Zakir Hussain

Zakir Hussain (born March 9, 1951, Mumbai, India—died December 15, 2024, San Francisco, California, United States) was an Indian tabla player and composer known for his contributions to Hindustani classical music and his collaborations with international artists. Over a career spanning six decades, he worked with musicians from many genres—jazz, rock, and fusion. He was trained primarily in the Punjab gharana by his father, Alla Rakha, and was exposed to techniques from other gharanas, broadening his knowledge of styles. Zakir Hussain collaborated with international artists such as Mickey Hart, Yo-Yo Ma, Charles Lloyd, and Béla Fleck. He founded the band Shakti with John McLaughlin, blending Hindustani classical music and jazz. His style was rooted in traditional tabla techniques, but he was known for introducing innovative variations and experimenting with unconventional time signatures.