Tabla Maestro Zakir Hussain Wins Big at the Grammys. Fusion Band Shakti Bags Best Global Music Award
- Hussain also won for awards for Global Music Performance and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album with flautist Rakesh Chaurasia, banjo player Béla Fleck and bassist and composer Edgar Meyer.
It was a big night for Zakir Hussain at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles yesterday, as the tabla maestro won three awards. Along with Indian flutist Rakesh Chaurasia, banjo player Béla Fleck, and bassist and composer Edgar Meyer, he won the Best Global Music Performance award for “Pashto.” They also won the award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for “As We Speak,” and were nominated for Best Instrumental Composition for “Motion.”
“Pashto” beat “Abundance of Millets,” by Indian American singer Falguni Shah and her husband, singer Gaurav Shah. The song included snippets of speech written and delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Fusion band Shakti — comprising Hussain, vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, guitarist John McLaughlin, percussionist V. Selvaganesh, and violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan – won the award for Best Global Music for the album “This Moment,” their first studio release in 46 years. They play acoustic fusion music which combines Indian music with elements of jazz.
“Thank you, boys. Thank you, God, family, friends, and India. We are proud of you India,” Mahadevan said in the group’s award acceptance speech. “Last but not least, I would like to dedicate this award to my wife. Every note of my music is dedicated to you.” Chausaria said the award was “really a proud moment … winning two Grammy Awards for my country.”
McLaughlin was absent from the awards ceremony, Time reported, adding that Hussain did not appear on stage with Shakti again, “after nabbing another win earlier in the night for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.”
This is the third time Hussain won a Grammy. He won in 1992 for “Planet Drum” in the World Music Album category. In 2009, he won for a collaborative album named “Global Drum Project,” along with Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, Nigerian percussionist Sikiri Adepoju and Puerto Rican percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo. He has been nominated for a Grammy on three other occasions.
According to Time magazine, Shakti, once named “Turiyananda Sangit,” was originally founded by McLaughlin, Hussain, and percussionist Vikku Vinayakram in 1973. They were soon joined by violinist L. Shankar and the late mridangam maestro Ramnad Raghavan. The five released three albums before disbanding in 1977, the magazine said. “The band briefly launched a spinoff in 1997 called ‘Remember Shakti’ and would regroup in 2020 with McLaughlin, Hussain, vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, percussionist V. Selvaganesh, and violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan.”
Very witty and topical Amul ad (as always): Shankar Mahadevan, Zakir Hussain, V Selvaganesh, and Ganesh Rajagopalan of the band "Shakti", in an Amul ad. They won the "Global Music Album" Grammy for their album "This Moment". pic.twitter.com/tXOWbBdxdg
— Gaurav Dalmia (@gdalmiathinks) February 5, 2024
Meanwhile, singer-songwriter Chloe Bailey was seen in a gown designed by Indian couturier Gaurav Gupta. “She paired the copper-hued creation with intricate cut-out detailing with sleek Jimmy Choo shoes and minimal accessories,” as reported by BNN Breaking.
(Top photo, courtesy Twitter/X)