudi Sri Ramanuja Iyengar, Semmangudi Sri
Srinivasa Iyer, Sri G. N. Balasubramaniam, Alathur Brothers and
Karaikkudi Sambasiva Iyer.
U. 'Mandolin' Srinivas
Upalappu Srinivas (b.1969) is a child prodigy who was the first to
use mandolin in Carnatic music. Having begun playing when he was
only six years old, Srinivas's musical aptitude was spotted by
Subbaraju, a classically trained musician and disciple of the famous
musical stalwart Chembai Vaidyanata Bhagavatar. U.Srinivas is
already a winner of Padma Shri at the age of 29. He became renowned
for his jazz-fusion concerts with the famous violinist L.Subramaniam
and also with the ghazal singer Hari Haran. He produced an album
called 'Dreams' with the Canadian guitarist Michael Brooks.
Pannalal Ghosh
Amulya Jyoti (nicknamed Pannalal) Ghosh (1911-1960) was a famous
flautist, who was in a family of musicians in Barisal, East Bengal
(now in Bangladesh). His grandfather, Hari Kumar Ghosh, was a famous
Dhrupad artist and his father, Akshay Kumar Ghosh, was a famous
Sitar player. Pannalal Ghosh was a child prodigy, who inherited his
love of music and the bamboo flute (bansuri) from his father and
grandfather. In 1938 he visited a number of foreign countries with a
group named Sarai-Kala-Nrtya. After returning from abroad, he became
the disciple of Girija Sankar Chakraborty. His final rigorous
training came in 1947 under the guidance of Ustad Baba Allaudin
Khan. Pannalal Ghosh is credited with the raising the bansuri, which
was hitherto used only as a folk instrument, to the level of a
concert instrument in classical music. One of his peculiarities was
his use of three kinds of flute alternately for different
'Saptakas'. He could produce any human sound with his flute. He
worked extensively for many Indian films, initially under the well
known music director Anil Biswas. Later he worked as the composer of
the national orchestra for the All India Radio.
Ram Narayan
Pandit Ram Narayan (b.1927) ranks among the most eminent Sarangi
players of today. He belongs to a family, which can boast of an
unbroken line of five generations of vocalists and instrumentalists
of great caliber. Pt. Ram Narayan's formal training started at the
age of 7. He received guidance from many veterans such as Ustad
Mehboob Khan, Pandit Udayalal, Pandit Madhav Prasad and Ustad Abdul
Wahid Khan. Ram Narayan continuously experimented with the structure
of the Sarangi and the bow, making necessary modifications in them.
He also brought about changes in the traditional bowing technique as
well as finger technique. He has performed extensively in India and
abroad winning great acclaim and numerous notable awards such as
Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. He has recorded many
long discs in India and abroad. He has also authored a book on
Indian classical music which was published by Manchester University
Press.
Ravi Kiran
Born in 1967 into a musical family, Ravikiran is considered an
unprecedented phenomenon in Carnatic music. His grandfather Sri K.
S. Narayana Iyengar was a renowned gottuvadhyam artiste and his
father, Sri Narasimhan, is also a gifted gottuvadhyam artiste and
vocalist. By the
age of twelve, Ravikiran was a full-fledged vocal artiste and was
given an A-grade ranking in All India Radio. At around this age, he
switched over from vocal music to the difficult Chitra Veena or
gottuvadhyam and within a short time he mastered the instrument.
Ravikiran has performed all around the world at major international
festivals including the Autumn Festival of France (1985), Rang Raag
Festival, U.K. (1986), the International Music Festival of Radio
France (1987) and Festivals of India in France, Germany and
Switzerland.. Ravikiran started receiving many awards and titles
from 1973 including 'Best Junior Musician' (Music Academy, Madras),
'Sangeeth Samraat' (Wisdom International), 'Kalaimamani' (Tamil Nadu
Government), 'Sangeeta Choodamani' (Krishna Gana Sabha) and 'Isai
Peroli' (Karthik Fine Arts).
Ravi Shankar
Pandit Ravi Shankar (b.1920), one of the greatest exponents of the
sitar, is the most popular Indian musician all over the world.
Yehudi Menuhin, the world famous violinist described him as "a
creative genius comparable only to Mozart". Pandit Ravi Shankar has
received widespread acclaim for his creativity and distinct,
unorthodox style of playing the Sitar. He is acclaimed around the
world for his originality and improvisation. He also has a command
on instruments like Surbahar, Been, Rabab and Sursingar. In January
1945, he composed the music score for the famous patriotic song,
Sare Jahan Se Aacha, Hindustan Hamara, written by the famous Urdu
poet Mohammad Iqbal. Pandit Ravi Shankar has to his credit several
ragas like Nat Bhairav, Pancham Se Gara, Kameshwari, Parameshwari
and Ganeshwari. Raga Mohankauns was composed in honour of Mahatma
Gandhi. In May 1967, he founded the Kinnara School of Music in
Bombay and Los Angles. He has composed extensively for films and
ballets in India, Canada, Europe and the United States, including
Charly, Gandhi and Apu Trilogy. He has the honour of being the first
Indian to write film music for foreign films. Ravi Shankar has
received several honours and awards as a sitarist, composer and
musician. His music for the film Gandhi won him an Oscar nomination.
He is the first Indian to receive the highest award of the Berlin
Film Festival, the Silver Bear, for his music in the Indian film
Kabuliwala. In 1969, he was cited as ‘Musician of the Year’ by one
of the leading magazines of America’s musical industry, Billboard
Magazine. He is also the first Indian Musician to be commissioned by
a major Western Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, to compose a
Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra. This Concerto was performed in
1971 and conducted by Andre Previn. His long list of awards and
honours include fourteen doctorates, Padma Bhushan (1967), the Padma
Vibhushan (1981), Desikottam, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, two
Grammys, the Fukuoka Grand Prize from Japan, the Crystal award from
Davos, with the title 'Global Ambassador', Kalidas Samman Award,
Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award (1991), Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mahatma
Gandhi Award and Premium Imperiale Arts Award from The Japan Art
Association, the Presidential Award (1962 and 1980), the
International Music Council UNESCO Award(1975) and the Sangeet Natak
Akademi fellowship (1976) to name a few. Ravi Shankar is an Honorary
Member of the United Nations Rostrum of Composers and Honorary
Member of the Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1986 he was nominated
as a member of the Rajya Sabha. The Highest Civilian award in India,
Bharat Ratna, was bestowed on Ravi Shankar in 1999. He also received
the prestigious International Prize for Film and Media for 1999
instituted by the German government’s Art and Exhibition Centre. In
February 2000, he was honoured with the highest French civilian
award Commandeur de la legion d Honneur. In early 2001, Ravi
Shankar was conferred with Honorary Knight Commander of the Most
Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE).
Sabri Khan
Sabri Khan (b.1927) is one of the most renowned Sarangi players. He
was initiated into the art of Sarangi playing at the age of seven by
his grandfather Haji Mohammad Khan, and later continued his training
under his father Chhajju Khan and uncle Laddan Khan of Rampur, both
accomplished exponents of Sarangi. He belongs to the Senia Gharana
of Rampur, and plays the Sarangi solo and as an accompaniment to
vocal performances. He has also played with the famous violinist,
Yehudi Menuhin. He has been honoured with the Sahitya Kala Parishad
Award, Shobna Kala Sangam Award, Begum Akhtar Award, Emotional
Integration Council Award and the Sangeet Natak Academy Award
(1986).
Shivkumar Sharma
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma (b. 1938) is recognised in India and abroad
as the most accomplished exponent of Santoor. His ingenious,
imaginative and innovative zest has transformed Santoor, the
little-known Kashmiri folk instrument, into a full-fledged solo
concert instrument in Indian classical music. Along with Pandit Hari
Prasad Chaurasia, he composed the music for the Hindi films Silsila
and Chandni, scores of which are still very popular. Shiv Kumar
Sharma had also been a vocalist and a tabla player in his early
years. He has been honoured with Padma Shri and the Sangeet Natak
Akademi Award (1987) for his unique contributions to Indian
classical music. He has the honorary citizenship of the city of
Baltimore and has given special performances before the House of
Lords in Britain and in front of the Queen of Holland.
Dr. L. Subramaniam
Dr. L. Subramaniam (b.1947) is one of the best violinists of India and is
widely acclaimed and recognized all over the world. Through his
superb blending of Carnatic and Western classical music, Dr.
Subramaniam has taken many a venues, like the Bolshoi Theater, the
Lincoln Center, Royal Albert Hall and United Nations, by storm. He
was also a featured soloist in "All the World's Violins" held in
Belgium along with Sir Yehudi Menuhin and Stephane Grappelli. Dr.
Subramanium has also scored the music for movies like Salaam Bombay
and Mississipi Masala, besides featuring as a soloist in the film
Little Buddha by Bernardo Bertolucci and Ismail Merchant's Cotton
Mary. He was also the music advisor for Peter Brook's historic stage
production of the Mahabharata. He has also recorded his East-West
fusion compositions with jazz greats like Stephane Grappelli, Herbie
Hancock, Joe Sample, Maynard Ferguson, Hubert Laws, George Duke,
Stanley Clarke, Larry Coryell, and Tony Williams. Over the years,
Subramaniam has written, conducted and performed with world's
greatest orchestras including the New York Philharmonic (Fantasy on
Vedic Chants), the Swiss Romande (Shanti Priya), the Oslo
Philharmonic (Concerto for Two Violins) and the Berlin Opera (Global
Symphony). Subramaniam has over a hundred recordings including a
five-volume Anthology of Indian Music for the Ocora label of Radio
France. Subramaniam was the first non-Westerner to to receive the
"Best Composer of the Year" award from NRK P2 radio station of
Norway for his compostion Global Music. In 1992, Subramaniam, along
with his late wife Vijayashree, launched the annual Lakshminarayana
Global Music Festival in memory of his father, that brings together
eminent artists from all over the world. Subramaniam's book Euphony
is part of his efforts to spread awareness of his heritage. His
albums include From the Ashes,Eulogy and The Southern Key. He has
been conferred with Padma Bhushan (2001), Padma Shri and Sangeet
Natak Akademi Award. He
played “The Freedom Symphony” with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra,
Warrenton Chorale and Carnatic percussionists in September 2007.
Vilayat Khan
Ustad Vilayat Khan (1928-2004), son of late Ustad Inayat Khan, was the
scion of the Ittawa gharana whose stalwarts traced their line back
to Tansen of Akbar's court. He is one of most renowned sitar players
of India and occupies an important place in the world of classical
instrumental music. Vilayat Khan's unique contribution to Indian
classical music is introducing a new style of sitar playing now
called Vilayatkhaani baaj. This is the gayaki ang or full-fledged
vocal style, which he innovated, perfected and passed on to a school
of disciples. He wrought a total change in the dimension and impact
of the music by modifying the base, frets, bridge and strings of the
sitar. His creativity was marked by the spontaneous and automatic
formation of tans, kan, zamzama thus evolving the rare and difficult
Gayaki ang, of which he was an innovator. Vilayat Khan has received
numerous awards and honours for his contribution to Indian music and
has toured India, Europe, the Soviet Union, East Africa, China,
Afghanistan, Iran and the United States. He had played Festival of
India in Britain (1951).
T. H. Vinayakram
Sri Thetakudi Harihara Vinayakram (b.1942), affectionately known as Vikku, is
renowned for his beautiful drumming on the ghatam. Son of the noted
and talented musician and percussionist, Kalaimamani T.R. Harihara
Sharma, Vinayakram was a child prodigy. He started his concert
career at the tender age of thirteen and soon became renowned for
his crisp play and deep knowledge of rhythm. Vinayakram first became
known in the West in the mid 1970s as a member of the group Shakti,
which consisted of the jazz guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist L.
Shankar, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, and himself. The extraordinary
speed and precision of his duets with Zakir Hussain captivated
international audiences. Vinayakram has a number of titles and
awards to his name, including: Astana Vidhwan of Kanchi Kama Koti
Peetam, Ghatam Nagamani given by Sri Jayendra Saraswathi,
Kalaimamini given by the government of Tamil Nadu, and the First
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Ghatam in 1988. He is also the first
South Indian artist to ever receive a Grammy Award in 1991 for Best
World Music Album for his participation in Mickey Hart's "Planet
Drum" in which he played Ghatam and Morsingh. In addition,
Vinayakram was a nominee for the 38th Annual Grammy Awards for Best
World Music Album for his participation in 'Raga Aberi' along with
L. Shankar on the ten string double violin and Zakir Hussain on the
tabla. Vinaykram has also published two books: 'Art of Mridangam' in
English and 'Mridanga Pada Bhodhini' in Tamil.
Zakir Hussain
Ustad Zakir Hussain (b. 1951), the reigning king of tabla players,
is the son of renowned tabla maestro Ustad Alla Rakha. He is today
appreciated both in the field of percussion and music as an
international phenomenon. He is internationally acclaimed for his
ingenious techniques and dexterity. He has taken tabla playing to
newer heights by rediscovering the subtle nuances of this
instrument, along with his unique ability to communicate with his
audience.
He has made several historic collaborations, including ‘Shakti’,
which he founded with John McLaughlin and L. Shankar, ‘Remember
Shakti’, the ‘Diga Rhythm Band’, ‘Making Music’, ‘Planet
Drum’ with Mickey Hart, ‘Tabla Beat Science’, ‘Sangam’
with Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland and recordings and performances
with artists as diverse as George Harrison, YoYo Ma, Joe Henderson
and Van Morrison. His album ‘Golden Strings of the Sarode’,
with Aashish Khan was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best
Traditional World Music Album category in 2006. During the 51st
Grammy Awards ceremony held in 2009, Zakir Hussain won the Grammy
for his collaborative album ‘Global Drum Project’ along with
Mickey Hart, Sikiru Adepoju and Giovanni Hidalgo in the Contemporary
World Music Album category.
He has scored music for several films like Ismail Merchant’s ‘Heat
and Dust’ (1983) and ‘In Custody’, Merchant Ivory’s ‘A
Perfect Murder’, Bernardo Bertolucci’s ‘The Little Buddha’,
Cappola’s ‘Apocalypse Now’ and Aparna Sen's ‘Mr. and Mrs.
Iyer’. He is a recipient of several honours and awards including
Padma Shri (1988), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1991),
Padma Bhushan (2002) and the Kalidas Samman (2006).
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