Hussain taps way to stardom

Described as "the Mozart of his instrument", Zakir Hussain has impressed musicians and audiences alike.

When ex-Beatle George Harrison wanted to evoke the mysteries of spiritualism with rock music he turned to Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain. Jazz guitar maestro John McLaughlin relied on Hussain for his pioneering jazz fusion group Shakti, as has legendary sitarist Ravi Shankar for many concerts.

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Mastering a percussion instrument once relegated to the back of the stage, Hussain has given a new voice to tablas in both Indian classical and Western music. He has helped popularize world music, which synthesizes elements from different cultures, and in doing so has become the world's best-known tabla player.

"He's certainly the Mozart of his instrument," said Mickey Hart, the Grateful Dead drummer who has worked with Hussain.

What impresses musicians and audiences alike is to see a man seated on the floor tap fingers on the animal-skin surfaces of two tablas, one of cylinder-shaped wood, the other of slightly rounded metal, to create a frenetic driving rhythm.

"He astonished me with his playing the very first time we played, and 35 years later, he still amazes me," McLaughlin told Reuters. "Zakir has some really special kind of blessings from the gods."

Playing can be painful and has often bloodied his hands, as when a fingernail cracks. "It's painful because the more you play, the more than nail digs in," Hussain said.

Practice before dawn

Hussain started studying tabla under his prominent father, Alla Rakha, who often performed with Shankar. Hussain, 54, whose black hair and facial features remind some of rock guitarist Jimmy Page, says his father woke him at 2:30 or 3 a.m. for his lessons at home in Mumbai, India.