Board Of Trustees
Zakir Hussain - 3rd Term
Zakir’s consistently brilliant performances have established him as a national treasure in his country, India, and gained him worldwide fame.
Zakir's contribution to world music has been unique, with many historic collaborations including Shakti, which he founded with John McLaughlin and L. Shankar, the Diga Rhythm Band, Making Music, Planet Drum with Mickey Hart, and recordings and performances with artists as diverse as George Harrison, Joe Henderson, Van Morrison, Jack Bruce, Tito Puente, Pharoah Sanders, Billy Cobham, the Hong Kong Symphony and the New Orleans Symphony.
A child prodigy, Zakir was touring by the age of twelve, the gifted son of his great father, tabla legend Ustad Alla Rakha. Zakir came to the United States in 1970, embarking on an international career which includes no fewer than 150 concert dates a year. He composed and recorded many albums and soundtracks, and has received widespread recognition. He has composed soundtracks for the films In Custody, Ismail Merchant's directorial debut, Little Buddha by Bernardo Bertolucci, for which Zakir also performed and acted as Indian music advisor and Vanaprastham, screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May, 1999.
Zakir has received many awards and world-wide recognition. His music and extraordinary contribution to the music world were honored in April, 2009, with four widely-heraldedand sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hallís Artist Perspective series.
In 2016, Zakir Hussain was invited by President Obama to the International Jazz Day 2016 All-Star Global Concert at the White House.