Shakti returns in 2023 to celebrate 50 years of music and friendship with maestro Zakir Hussain. We kick off our celebrations in India in January. Europe and America in the Summer and Fall.
The 96-Hour Jam: Zakir Hussain on His Adventures with Planet Drum, Shakti and Jerry Garcia
What prompted your decision to revisit Shakti once again?
There are a couple of milestone landmark Himalayan experiences that everybody has in their lives and the opportunity to plug into that once again is always something that one desires. At this juncture, when John is 80 and I’m 72 years old, I guess we are at a point where we both feel that we should just go around the block once more while we still can and experience that incredible energy.
John had a very strong attack of arthritis in his hand, four or five years back. He couldn’t even hold a pick in his hand. It was that bad, and he was not sure that he was ever going to play again. But by taking injections and through great pain, he did one tour thinking that it would be his farewell tour. But in the meantime, in India and various other places, he found treatments that have brought him back. It’s a miraculous recovery, so I guess he felt that Shakti had been such a milestone moment in his life that he would like to experience it one more time.
One of the greatest moments of my life was sitting on stage with John McLaughlin, Shankar and Vikku—flying high up in that sky, really feeling free and totally devoid of any worries or any issues. We were flying with wings and having such a great time with that music. That has always been there, and now it’s time to make that run one more time, embrace that moment and hope that it will come again.
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