Sunday, March 31, 2019, 7pm Zellerbach hall Zakir Hussain’s Masters of Percussion
featuring Zakir hussain, tabla niladri Kumar, sitar eric harland, drums Mattanur Sankarankutty Marar and the Drummers of Kerala
Tonight’s concert will be performed without an intermission and will last approximately 90 minutes.
Cal Performances’ 2018 –19 season is sponsored by Wells Fargo.
20 PLAYBILL ABOUT THE ARTISTS
rumming crosses cultures and unites cluding the Padma Bhushan and a national all peoples in the dance of the heart. heritage Fellowship, as well as being named an DZakir hussain is both the acknowl - Officier in France’s order of arts and Letters. edged master tabla player of that most sophis - in 2015 he was voted Best Percussionist in both ticated of the world’s musical heritages—the the D own beat critics’ Poll and M odern Drum - classical north indian—and also a student of mer’ s readers’ Poll. an astonishing array of percussion traditions. as an educator, hussain conducts many Zakir Hussain’s Masters of Percussion , an workshops and lectures each year, has been in outgrowth of his duet tours with his late father, residence at Princeton University and Stanford the legendary Ustad allarakha, began making University, and, in 2015, was appointed regents bien nial appearances in 1996 to provide a plat - Lecturer at Uc Berkeley. he is the founder and form for rarely heard rhythm traditions from president of Moment! records, an independent india. over time, the ensemble has expanded record label presenting rare live concert record- to include great drummers and percussionists ings of indian classical music and world music. from many world music traditions, as well as hussain was a resident artistic director at the the occasional stringed instrument. is year SFJazz center from 2013 until 2016, and re- the ensemble honors a very special anniversary, ceived their Lifetime achievement award in the centennial year of allarakha’s birth. 2017 in recognition of his “unparalleled contri- bution to the world of music.” Zakir Hussain (tabla ) is the pre-eminent clas - sical tabla virtuoso of our time. considered a Niladri Kumar (sitar) , a national treasure in his native india, he is one renowned, fifth-generation of the world’s most esteemed and influential sitar player, is an uncon- musicians, renowned for his genre-defying ventional and rare instru- collaborations. mentalist, honing a unique widely considered a chief architect of the repertoire and deep under- contemporary world-music movement, hus - standing of traditional and sain’s artistic contributions have been unique, classical styles on the sitar while at the same with historic and groundbreaking partnerships time reaching out to new and younger audi- including the Masters of Percussion, Shakti, ences. always interested in the latest musical remember Shakti, the Diga rhythm Band, trends, he has redefined t he way audiences view Planet Drum, tabla Beat Science, Sangam with indian classical music t hrough the invention of charles Lloyd and eric harland, in trio with his own instrument, an electric s itar that he has Bela Fleck and edgar Meyer, and most recently, called the z itar. with herbie hancock. the foremost disciple of Kumar first gained an in-depth and pro- his father, Ustad allarakha, hussain was a child found understanding of indian classical music prodigy who began his professional career at under the guidance and training of his father the age of 12, and was touring internationally and guru, Pandit Kartick Kumar. t he z itar has by the age of 18. allowed him to reach a wider audience, bridg- as a composer, he has scored music for nu - ing the “age un-gap,” as he calls it, where indi- merous feature films, major events, and pro - viduals from all walks of life can find a place in ductions. he has composed three concertos, his music that they can call their own. through the most recent being the first-ever concerto for these various efforts, he has emerged as one of tabla and orchestra; it was premiered in india the world’s most accomplished sitar and zitar in 2015, in europe and the UK in 2016, and in masters. the United States in 2017, with the national Kumar has received numerous awards and Symphony orchestra at Ken nedy center. a released more than 10 albums. in addition, he multiple Grammy winner, hussain is the recip - has contributed immensely to the indian film ient of countless other awards and honors, in - industry.
21 ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Eric Harland is one of the most sought-aer drum - mers of his generation, pri - marily but not exclusively in the world of jazz. he has worked on more than 400 recordings and film scores, and has shared the stage with masters includ - ing Betty carter, Joe henderson, Mccoy tyner, Michael Brecker, terence Blanchard, Branford and wynton Marsalis, wayne Shorter, Savion Mattanur Sankarankutty Marar and the Glover, and the SF Jazz collective. harland has Drum mers of Kerala. in the indian tradition, also played with virtually all the current rising Mattanur’s first teacher was his father, and from stars, including esperanza Spalding, Jane Mon - an early age he began his studies of thayambaka , heit, taylor eigsti, Julian Lage, Stacie orrico, a call-and-response style of drumming using and robert Glasper. he currently plays in the South indian chenda , a cylindrical percus - groups including James Farm with Joshua sion instrument. is art form is oen associ - red man; Prism with Dave holland and Kevin ated with the story-play style of Kathakali, a eubanks; Sangam with charles Lloyd and Zakir classical South indian dance form. eventually, hussain; the overtone with Dave holland, Mattanur was assigned the role of “Mela Pra - Jason Moran, and chris Potter; and his own mani,” which he performed in temple festivals Voyager . outside jazz, harland has collaborated across Southern india. he has collaborated with with Les claypool’s Primus, John Mayer, Mari - such greats as Ustad allarakha and Pad mashri ah carey, Steve Miller, and Spike Lee. he was a Umayalpuram Sivaraman, and was awarded the resident artistic director at the SF Jazz center Padma Shri by the President of india in 2009. for the 2014 –16 seasons and the artist-in-resi - e Drum mers of Kerala include Mattanur’s dence at the 2014 Monterey Jazz Festival. sons V. M. Sreekanth and V. M. Sreeraj , and aer his extensive travels, harland has come their fellow Keralan Vellinezhi Anand . all to realize that “the deepest secret is that life is three have progressed through intense training not a process of discovery, but a process of cre - in thayambaka and temple rituals, and have ation.” at depth of understanding makes him played with outstanding indian artists includ - a perfect member of the Masters of Percussion. ing vocalist hariharan, both in india and all over the world.
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