Hussain:: A Life in Music Hardcover – 9 Jan. 2018

This is a lovely book with great photographs and I am looking forward to reading it.It looks like it will be as inspiring as the talk by Zakir Hussain that I attended in London in 2003!Poignantly, it arrived on the very day that his death was announced on the news.One of the greatest musicians of our lifetime; he will be much missed.

I’ve been following Indian classical music for over two decades. I’ve read endlessly about masters, past and present, spoke to some and heard stories from instrument makers about others and their legends. I’m not suggesting I’m an authority on classical music or musicians but this book missed an opportunity to provide an insight into the life and times of a musician who changed the way Indian drummers approach rhythm.Hussain has played to the largest crowds across the world, accompanied the greatest musicians across generations, but rather than get into the heart of his experiences and life, you have paragraphs dedicated to sound engineers Hussain thinks are important. Why anyone would care about the quality of a sound engineer when Hussain studied with Thirakwa Khansaab is beyond me.Personally, I’d have preferred to read more about his experiences: whether he was nervous when performing at the Carnegie Hall with Ali Akbar Khan, Ravi Shankar and his father Allah Rakha Khan, what the stand out concerts were from the 150 odd he does each year, whether there is anything he wishes he learnt from his father he was unable to. There are so many areas this book could’ve explored but was unable to.Ultimately, this biography only scratches the surface, leaving an engaged reader underwhelmed.