The world remembers Ustad Alla Rakha Qureshi as the tabla legend who put the instrument on the world map. The late maestro was also the first tabla player to have presented a solo recital on All India Radio in 1940
Ustad Alla Rakha started his career as an accompanist in Lahore before moving to Mumbai. Pic Courtesy/ Rajni Pradhan
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The world remembers Ustad Alla Rakha Qureshi as the tabla legend who put the instrument on the world map. The late maestro was also the first tabla player to have presented a solo recital on All India Radio in 1940. "His universe revolved around the instrument and compositions but whenever he had time, he would catch episodes of Hawaii 5-0 — an American television serial on a police squad investigating a criminal case — and watch us play cricket in the backyard of our building at Nepean Sea Road," reminisces Fazal Qureshi, his younger son who will be performing at a tribute concert with a few musicians on his father's 98th birth anniversary tonight. He often accompanied Allaâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Rakha to the US for shows.
Ustad Alla Rakha at the Taj Mahal in Agra; Taufiq Qureshi (second from left), Fazalâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Qureshi on his lap and Ustad Zakirâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Hussain (standing)
Ustad Zakir Hussain, Alla Rakha's eldest son, is 10 years older than Fazal, and Taufiq (Qureshi) is the youngest. "Zakir bhai was a father figure. Whenever the ball used to disappear while playing cricket, he would flip out his wallet and give us money to buy a new one," recalls Fazal, who mastered the tabla from the stalwarts. Their mother, Bavi Begum, never wanted the children to become musicians. "But the atmosphere at home didn't leave us with a choice. Abbaji would come back from his tours and ask us to replay what he taught before leaving," he shares.
Ustad Alla Rakha with Pandit Raviâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Shankar at a concert
Alla Rakha's dedication towards his students made him a loved figure. He started Ustad Alla Rakha Institute of Music at Shivaji Park in 1985. "Abbaji never wanted to miss the class, whether it rained heavily or he didn't feel well on a given day," says Fazal. Alla Rakha believed in intermingling genres. Mickey Hart, the drummer of Grateful Dead, was one of his disciples. "Hart would record my father's compositions," adds Fazal. The maestro also released an album called Rich à la Rakha with Jazz drummer Buddy Rich in 1968.
Fazal Qureshi
The full line-up of the concert includes Purbayan Chatterjee (sitar), Sanjay Divecha (guitar), Gino Banks (drums), Sheldon D'Silva (bass), Samantha Edwards (vocals), Sridar Parthasarathy (mridangam) and a guest appearance by Louis Banks (keyboards).
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