Bengaluru, Violin maestro L Subramaniam, a long-time collaborator of Ustad Zakir Hussain, said the late tabla maestro was one of those rarest of rare musicians who was at home with every genre of music. He added that the Ustad was undoubtedly one of the pioneering and important global artistes. “In fact, I don’t consider Zakir an Indian musician, he was a global artiste. His musicianship is unparalleled and he will be missed, for it is not possible to replace an artiste of that stature,” Subramaniam told PTI over the phone from Kochi where he was supposed to have performed a violin duet with his son Ambi Subramaniam at Dharani Kalotsav 2024 on Monday. “I am not in a state of mind to perform today, but Ambi and an ensemble from Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts will be giving a tribute concert for Zakir,” added Subramaniam. Subramaniam recalled some of his early day projects with the late Ustad, stating that the tabla maestro was open for anything. “I met Zakir in the late 1970s. I recorded my first Indian classical music album outside India with Zakir and my uncles. Later, we also did an experimental album, ‘Fantasy Without Limits’,” said Subramaniam. According to him, it was the openness of the Ustad to dip his finger in any kind of music that amazed him. “I remember we did a project for the Hari Krishna Movement in Los Angeles. He did not hesitate when we asked him. He was so open to doing anything and everything for music’s sake,” added Subramaniam. The violin maestro also recalled how easily Hussain swayed people with his music. “Be it classical, jugalbandi or global music, he not only found his way, but also created his own path,” said Subramaniam. He said Hussain also influenced a whole generation of musicians. “You can see that in most young tabla players today. They are trying to emulate him – not just his music, but his hairstyle and the way he even shakes his head. Such was his influence on them,” added Subramaniam. He said Hussain was also a fantastic human being that it was not really a surprise that he won the hearts of millions of people. “He was very considerate, and had a very, very giving nature. He was never rude. He tried to adjust and make the best of any situation. He took many youngsters under him. He travelled a lot with them and promoted them,” said Subramaniam. The violin maestro said when he started Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival way back in 1992, Hussain performed at the very first festival. “We were looking forward to having him in our 32nd edition of the global festival this year . We wanted to give him the lifetime achievement award too, but in November I came to know that he had a surgery and that things were not going too well for him. We all prayed, but…” said Subramaniam. He also said it was always a joy to spend time with Hussain, on and off the stage. “We collaborated on a lot of projects. We had a fantastic time when we travelled across the globe playing concerts. A lot of memories come from the late 1970s, when we were all exploring experimental music together,” said Subramaniam. Recalling the time that they had played a concert in Japan in the 1970s, where Hussain on tabla was accompanied by equally talented thavil and kanjira players, Subramaniam said it was then he realised that Hussain was not playing to compete, but to blend himself with music. “There was absolutely no competition among these percussionists, each got the best out of the other, played like an ensemble, beautifully blending together. That is how I will remember him always. Someone so accommodative that music took the centre stage every time he played,” said Subramaniam.
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