Ustad Zakir Hussain held Kerala’s traditional percussion culture in high esteem, says veteran percussionist Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar

Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar reminisces his deep bond with tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, highlighting their fusion performances and personal connection.

“Zakirji had huge respect for Kerala and its traditional percussion instrument chenda,” recalls veteran Kerala percussionist Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar as memories of his long-standing association with the tabla maestro Zakir Hussain come rushing in.

“Our relationship had bloomed on the sets of the Malayalam movie Vanaprastham (1999) directed by the renowned filmmaker Shaji N. Karun. Zakirji, who had scored music for the movie, had told the director that he would like to see me perform thayambaka, a solo recital on chenda,” recalls Mattannur, as the percussionist is popularly known, as the world mourned the death of the legendary classical musician in the U.S. on December 16 morning.

The seeds of a future artistic collaboration were sown at the location of Vanaprastham in Thiruvananthapuram as he performed thayambaka for nearly one hour. “He recorded my entire performance. I could never forget that interaction with one of the greatest classical musicians of our times,” Mr. Marar tells The Hindu.

Their fusion performance on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Mumbai-based cultural organisation Keli at Peruvanam village in Thrissur on February 19, 2019 remains fresh in his memory.

“I had joined him along with my team after his outstanding solo performance and it was magical to see him trying to bring the beats of chenda on the tabla. Later, many percussion lovers had told me that the influence of thayambaka was reflected towards the end of his solo performances at various venues, showing his love for Kerala’s rich percussion culture,” he says.

Their personal relationship hit the zenith when Ustad Zakir Hussain asked Mr. Marar and his sons to join him for a month-long performance in the United States in 2019 as part of the 100th birth anniversary of his father Ustad Alla Rakha. “We performed at nearly 19 venues from Los Angeles to New York and it was an artistic treat to watch the legend in close quarters. I also had the opportunity to share Kerala cuisine with him after he was taken aback by the love of Keralites in the U.S. who used to serve us Kerala cuisine during our trip,” he recollects.