Tyran Grillo: How would you characterize yourself as a listener?
Zakir Hussain: Listening is one thing that most drummers do. It doesn’t matter whether you are in Indian music, jazz or classical. Drummers are supposed to know all the standards, all the breaks, so that they can interact at a moment’s notice. Indian tabla players are no different. We need to know the music to be better accompanists. So we are listeners. On tour, I’m constantly listening to the masters. When I was playing with Ravi Shankar, I would listen to his most recent albums, familiarizing myself with his temperament, his musicality and his improvising depth, to see what I could contribute when I got on stage. It was a form of respect, a way of letting him know that I was aware of what he’d done and that I was ready to give whatever he wanted.
Zakir Hussain (1951-2024) In Memoriam
Entrevista a Zakir Hussain realizada por Tyran Grillo en The Cornell Daily Sun en 2016. Fotografía tomada por Joan Cortès el 19 de Julio de 2022 en Carrières de Junas -Occitanie/France-, dentro de la programación del 29ème Jazz à Junas, como integrante del power trio formado por Dave Holland, Zakir Hussain & Chris Potter.
Texto: © Tyran Grillo, 2016
Fotografía: © Joan Cortès, 2024
