Tabla: The Zakir Hussain Way

As one of the world’s greatest tabla players, Zakir Hussain has been in demand as a session musician for decades. And he hasn’t limited himself to the classical music for which his instrument is most famous; he has played on countless movie soundtracks and with jazz and world musicians all over the globe. This album provides a great introduction to his artistry in the classical style: he performs three common talas, or rhythmic patterns, with extended elaborations. As a pure listening experience this may not be an ideal recording, but it makes a great resource for those who want to get a sense of how the tabla works and of the general rhythmic structure of classical Indian music.