Zakir Hussain & The Masters of Percussion

Thursday, March 27, 2014 | 8:00 pm

A classical tabla player of the highest order, Zakir Hussain’s scintillating performances have established him as a national treasure in India. He inherited this skill from a remarkable musical lineage: he is the son of iconic tabla player Ustad Allarakha, and heir to a family that has boasted master instrumentalists for many generations. Demonstrating a “virtuosity that is barely to be believed” (Washington Post), Hussain has become the world’s foremost ambassador of Indian classical music — the successor to his longtime collaborator Ravi Shankar.

Hussain returns to Duke Performances with the Masters of Percussion, his hand-picked ensemble of the finest musicians from across the Indian classical tradition. Featuring sitarist Niladri Kumar, sarangi player Dilshad Khan, and led by Hussain, this exceptional ensemble performs in a venue suitable to their musical pedigree: the world-class Durham Performing Arts Center.

THE MASTERS OF PERCUSSION
Zakir Hussain, tabla
Deepak Bhatt, dhol
Vijay S. Chavan, dholki
Dilshad Khan, sarangi
Niladri Kumar, sitar
Antonia Minnecola, kathak dancer
V. Selvaganesh, kanjira & ghatham
Steve Smith, drums