Zakir Hussain - World Fusion Music Maestro: In Honor and Memory

My blog post last week about the passing of Irish bouzouki player and singer, Cyril O’Donoghue, reminded me of another great musician who passed away late in 2024, the incredible Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain. Tablas are traditional Indian hand drums, and when played fast, they always remind me of the fluttering of birds’ wings, with the drummer’s hands fluttering just as fast! He not only played traditional Indian music, but he also broke the mold with varied types of World Fusion. I have added to the ”Chant/Music” page a file called “Jig O’Beer & Chai” exhibiting one example of his innovative approach, incorporating bagpipes with Indian music. Another example is the work he did with the great jazz and fusion guitarist John McLaughlin in the group called Shakti. We were fortunate enough to catch a superb performance of them fairly recently. There is a delightful video link showing them up close and personal, also listed in the “Chant/Music” page. Enjoy!

A Tale about Irish Music

The Indians long ago knew that music was going on permanently and that hearing it was like looking out at a window at a landscape which didn’t stop when one turned away.

--John Cage

This goes a little bit off the beaten path, but my definition of spiritual music is not limited to traditional religious hymnals. It can be any kind of music that resonates with a deep inner place of inspiration/breathing in spirit. So here is my little story.

My wife, Elaine, and I have been very fond of Ireland and Irish music for many years. We have visited Ireland three times, and there is something about sitting in a crowded pub with a pint or two of Guiness and listening to good Irish music up close and personal. Our fortuitous first exposure was an Irish trio called “Dubhlinn”, consisting of three superb musicians, Blackie O’Connell on uilleann bagpipes, Eoghan (pronounced “Owen”) Neff on fiddle, and Cyril O’Donoghue on bouzouki.

A little aside on two of the instruments. Uilleann bagpipes are also referred to as Irish bagpipes, which are different from the more common Scottish bagpipes, which the Irish call “war” bagpipes. Uilleann bagpipes are more complex with more keys, have a softer sound, and the bag is not blown into with the mouth, but rather the air is pumped by a bellows-type device placed between the arm and the torso. The bouzouki is a traditional Greek stringed instrument in the lute family with a long neck and a rounded body in the back. The story goes that an Irish musician visiting Greece discovered it and saw a use for it as an alternative for a guitar in traditional Irish music. The Irish version evolved and was adapted to have a flat back and a different tuning.

A common configuration for Irish groups is a trio like this with either a fiddle, a bagpipe or accordion (both being reed instruments that approximate each other in sound), and either a guitar or bouzouki. Most often the fiddle and reed instrument carry the lead, with the guitar or bouzouki as a strumming rhythm accompaniment, but occasionally providing a lead playing off of the others.

We encountered this trio at McDermott’s pub in Doolin. However, they also had ties with the town of Ennis, which became our favorite town in Ireland. Both are in County Clare, and that county and these two towns are renowned for their music. So it was with great anticipation that Elaine discovered that a group from Ennis, “Socks in the Frying Pan” was coming to play at a cozy little music spot right here in Olympia, Washington. We went to see them this past Monday, and they were great. Knowing that Irish musicians are tight, we figured they would know “our three boys” as we sometimes refer to Eoghan, Blackie, and Cyrill. During a break between sets, I went and spoke with one of the musicians. He was good friends with all of them and broke the sad news to me that Cyril had unexpectedly passed away (in his sleep) this past September. He went to the funeral and told me it was jammed with musicians.

So in my usual long-winded fashion, this is my story about the song “Western Wind” which I just added to the Chant/Music page on this website, in which Cyril sings and is the lead instrument on the bouzouki (he was the only singer in the group, that usually was instrumental only, with occasional songs by Cyril) to mark his passing and in honor of his memory. It is a beautiful song with great supportive accompaniment by the other two musicians. I hope you enjoy it, and go out and have a pint of Guinness sometime in honor of Cyril!

Permanent Music

The Indians long ago knew that music was going on permanently and that hearing it was like looking out at a window at a landscape which didn’t stop when one turned away.

--John Cage