Zakir Hussain: Indian tabla maestro and Grammy-winning musician dies
Zakir Hussain, one of the greatest exponents of tabla music, a form of Indian drumming, has died.
Hussain, who during his career worked with George Harrison and Van Morrison among others, died at a hospital in San Francisco from complications arising out of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, his family said.
A family statement said: “He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy cherished by countless music lovers around the globe, with an influence that will resonate for generations to come. His prolific work as a teacher, mentor and educator has left an indelible mark on countless musicians.
“He hoped to inspire the next generation to go further. He leaves behind an unparalleled legacy as a cultural ambassador and one of the greatest musicians of all time. The family requests privacy at this time.”
Zakir Hussain performing in New Delhi in 2009. File pic: AP
Hussain, 73, has won four Grammys, the most for an Indian musician, including for Best Global Music Album, Global Music Performance, and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at this year’s awards in February.
Among the many tributes posted on social media, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him a “legendary tabla maestro” and a “true genius” on X.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar said “we were fortunate to witness your magic” and “the beats will continue to echo in our hearts forever”.
Fellow cricketer Yuvraj Singh called Hussain a “true maestro”.
In a music career spanning six decades, Hussain worked with several renowned international musicians.
In 1972, he met British guitarist John McLaughlin, leading to the formation of the groundbreaking Shakti band the following year.
It also included violinist, L Shankar, and percussionist, T H Vinayakram, and their blend of Indian classical music with Western jazz won the group a Grammy for Best Global Music.
He transformed the art of tabla playing and during his long career collaborated with Jerry Garcia, the lead vocalist and guitarist of the Grateful Dread, with Irish singer Van Morrison, American percussionist Mickey Hart, Latin jazz percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo as well as playing on George Harrison’s 1973 album Living In The Material World, which reached number one in several countries’ album charts
Zakir Hussain (C), with Edgar Meyer (L), and Rakesh Chaurasia, won Best Global Music Performance for Pashto at the 2024 Grammys in Los Angeles. Pic: AP
In the 1990s he delved into Asian Underground music that fused Western music with Asian classics, but made sure to retain the prominence of the tabla.
His collaboration with banjo legend Béla Fleck, double bass artist Edgar Meyer and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, took home this year’s Grammy for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album with the album As We Speak. Pashto by the collaboration won the award for Best Global Music Performance. The group was set to tour India in January.
He has also made music for Bollywood and Hollywood films, including this year’s Monkey Man with Dev Patel, and acted in 1983’s Heat And Dust, a Merchant-Ivory production in which his character romanced Julie Christie.
His life and career were littered with awards, including receiving the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award for “exceptional and distinguished service”. He had previously won the third and fourth-highest civilian awards.
A child prodigy, Hussain learned early from his father Alla Rakha, another of India’s greatest tabla players.
He often claimed he learned the basic rhythm of the tabla from the first words his father whispered into his ears when he was first brought home after birth.
He played his first concert aged just seven and began touring a mere five years later.
After completing his education in Mumbai, where he was born, he left for America in 1970. By 19, Hussain was teaching at the University of Washington before joining Ustad Ali Akbar Khan’s music college in San Francisco.
He was also voted “sexiest man” by female readers of the Indian magazine Gentleman in 1994 in a competition against the likes of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
The jugalbandi, a duet between two solo musicians in Indian classical music has been a remarkable part of his performance.
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Fans of the style treasured the playful melodramatic musical banter between Hussain and sitar legend Pandit Ravi Shankar, santoor maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, flautist Hari Prasad Chaurasia, and sarangi stalwart Ustad Sultan Khan, as well as other classical Indian musicians.
Hussain is survived by his wife, Antonia Minnecola, and his daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi.
Thousands of members of actors’ trade union Equity are being asked whether they would support industrial action over artificial intelligence protections.
The organisation has launched an indicative ballot among about 7,000 members working in film and TV.
Performers are being asked whether they are prepared to refuse to be digitally scanned on set in order to secure adequate artificial intelligence protections.
It will be the first time the performing arts and entertainment trade union has asked this whole section of its membership to vote in a ballot.
The Hollywood strikes took place in 2023. File pic: AP
The announcement follows the Hollywood strikes in 2023, when members of Equity’s sister union in the US, SAG-AFTRA, and writers, went on strike over issues including AI.
Video game actors in the US also protested over the use of AI, ending almost a year of industrial action earlier in 2025.
Equity’s ballot opens on Thursday and runs for two weeks, and will show the level of support the union has for action short of a strike.
Another statutory ballot would have to be made before any industrial action is taken.
“While tech companies get away with stealing artists’ likeness or work, and the government and decision makers fret over whether to act, unions including Equity are at the forefront of the fight to ensure working people are protected from artificial intelligence misuse,” Equity general secretary Paul W Fleming said in a statement.
“If bosses can’t ensure someone’s likeness and work won’t be used without their consent, why should performers consent to be digitally scanned in the first place?”
Mr Fleming said the ballot would give members the opportunity to “send a clear message to the industry: that it is a basic right of performers to have autonomy over their own personhood and identity”.
The union has no choice but to recommend members support industrial action, he said.
“It’s time for the bosses to step away from the brink and offer us a package, including on AI protections, which respects our members,” added Mr Fleming.
The hotly anticipated Spotify Wrapped is revealing our top tracks, artists and albums for 2025.
But how does the streaming service calculate personalised summaries of users’ listening habits and rank the UK’s hottest artists?
Here’s a look at how your data is used.
The platform describes the annual statistics as “a chance to look back on your year in sound”.
It says data is captured between January and mid-November on every account, although it mostly excludes anything streamed in private mode. (Don’t worry, your passion for the Spice Girls can be kept secret.)
Wrapped presents personalised listening statistics, which Spotify calls the “real story of your year of listening”, alongside global figures for comparison.
The streaming service says Minutes Listened reflects the actual time spent listening to audio on the platform.
Once a user streams at least 30 tracks, Spotify generates a list of Your Top Songs. Similarly, Your Top Artists ranks artists based on total minutes listening to a particular performer.
Other metrics identify the top genres users have played, as well as podcasts and audiobooks ranked by total minutes listened. And if you’ve listened to at least 70% of tracks on a record, you’ll see top albums too.
Spotify also creates Your Listening Age, a guesstimate of your age based on the era of the music “you feel most connected to”.
The streaming service says the statistic is calculated using a five-year span of music which users engaged with more than other listeners of a similar age.
Spotify has been summing up 2025’s most listened to tracks. Pic: Spotify
Swift vs Bunny
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has been named the UK’s most-streamed artist on Spotify for the third year in a row.
But she dropped out of the top spot in the global rankings, coming second to Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, who secured more than 19.8 billion streams. Third were The Weeknd, followed by Drake and Billie Eilish.
Bad Bunny’s LP Debi Tirar Mas Fotos was the most listened-to album worldwide.
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Spotify revealed Drake was the UK’s second most-listened to artist, followed by Sabrina Carpenter in third, The Weeknd in fourth and Billie Eilish in fifth.
Despite being the most listened-to artist, Swift failed to break into the UK’s top five most listened-to songs and albums of the year.
Alex Warren’s Ordinary was the most-streamed song, and Short ‘N’ Sweet, released by Carpenter last year, the top album.
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