Fazal Qureshi,

Some Lesser Known Facts About Fazal Qureshi

• Fazal Qureshi is an Indian tabla player and he is the son of  legendary tabla maestro Ustad Allah Rakha.

• He is a younger brother of Ustad Zakir Hussain who inspired him to become a tabla player. He started learning to play tabla at the age of 15 whereas Zakir started playing when he was just 8 years old.

• In 1987,  a swedish band named Mynta toured India when they teamed up with Fazal Qureshi and Shankar Mahadevan to form their new sound which led them to create a genre which they call ‘Nordic ice with Indian Spice’. The group have released over six albums and performed all over the world.

• He dropped out of college in second year where he was pursuing bachelors in law so he could commit to play tabla full time.

• Apart from being a classical trained musician, he has also ventured into jazz genre to explore the waters as he remembers his father in 60’s used to play with several jazz drummers and musicians.

• Fazal, now runs Ustad Allah Rakha Institute of music. Students from all around the world come to learn from him as the classes are held in a large room in the Gala Building within the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Swimming Pool complex in Shivaji park.