The Ustad is back. Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain recently announced that he will be touring five Indian cities alongwith fellow artists percussionists Sivamani and Selvaganesh, vocalist Shankar Mahadevan and mandolin star U Sriniwas. The concerts this time promise to highlight each artist's distinctive traditional sounds and rhythms and some innovative music. But the artist's quick to point out that it's not only about fusion music. Zakirbhai quips, "The word fusion makes it sound like we are sitting in a laboratory mixing chemicals. We are only experimenting with different styles of music here. Our music is rooted in traditional classical formats but we are presenting it in a contemporary format." <img alt="" src="/imagedata/2009/dec/Ustad.jpg" border="3" /> The maestro feels that fusion is a misunderstood word these days. "I thinku00a0 Amir Khusro also did fusion. The Siddhis, who are descendants of an African tribe, are fusion artists. Shankar Jaikishen, Laxmikant Pyarelal, R D Burman also did incredible fusion. All these artists just projected some beautiful old melodies in another style. It is just a natural development for the music and musician," he clarifies. The musician also believes that innovation in classical music is also important to reach out to younger audiences. And although, the classical arts don't need any reviving, they should be relevant to today's times. "I think Indian youth is very interested in classical arts. But they also need younger icons who will offer a new direction to old ideas. And the only way to build audiences is to encourage younger talent." Wah, Ustad!

Miniature magic 

The Ustad is back. Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain recently announced that he will be touring five Indian cities alongwith fellow artists percussionists Sivamani and Selvaganesh, vocalist Shankar Mahadevan and mandolin star U Sriniwas.

Sing a new raga

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Sing a new raga

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