#edgar meyer

Tabla Virtuoso Zakir Hussain Dies at 73

- “His remarkable contributions to the world of music will always be remembered and celebrated,” Indian government says

Zakir Hussain, the Indian tabla virtuoso who defied genre and helped popularize world music, has died at 73.

Hussain died Dec. 15 at a hospital in San Francisco where he had been receiving treatment for a lung disorder, according to various media reports. The Indian Ministry of Information & Broadcasting confirmed the news.

“The world bids farewell to the tabla legend, Ustad Zakir Hussain,” the ministry said in a statement. “His remarkable contributions to the world of music will always be remembered and celebrated.”

A tireless champion of the music of his home country, Hussain was also a prominent figure in Western music, appearing on albums by George Harrison, Van Morrison, Earth, Wind & Fire and others. He recently collaborated on separate projects with Béla Fleck and Edgar Meyer and former Santana drummer Michael Shrieve, who called Hussain “one of the kindest, most generous people I have ever known.”

“What sad and shocking news,” Shrieve said.

Hussain also had a long-running partnership with former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, spanning from 1972’s Rolling Thunder to their collaborations in Planet Drum and the Global Drum Project.

“Ustad Zakir Hussain’s rhythms will echo in our hearts forever, but today, the silence is unbearable,” singer Salim Merchant said.

Review by Matt Collar

Source: allmusic.com

Virtuoso bassists Christian McBride and Edgar Meyer offer a series of playful and artfully delivered duets on 2024's But Who's Gonna Play the Melody? While both McBride and Meyer are acclaimed in their own right and largely considered two of the best, if not the best bassists of their generation, they come to improvisational music from slightly different perspectives. A jazz star from a young age, McBride is steeped in the acoustic post-bop, R&B, and funk traditions with a strong classical technique underpinning his work. Conversely, Meyer, who teaches at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, is largely known for playing classical and progressive bluegrass music with a strong harmonic and improvisational jazz sensibility informing his work. They do, however, share a common connection: both were mentored by legendary jazz bassist Ray Brown. It was Brown who first introduced the two prior to his passing in 2002, just a few years before they first shared a concert stage at a 2007 performance in Colorado as part of the non-profit Jazz Aspen Snowmass. Recorded at Ingram Hall at Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music, But Who's Gonna Play the Melody? finds them building upon that initial performance, tackling a mix of originals and covers. There's a warm camaraderie, balanced with just a hint of wry competition at play in these duets. There's also a deep appreciation of the blues throughout the album, as on the opening Meyer original "Green Slime," where McBride lays down a chunky, funk-like groove over which Meyer dances with zippy bowed asides before they switch roles. From there, they dive into the twangy "Barnyard Disturbance," a bluegrass-inflected number in which they trade soulful, vocal-sounding lines. Elsewhere, they offer engaging readings of standards, including the Miles Davis-associated modal jazz classic "Solar" and the ballad "Days of Wine and Roses." Interestingly, they also take turns playing piano on several tunes, as on "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" where Meyer offers a spare accompaniment to McBride's lyrical melody. Similarly, McBride takes to the keys for his chamber ballad "Lullaby for a Ladybug," spotlighting Meyer's languorous bowed technique. Certainly, the choice to accompany each other on piano works to highlight their distinctive bass styles. Thankfully, although they both play with big, woody tones, it's never too hard to tell them apart. Despite the wry humor implied by the album title, McBride and Meyer infuse every note of But Who's Gonna Play the Melody? with their own distinctive style, as if they were singing through their strings.

Bela Fleck , Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer with Rakesh Chaurasia

These are the best things I read, watched, and listened to over the past week. Feel free to chat with me about my picks!

Book: The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) by Brandon Sanderson (Overall, I didn't like it as much as the first one, but the ending did get me excited to read the third book.)

Movie or TV Show: WandaVision (I finally started watching it, and I enjoy the creativity.)

Song: "Butterfly’s Day Out" performed by Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Mark O'Connor

Happy 60th birthday, Barack Obama! Here's hoping your next trip to Politics and Prose Bookstore is as fruitful as this one was back in 2014. (Quality CD display.)