In Indian mythology, Triveni is the meeting point of three sacred rivers. Hussain assembled the trio for a US tour in 2022, fascinated not only by the prospect of combining Hindustani and Carnatic traditions, but marrying the sound of a Western stringed instrument with an ancient fretted Indian instrument, both played by virtuoso artists. “I wanted to see how Kala and Jayanthi could come together and co-exist on stage, in a very seamless and fluid way,” Hussain explains.
Zakir Hussain has collaborated with musicians across genres. Credit: Paul Joseph
Despite the technical challenges of marrying the two traditions and instruments, the players soon found they were able to interact with one another in a way that felt “incredibly comfortable and relaxed”. And over the course of the tour, they developed the shared understanding and affection Hussain says is essential to any musical partnership.
“Without that kind of camaraderie, the music doesn’t reveal itself in all its glory. The soul has to be awakened into the music. If your hearts don’t meet and connect with one another, the music doesn’t have that flavour, that ecstasy that audiences can latch onto and enjoy.”
Hussain has been a lifelong musical adventurer, collaborating not just with celebrated Indian artists but with high-profile musicians from vastly different genres. His association with jazz guitarist John McLaughlin (in the recently-revived group Shakti) now spans half a century, as does his musical alliance with ex-Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.
In the ’70s he also recorded with George Harrison, who persuaded Hussain not to trade his tablas for a drum kit in the search for stardom. In recent decades, he’s written numerous film scores, performed at the White House and worked with artists as varied as Bill Laswell, Bela Fleck, Charles Lloyd and Herbie Hancock.
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Hussain refers to many of these musicians as “legends” that he’s been blessed to work alongside. Yet he’s quick to deflect such monikers when they’re applied to him, though he is revered around the world and has countless awards and honours to his name. “The spotlight is there for a few seconds; your moment in the sun is just that. There’s always somebody who’s going to take over from you,” he says.
“My father [the late Alla Rakha, also a celebrated tabla player] always used to tell me: ‘Son, don’t try to be a master. Just try to be a good student, and you will get by just fine.’ Learning is a process that keeps going. How can I call myself great and perfect, when I know that I’m going to listen back to my concert from last night and find a hundred things wrong with it? From the day we come into this world until the day we leave, we are students; we are learning. And so to call ourselves masters … It’s a futile ladder to be on because from there, the only path is down.”
Triveni performs at Robert Blackwood Hall, Monash University, on July 5 and at Sydney Opera House on July 7.
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