Tabla Superstar Zakir Hussain performs

Joined by Kumaresh Rajagopalan (Violin), Jayanthi Kumaresh (Veena)

Wednesday, October 1, 2014, at 8 p.m.

Tickets: $49–54

Visit www.markhamtheatre.ca or call 905-305-SHOW (7469)

 One of the world’s most renowned tabla artists will enchant Flato Markham Theatre audiences with the riches of India’s classical music tradition. Zakir Hussain, a lauded master of the Indian percussion instrument, will be joined in concert by Kumaresh Rajagopalan (violin) and Jayanthi Kumaresh (veena) on October 1 at 8 p.m.

Zakir Hussain’s prodigious talent was unmistakable from an early age as he embarked on his first professional tour when he was just 12 years old. A revered musician and virtuoso of the table, a classical East Indian percussive instrument, Hussain stuns audiences with his natural musicianship. He has gone on to win a GRAMMY® Award in the Best World Music category, and has collaborated with some of music’s greatest and most influential artists including George Harrison, Yo-Yo Ma and Van Morrison.

His latest DVD release The SFJazz Sessions was recorded over four extraordinary days in March 2013, and showcases Hussain's formidable talents and the genre-bending collaborations that have characterized his career. The DVD includes insightful interviews, personal commentary and intimate glimpses of life, offstage and backstage, of the remarkable artists who came together during the recording sessions.

Here's an exclusive interview given by Ustad Zakir Hussain to Usha Pudukkotai:

     Please tell us about your early career and your guru(s).

     I was born in a tabla family, my father (Ustad Allarakha) was and is considered one of the greatest tabla player of all time. From a very young age (3 yrs) I was being trained in the art of tabla playing under his watchful eyes, at 7 I did my first full performance and at 12 I started my professional career but still received guidance from my father till he passed away in 2000.

     How many gharanas(styles) of tabla are there & which one is your forte?

     Originally there are 5 gharanas of tabla, they were created because masters of tabla would move from one state to the next and establish their own teachings and that in time would become a gharana, it helped that there were no influences from other masters leaving in other far off cities, these days due to communication media and easy travel plus CDs, YouTube etc has made the teachings of all gharanas available to tabla players everywhere, and so I consider myself initially a student of Punjab gharana but now a performer of a combination repertoire of all gharanas.

     Do you believe music is divine? Do you find/feel any spiritual connect while playing the tabla?

     Music is connected to divinity in India, and according to mythology Gods and Goddesses are the source of this art form. I have experienced a special connection with my music and my instrument during my practice sessions but it is very rare to repeat this connection in a big concert hall with many people, the concentration there is to enjoy the music in a joyous and fun way.

     What do you think the major attraction for 'rock' drummers for learning tabla & Indian music?

     I think the rock or jazz or any kind of western drummers enjoy the challenge of playing and improvising in odd rhythm cycles plus the fact that the rhythms can be spoken and reproduced the exactly the same way in Indian systems is a great attraction for them.

     Can you please tell us your personal opinion about how this art form has evolved over the years?

Indian classical music is now more accessible, Indian musicians have found a way to connect to their audiences and include them in the music being performed, more attention is being paid on presentation and stage craft, Indian musicians are now educated and more informed about the advent in sound systems and many digital devices that help them to enhance the projection ability of their instruments.

This concert is presented by National Bank and in association with the Small World Music Festival. An intimate evening of conversation with Mr. Hussain is also a feature presentation of the Small World Music Festival. The event takes place at the Small World Music Centre, 180 Shaw St. 8:00pm. Tickets: $100 and includes admission to Wednesday’s concert at the Flato Markham Theatre.

Later in the season, the Flato Markham Theatre will proudly welcome Sarod master Amjad Ali Kahn, another leading Indian musician. Amjad Ali Kahn will perform with his two sons, Amaan Ali Kahn and Ayaan Ali Kahn, on February 8, 2015. Amjad Ali Kahn impressed audiences with his last performance at the Theatre in 2013, and is a regular performer at prestigious concert halls across the world including Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall and the Kennedy Center.

Media partners for both of these performances are Asian Television Network, Update Weekly, and MyBindi.com.