Review: TABLA MAESTRO ZAKIR HUSSAIN Pays Tribute To Shashi Kapoor

Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain who is known globally for his mastery over the craft of tabla last year on the occasion of 34th Memorial Concert at Prithvi Theatre, devised an extraordinary show. Titled Shukr-Guzaar, the show was a tribute to both Shashi & Jennifer Kapoor.

The show drew an immense response as the artist showed delightful visuals and music from their most loved movies. The show brought along a delightful presentation ranging from Satyajit Ray's composition of the title music in Shakespearewallah, to theme songs from their Merchant-Ivory collaborations to KalyanjiAnandji's infamous tracks from Jab Jab Phool Khile to cinematic scores from their very own Film-valas production. The effect was mesmerizing. So, this year, Prithvi Theatre decided to bring back the magic and memories once more on stage on February 28. The effect yet again was splendid. But that was not the only one-of-a-kind experience that Mumbai audiences had the pleasure of attending this past Spring weekend. On March 1, tabla star Zakir Hussain himself presented a show titled Ehteraam. This presentation featured Zakir Hussain (Tabla), Ganesh Rajagopalan (Violin), Kumaresh Rajagopalan (Violin) and Ranjit Barot (Drums)

Ustad Zakir Hussain's association with Prithvi goes a long way. Back in 1985, As part of the 2nd Prithvi Festival, Zakir Hussain and Pandit Shivkumar Sharma performed to an overpacked audience the 28th of February, Hearing the Santoor and Tabla played by such maestros, up close, in their acoustic purity, completely un-amplified was a rare and spellbinding experience. This is perhaps the only place left in the world where one can truly witness the traditional 'baithak' performance. Zakir Hussain has since then continued the tradition by not personally designing magical evenings of musical encounters annually on the 28th of February but also over the past 34 years, these evenings have included an amazing collection of legendary talent, and young aspiring musicians, both national and international, from genres ranging from classical, fusion, jazz to folk music.

The Ustads of music created an unforgettable melody to bring a sweet beginning to the season of spring.

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