By Mabel Pais

Experience the richness, depth and joy of Indian classical music with Zakir Hussain, Sabir Khan and Debopriya Chatterjee performing at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) on April 13, 2024 at 3 PM and 7:30 PM, Victoria Theater.

ZAKIR HUSSAIN

Zakir became the first musician from India to receive 3 Grammys at one time at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024, for Best Global Music Album, Best Global Music Performance and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.

‘The London Telegraph’ calls him “the presiding genius and global ambassador for North Indian classical music.” GRAMMY® winning tabla drummer Zakir Hussain first entered the western world’s consciousness in the ‘70s with his collaborations with George Harrison, John Handy, Van Morrison and Earth, Wind & Fire. He’s lauded for his group ‘Shakti,’ which he founded with John McLaughlin and L. Shankar, and for ‘Planet Drum’ with Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead.

The pre-eminent classical tabla virtuoso of our time, Zakir Hussain is appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the music world at large as an international phenomenon and one of the world’s most esteemed and influential musicians. The foremost disciple of his father, the legendary Ustad Allarakha, Zakir was a child prodigy who began his professional career at the age of twelve, accompanying India’s greatest classical musicians and dancers and touring internationally with great success by the age of eighteen. His brilliant accompaniment, solo performance and genre-defying collaborations, including his pioneering work to develop a dialogue between North and South Indian musicians, have elevated the status of his instrument both in India and globally, bringing the tabla into a new dimension of renown and appreciation.

Widely considered a chief architect of the contemporary world music movement, Zakir’s contribution has been unique, with many historic and groundbreaking collaborations, including Shakti, Remember Shakti, Masters of Percussion, Planet Drum and Global Drum Project with Mickey Hart, Tabla Beat Science, Sangam with Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland, CrossCurrents with Dave Holland and Chris Potter, in trio with Béla Fleck and Edgar Meyer, and, most recently, with Herbie Hancock.

As an educator, he conducts many workshops and lectures each year, has been in residence at Princeton University and Stanford University, and, in 2015, was appointed Regents Lecturer at UCBerkeley. His yearly workshop in the San Francisco Bay Area, conducted for the past 30 years, has become a widely anticipated event for performers and serious students of tabla. He is the founder and president of ‘Moment Records,’ an independent record label presenting rare live concert recordings of Indian classical music and world music. Zakir was resident artistic director at SFJazz from 2013 until 2016, and was honored with SF Jazz’s Lifetime Achievement Award on January 18, 2017, in recognition of his “unparalleled contribution to the world of music”. Learn more at zakirhussain.com.

SABIR KHAN

Khan is known today for his mastery of sarangi. His technique of playing is a rare combination of sur and laya (note and rhythm).

He has played in feature films including ‘Chameli,’ ‘Rog,’ ‘Dor,’ ‘Anwar’ ‘Sanwariya,’ ‘Chodon na yaar,’ ‘Jodha Akbar’ and Faisal Saif’s ‘Amma,’ – a multilingual film. Faisal Saif’s ‘Amma,’ a multilingual film. He was part of A.R. Rehman and Shreya Ghosal’s episode for ‘MTV Unplugged.’

Khan was born in Jodhpur. He had been exposed to music when he was six years old through his grandfather Ustad Gulab Khan. Sabir Khan follows in his family’s footsteps as a tenth generation sarangi player. In addition to performing the traditional South Asian stringed instrument, he’s a composer and songwriter whose music appears in TV and film. He tours the world and recently started a record label.

Khan performs with his father, sarangi player & vocalist Padma Bhushan Ustad Sultan Khan in concert, and also solo. He has performed alongside artists such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pt. Kumar Bose, and Pt. Anindo Chatterjee. He has also played with ghazal maestro Ustad Gulam Ali, Talat Aziz, Asha Bhosle and The Hazards at a terrace gig near Citi Centre. He recently played on the album of Lata Mangeshkar.

DEBOPRIYA CHATTERJEE

Award-winning bansuri player Debopriya Chatterjee is one of the few women flutists in the Hindustani classical tradition. She is one of a pair of the famous “Flute Sisters” along with her sister, Suchismita. She is also the lead flutist in the all-female classical music band, ‘Sakhi.’

Debopriya has chosen ‘flute’ as her way of life. After acquiring thorough training in classical music, both Indian and Western, she is poised to present her art to connoisseurs. She accompanies her guru, Padmavibhushan Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia on stage in India and on the global stage. For her unflinching dedication and excellence in her art, she has been bestowed with coveted awards like Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar from Sangeet Natak Akademi, the title of Surmani and the Sahara Excellence Award to name a few. Learn more at flutesisters.com.

TICKETS

Tickets for the concert can be purchased by visiting NJPAC.org, the NJPAC Box Office or calling 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722).

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)

Follow NJPAC Online:

Website:      njpac.org or 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722)

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Follow NJPAC’s Standing in Solidarity Series Online:

Website:     njpac.org/takeastand

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Youtube:       Standing in Solidarity playlist

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, Education, Cuisine, Health & Wellness, and Business)