Rakesh Chaurasia: 'Zakir Bhai loved cricket'

'Zakir bhaiBela, Edgar and I would As we speak global concert series to India in January-February 2025.”
“It would have been our first tour of India after our Grammy win and we were so looking forward to it.”
“But now, without him, we're all devastated.”

IMAGE: Tabla Maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain, left, and flautist Rakesh Chaurasia during one of their performances. All photos: Courtesy of Rakesh Chaurasia

Earlier this year we spoke to a flutist Rakesh ChaurasiaPandit Hariprasad Chaurasia's cousin and protégé, who had just won two Grammys – Best Contemporary Instrumental Album with Ustad Zakir Hussain, Edgar Mayer and Bela Fleck for As we speakand for Pashto which was named Best Global Music Performance. He was understandably elated.

“Receiving the Grammy alone for an album you composed is one thing, but being on the same stage and receiving it with Ustad Zakir Hussain and Edgar Mayer, who have won five awards each, made it very special. I will always cherish the fact that I received the first major award of my life, actually two, in the company of legends for an incredible collaboration,” he had claimed (Rediff.comFebruary 13, 2022).

Ten months later, we came in contact with a more subdued Rakesh Chaurasia, who was mourning the loss of his mentor. Ustad Zakir Hussain, 73, died on December 16 in San Francisco. In his latest post on social media, the tabla maestro had shared a photo of trees turning autumn gold with the caption: 'Just sharing a moment of wonder'.

Rakesh Chaurasia shares his wonder moments with his Zakir bhai and tells Rediff.com Senior Contributor, Roshmila Bhattacharya“What made him special was that he wasn't just focused on the… tablaWhen he played with musicians like us, who practiced different instruments, he worked 100 percent with us and figured out ways to make our music more beautiful.”

Part 1 of the two-part interview you must read

The untimely death of Ustad Zakir Hussian, so soon after the Grammy win, came as a huge shock. People all over the world are devastated.

Yes, and the reason for this is that he was among the rare artists who are famous not only in India but even more so abroad.

Zakir bhai had played with several legendary Indian musicians such as Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Babuji (flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia).

He also collaborated with Western greats such as Yo-Yo Ma, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, George Harrison and John McLaughlin among many others.

Wherever he played, be it Australia, New Zealand, USA, Europe or India, everyone embraced him as one of their own.

His music was a gift from God and blessing from the old man (the blessings of elders).

With his body language and positive appearance, the way he played, spoke and joked, he was able to attract even people who were not musically inclined, with the result that his audience grew every year.

When he performed, those who loved classical music were enraptured, but even those who didn't understand it were hooked.

His death is a great loss for music.

IMAGE: Ustad Zakir Hussain and Rakesh Chaurasia.

Yes, he was called the 'God of Tabla'…

(Interrupts) I would say he was the 'God of music'.

Yes, as far as tabla is concerned, even alphabetically, it is 'A' for Alla Rakha, his father, and Z for Zakir Hussain.

But what made him special was that he wasn't just focused on the tabla. When he played with musicians like us, who practiced different instruments, he worked 100 percent with us and figured out ways for us to make our music. more beautiful.

He always said, “It's not just about you and me, it's about us.”

When people remember the evening, they should not think of anyone in particular, but of all of us.

Music ke bhandaar the wow (He was the treasury of music), if I couldn't remember something in particular band-like from Babuji all I had to do was ask Zakir bhai and he would not only remember but also tell me how Kishore Amonkarji had sung it.

He had the memory of an elephant.

Real?

Yes, he could meet you after 10 years and still call you by your name.

He loved watching old Hindi films, he said night (night) is perfect for enjoying black and white classics.

In the morning he sang songs from these films.

IMAGE: Ustad Zakir Hussain and Rakesh Chaurasia.

Did he have any other interests besides music?

He loved to read and read a lot on the plane.

And he loved cricket.

(Grinning) Whenever there was a match, he would watch his laptop all night with Kishori Amonkarji singing on the side.

His passing so soon is a huge personal loss, thanks to Zakir bhai I won two Grammy Awards this year.

I happened to be with him at the time, on US tour, and he told Bela (American banjo player Bela Fleck) and Edgar (American bassist and composer Edgar Meyers) with whom he had planned a rehearsal: “Let's try this guy.”

They weren't sure if the flute would suit their type of music, but he picked me up at my hotel and our first taster session was at his house in San Francisco.

We jammed together for hours and luckily they liked the sound of the flute and the way I played it, they thought we could do something good together.

That's how I came on board As we speak was invented.

The album was recorded live, nominated for and won the Grammy the same year.

IMAGE: Ustad Zakir Hussain and Rakesh Chaurasia spend time together.

What was your reaction to your first Grammy nomination?

I was understandably excited, Zakir bhai was the first to tell Edgar, Bela and me the news.

We were touring the US at the time and traveling to different cities in a luxury bus.

If you give 20 concerts in 22 days, you would rather have your own transportation than take a flight, because sometimes your instruments don't get to the airport on time and you get stuck.

We were in Texas when the California nominations were announced and because of the time difference we were sleeping.

But it was daytime in India and the news spread like wildfire.

Around 6 o'clock, when we were drinking coffee on the bus, Zakir bhai admitted that he hadn't slept much due to all the congratulations and text messages coming in from family, friends and fans.

(Laugh) Even my phone was pinging like crazy when I turned it on.

And what was his reaction to the Grammy win?

He was very happy, especially for me, because this was my first Grammy win, and a double whammy.

He had once asked me if I had been honored in India with a prestigious award such as the Padma Shri.

I had shaken my head and said ruefully, “Not yet.”

After the Grammy win, he beamed: “You've won the world's highest music award, happy now? You need to give us a party.”

After the ceremony was over, the four of us, along with our manager, went to a restaurant for a candlelight dinner.

IMAGE: The duo during a performance.

Was Zakir Hussain a foodie?

He enjoyed trying different cuisines.

Having traveled extensively around the world, he knew a lot about the local cuisines of different countries.

But while he was on tour, he still asked me to do a quick Google check and pick the best eateries where we could go to try something new and local.

(Chuckles) If it was a disappointing meal, we'd run to an Indian restaurant for tried and tested mutton and chicken dishes.

He liked it too Baigan (eggplant curry) and we would always end with the biryani.

And dessert?

(Laughs) He took a small piece of something sweet and then pushed the rest of the dessert towards me, saying, “Your name is written on it (Your name is written on it).”

IMAGE: Rakesh Chaurasia attends an event with Ustad Zakir Hussain.

You released an album with him earlier in 2022.

Yes, ZaRanamed after both of us.

Za was for Zakir and Ra was for Rakesh.

He loved the name because, by a happy coincidence, his granddaughter is also named Zara and he shared a wonderful bond with her.

After playing with him for several years in different formats, I wanted to make an album with him, to see us both together, on the cover of a CD.

I quietly had our engineer record one of our live concerts and play the recording for him.

He smiled and said with a twinkle, “You're playing well, I'm fine, okay.”

I then shared my dream with him, telling him that if he liked the recording and had no objections to it, I wanted to release it as an album.

Zakir bhai immediately agreed to it, but asked me if he could release it under his label.

What's bigger than that!

Moment Records was founded by him in 1991 to record and present great moments from performances of Indian classical music and contemporary world music.

All the albums it has released are live recordings, which is why the label is called Moment Records, capturing the moment for posterity.

ZaRa was released on September 25, 2022.

I find it hard to believe he is no longer with us.

IMAGE: The duo has fun moments.

Was he sick?

There was a problem with his lungsbut I never thought it would get this serious.

He gave concerts and took holidays in between…

When was the last time you met him?

We played together at the Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai, sometime in July and August.

So we were going to tour the US, Zakir bhaiBela, Edgar and I would As we speak global concert series to India in January-February 2025.

It would have been our first tour of India after our Grammy win and we were looking forward to it so much, but now, without him, we are all devastated.

Main presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com