Ilmas Hussain Khan is the son of my teacher Afaq Hussain, and he is the current khalifa of the Lucknow tabla gharana. He is my guru-bhai, and I continue to leaern from him. Afaq Hussain was living in Calcutta through most of Ilmas's childhood, and so Ilmas learned from his grandfather, Wajid Hussain, until the latter's death in 1978. He combines the great qualities of his grandfather and father (though, like his great-grandfather Abid Hussain he is a left-handed player), and he has inherited a vast knowledge of compositions, especially gats and relas plus the highly specialized techniques required to present them (genres recognized by many connoisseurs as the cream of the Lucknow tabla repertory). The following audio clip is taken from a solo performance in tintal by Ilmas Hussain, recorded for my book, The Tabla of Lucknow. Sarangi accompaniment is by Dildar Khan.

For further information, link to my article on the Lucknow gharana.