If you've never seen Zakir Hussain, (or Mickey Hart for that matter) you need to see this. When Zakir revs it up for an extended solo his arms are literally a whirling blurr in front of him -- and while doing that he sits perfectly still except for minor adjustments for positioning, and never, never even breaks a sweat. It is truly unbelievable to watch as well as listen to. You'd think there were 3 drummers playing
They'll be here on 9/23 (Boulder., that is) and I've got my tix already.
Zakir's long-time student, Ty Burhoe, lives in the area so we usually get to see Zakir at least once a year here, and as much as I enjoy the North Indian classical music, it's also great when he "lets his hair down", as he did a few years ago with another of his old buddies, John McLaughlin in a Shakti reunion. That and Paco De Lucia are probably the two best concerts I've ever seen, and that's saying something.
Also, if you know Ty, he did an album many years ago with Miguel Espinoca (from Denver), Kai Eckhardt, and Bela Fleck, called Curandero. That album has been out of print for a while, but is being remastered and will be re-released under Ty's new label, Tala Records. Unfortunately I couldn't talk him into releasing it in vinyl.
-- Jim