'Dancing fingers' tabla maestro Zakir Hussain dies

Zakir Hussain, considered one of the greatest players of the tabla or Indian drums and known for his "dancing fingers", has died aged 73.

The four-time Grammy Award winner died in a San Francisco hospital from complications of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis - a chronic lung disease, his family said in a statement on Monday.

The eldest son of legendary tabla player Ustad Alla Rakha, Hussain was a child prodigy, beginning his professional career at the age of 12 accompanying Indian classical musicians.

By 18, he was touring internationally, winning acclaim for his accompaniment, dazzling solo performances and pioneering collaborative work with world musicians that elevated the status of the tabla in India and abroad.

Collaborators included George Harrison, Van Morrison, Earth, Wind & Fire, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and jazz musicians Herbie Hancock and Charles Lloyd.

In an interview that was shared widely on social media in India, Hussain said his father welcomed him into the world after he was born by speaking tabla rhythms into his ears.

"I was brought home, handed over to my dad in his arms. The tradition was that the father is supposed to recite a prayer in the baby's ear ... So he takes me in his arms, puts his lips to my ear and recites the tabla rhythms into my ears," Hussain said in the interview.

In 1973, Hussain formed the Indian jazz fusion band Shakti with jazz guitarist John McLaughlin. The band played acoustic fusion music that combined Indian music with elements of jazz, introducing a new sound to Western audiences.

He was nominated for seven Grammy awards, winning four including three this year, according to the Grammy website.

He was also the recipient of India's highest honour for artists, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

with AP