Stone Classic: Attaullah Khan Niazi Issakhelvi

You may know, if you’ve been following this blog for some time, that I am a huge fan to Attaullah Khan Niazi ‘Issakhelvi‘. I have shared lots of his music and will continue to do so. So, this time out, I’ll dispense with biographic detail of this giant of Pakistani music and say a few things about the album.

This is a recording of a live performance in October 1988 at the Lok Virsa campus in the forested suburbs of Islamabad. I returned to Pakistan in April 1988 after a year of study in ’86-’87 in Lahore. And In October I was living in a share house with three other young American men who, like me, had found work in the vibrant international NGO/ refugee assistance operations that were the ‘soft’ side of the West’s anti-USSR proxy war in Afghanistan.

I was just out of University and making (for the time and my status as a single man) a very good salary working for the UN. I loved my job (don’t we all love our first real jobs?) and had made lots of new friendships. One in particular, a guy named Peter, had a sophisticated appreciation for Pakistani music which made my own pretty basic understanding seem quite shallow and superficial. When he wasn’t working with the UN he did the sound for musical acts whenever they visited Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

“Attaullah Khan is coming to Lok Virsa in a couple weeks time,” Peter said one day. “My friend is doing the sound. I think I can get you in for free if you’re interested.” At the time I had several cassettes of his singing and really loved his energy and voice and so I made a note to try to get there.

On the day, I remember I had to work late and decided to blow the concert off. But something niggled at me and though I was tired, I did, in the end drive out Lok Virsa figuring I’d stay for just a few songs.

Well, as it so happened I spent a couple of hours there. It was a fantastic concert. Issakhelvi was in top form. I was mesmerised by his voice and his charisma that could take an audience to tipsy heights of exhilaration and then in the next number quiet them right down. i went home feeling warm and alive. Knowing that this had been a very special night.

I have thought often of that concert, even though over the years the memory has faded. So you can imagine my delighted surprise when I listened to these two CDs. The introductory comments by the MC, which declare the date of the concert as 6 October 1988 had me jumping out of my seat. “I was there! That was the concert I attended!”

I was (and still am) so excited to reconnect with that milestone in my appreciation of Pakistani music. And so it was a no brainer that I would share it with all of you!

Hope you enjoy this music as much as I do!

Track Listing

01 Interview

02 Asan Haan Yaar Pardesi

03 Balo Batian Vey Mahi

04 Ishq Mein Hum Tumhein Kya Bataye

05 Wah Wah Meriya Mahiya

06 Mat Poocho Kya Haal Huwa

07 Sachi Das Ve Dhola

08 Idhar Zindagi Ka Jinazaa

09 Untah Wallay Turr Jan Gay

10 Ve Bol Sanwall

11 Dil Lagaya Tha Dilaggi Ke Liye

12 Chimmta Taan Wajda

13 Chola Chickney Da

14 Tu Nahi Te Teriyan Yaadan Sahi

15 Yaari Gheran Pichay

16 Bairi Wala Ghar

17 Tumharay Sheher Ka Mausam

18 La Lai Mundri Tho

HERE

Desert Silk: Reshma

The Lok Virsa Institute, situated on a campus in the woods at the feet of the Margalla Hills in Islamabad, is one of those public institutions that governments like to create and forget. ‘We should have some appartus,’ they reason, ‘that preserves and promotes our unique national cultures.’ An Act of Parliament is passed. A new building or two are constructed. A semi famous person is installed as the Director and then the budget is cut year after year until ultimately the Institute is barely able to pay staff salaries let alone maintain a website, fund research or publish books, reports or release recordings.

When I lived in Pakistan I was quite familiar with the leadership of the Institute. This was the mid 80s. Budgets were always tight but there was still some breath in the thing. Concerts were quite regularly sponsored, their range of cassette tapes of folk music from every corner of the country was widely available and very affordable and often Lok Virsa connected with international scholars to do some amazing research. The long jagged knives of politics were always flashing (they always are in a country where sinecurism is both a personal economic and a national political strategy) but Lok Virsa seemed to be liviing up to its founding principles–promoting and preserving the folk cultures and especially the music of Pakistan.

In the intervening years my friends who worked there kept me appraised of the shenanigans but also, more damaging, the utter neglect of the Institute by the government. Its funding dwindled to a trickle and its campus became overgrown, if not literally then spiritually, by weeds and dead wood. Given the material it had to work with and the relatively untapped sources of culture in that amazing country, Lok Virsa was gutted; offering little and broadly unknown.

What a surprise then to find in recent years a whole series of music releases of some of Pakistan’s greatest singers and musicians. Nicely produced and often in multiple volumes, the Lok Virsa Series of (mostly) live recordings are such a treasure.

Reshma

Today I share a set of folk songs by the outstanding singer Reshma, one of my favorite South Asian artists, and someone whose music I’ve shared many times before. This double CD set includes her most famous song Lambi Judai as well as a nice mix of Rajasthani folk melodies and Punjabi lokgeet. The only weak (ish) cut here is the final one, a rather uninspired version of the Sufi standard. But throughout the album, Reshma’s strong alto voice is melodic and untrammeled by artifice or unnecessary adornment. Its simple, beautiful, life-giving singing by a supremely gifted artist.

I never grow tired of listening to Reshma. And I think you’ll enjoy this collection as well.

Track Listing:

01 Rajasthani Lok Geet

02 Bandra-Rajasthani Geet

03 Ve Main Chori Chori

04 Sade Wal Mukhdra Morr

05 Aksar Shab-E-Tanhayee Mein

06 Na Dil Dendi Bedardi Nu

07 Kithey Nain Na Jordi

08 Naeo Lagda Dil Mera

09 Meri Hum-Jolian

10 Lambi Judai

11 Akhian Nu Rehn De

12 Mayaa-Lok

13 O Lal Mari Pat Rakhio Balla

Reshma Lok Virsa

A reason to go back to school: Shaukat Ali

I first heard Shaukat Ali’s voice while watching an Urdu movie from the 1970s. It was a pretty dreary affair about a spoiled Pakistani playboy living a semi-scandalous lifestyle in London. At one point fairly early on the film the playboy is hosting a party at his flat. Hippies and Sikhs are in attendance.  The playboy’s best buddy from back in Pakistan has come to fetch him back.  To get the party started this chubby friend sings a song about the experience of ‘going foreign’ (overseas).

The dance was slapstick but the song was a cracker. I wrote about it in another blog and you can hear it here. The singer’s voice (which I later found out belonged to Shaukat sahib) contradicted everything about the fat comedian. It was strong, masculine and real.  Like a Punjabi Kishore Kumar the tone locked in between tenor and baritone and brooked no argument.

Shaukat Ali was born and raised in the small city of Malakwal about 200 kms southeast of Islamabad. He got a break singing for a Punjabi film in 1963 and as mentioned above contributed playback services to movies throughout his career.  He even sang in the 2009 Indian hit film Love Aaj Kal.  

But Shaukat Ali’s first and enduring love in the folk music of his native Punjab. He’s made his reputation as a classy singer of Punjab’s rich folk song repetoire and especially as an interpreter of such classics as Waris Shah’s Heer and the Sufi epic, Saif ul Malook.

In this wonderful double disc released by Pakistan’s national Folk Heritage institute, Lok Virsa, Shaukat Ali, is in impeccable form. He sings with gusto, feeling and nuance, mixing well known numbers as well as less familiar numbers (at least to me).  Punjabi folk music is full of a quality I call dildaari (a stout, exhilarating sense of discovery, fun and reverence). Accompaniment is always lively: tablas sound like locomotives on a fast track and the harmonium dances and bounces around the vocals.  Singing is full throated. On the softer numbers Shaukat may calm things down but there remains always a visceral, vital authenticity.

You can have fun but you never bullshit.

I love these discs and thank my dear Californian friend, Hanif, for sharing them with me.  It’s the sort of music that has me surfing the web for ‘Teach Yourself Punjabi’ courses!

Track Listing (Disc 1)

1-01 Interview

1-02 Tur Gaya Mera Hani

1-03 Choti Ummreh Pyaar Kari Naa

1-04 Jalliya Dilla

1-05 Oh Kannu Pyar Te Karobaar

1-06 Lag Gai Nain

1-07 Assein Ite Te Dhol Sada

1-08 Ho Jagga Jamiya

1-09 Pindi Peya Vee Nai

1-10 Assein Ite Te Dhol Sada

1-11 Sass Kapathi Eh

Vol 1

Track Listing (Disc 2)

2-01 Ho Rabba Sohnaya Nu Kaid Kara De

2-02 Wah Rangeeya Nu Kaid Kara De

2-03 Loki Anwey Te Nahi…

2-04 Kyon Door Rehnde O

2-05 Aap Jedeh Wasday

2-06 Dendi Phira Mein

2-07 Sanu Patha Nahi Vichoda Kinu Kehende

2-08 Oh Mahi Meriya

2-09 Maa Janat Da Parchanwa (Kaanwan)

2-10 Saif-Ul-Malook Kalaam

Vol. 2

A (Genuinely) Rare Treasure: Links to Music Pakistan box set

In 2006 the semi-government private Pakistani company Shalimar Recording Company issued a boxset of 57 compact discs titled simply Music Pakistan.  Not marketed very well, if at all, it soon disappeared from view without making much of a ripple.   More the pity because this hefty chunk of digitised music is a massive contribution to the documentation and preservation of global musics.

Pakistan embodies a contradictory position as far as music goes.  It’s many regions, language groups and cultures are the source of some of the most profound and rich folk traditions on the planet.  And not just folk.  Pakistani classical musicians, though less well known than their Indian counterparts, are among the best in South Asia’s gharana-based music. And yet, the official music industry (which includes private companies, government and private broadcasters and government policy-makers) of Pakistan has demonstrated only the most cursory interest in preserving and promoting this unique heritage.

A commercial bias toward film music and passive aggressive stance towards classical music which was often dismissed as too much influenced by Hindu cultural antecedents was almost completely ignored. Folk music, always popular outside middle class living rooms, was left to its own devices, thriving or shrivelling depending on circumstances and shifting audiences.

Institutions like Lok Virsa Folk Heritage Institute in Islamabad tried heroically to bring to folk artists and their music to a national and international audience but always struggled to cope with  restrictive budgets, internal politics and a gargantuan task.  In the past decade or so private citizens have made fantastic contributions to reviving classical music by providing venues, events and recording opportunities for the elders as well as a small handful of up-and-comers. The work of Tehzeeb Foundation has been recognised for its quality not just among Pakistani music circles but on the international stage as well. And of course, the efforts of Sachal Studios and the TV hit show Coke Studio to resurrect the careers of Lahore film studio musicians and make folk music palatable to the Millennial Generation respectively are other high points in the revival of interest in Pakistan’s musical heritage.

But so much remains forgotten, undiscovered or simply ignored. The vaults of Pakistan TV and Radio,  recording companies EMI and Polydor not to mention private collections and archives controlled by various provincial governments  are surely bursting with hours and hours of wonderful music. Will it ever be released? My advice is, do not hold your breath.

Within this context then the Music Pakistan Boxset assumes huge significance.  Taken from the vaults of Radio Pakistan, the music on this vast collection covers classical, folk, spiritual (Sufiana), light classical and film music.  With some recordings stretching back to pre-Independence its focus is clearly on the 50s-80s.  Recent pop music, film music beyond Noor Jehan’s singing, qawwali and music from the smaller ethnic groups are sadly not even touched.   Documentation on individual artists is very minimal, the art work lack lustre and information about the tracks (in some instances) less than accurate and inconsistent.

But production values aside the history that is captured in these performances is simply and without exaggeration priceless.  In certain cases, the recordings are extremely rare.  For anyone with an interest at all in Punjabi, Pakistani, Sindhi, South Asian folk and classical music this collection is absolutely indispensable.  One particularly pleasing element of Music Pakistan is the large place given to female singers including: Zahida Parveen, Farida Khanum, Kajjan Begum, Mehnaz, Noor Jehan, Samar Iqbal, Iqbal Bano, Khurshid Begum, Mussarat Nazir and others.    Among the rare recordings are some early post-Independence performances by Ustad Bundoo Khan (sarangi) and Nazakhat and Salamat Ali Khan as young boys.

Sadly, some of the CDs (such as the Nazakhat/Salamat one referred to above) were poorly produced and unplayable! That frustrating inattention to quality and details that characterises bureaucracies with little interest in the work they are charged to carry out!

I was given a copy of the box set soon after it was released by a dear friend and over several years and several blogs have shared them with the wider world.  Throughout this process I have never once felt guilty about doing so, rather have viewed my efforts as altruistic: promoting and keeping alive a rich and diverse tradition of folk and classical music.  You might be able to find some of these CDs elsewhere on the internet but you’re unlikely to find so many in one place.  And while there are outlets that claim they will sell you the full boxset, I’ve not yet found place that actually will.  You will receive either an ‘Out of Stock’ message or be met with total silence.

Of the 57 original CDs I’ve managed to digitise 46.  I’ve made a 47th out of several stray tracks from original CDs that were poorly produced.  Sadly, that leaves 10 of the original, including ghazals by Barkat Ali Khan, light classical performances by Amanat Ali Kasuri and several others by artists I’ve lost track of.  [Confession: it took me a couple years before I understood exactly what I held in my hands and in that time I tossed out CDs that didn’t work! Fool that I am!]

I am trying, through my contacts to get hold of the outstanding 10 CDs and of course will share them if and when I do. But again: do not hold your breath.

Rather than lament on what is missing I invite you to drink deeply of what IS available.

Here are links to all 47 plus 1 CDs.

I have given each a serial number that does NOT correspond to the original.  That is for personal reasons of no particular consequence.  Simply my way of keeping track of this vast and amazing collection.

1. Ustad Umeed Ali Khan [Raga Kafi Kannada and Raga Emen]
2. Mohammad Tufail Niazi [Punjabi Folk Songs]
3. Salamat Ali [Urdu Ghazals]
4. Ustad Mohammad Sharif Poonchwaley [Classical Sitar] Vol. 1
5. Sadiq Ali Khan Mando and Master Sohni Khan [Classical Clarinet]
6. Roshan Ara Begum [Raga Mian ki Malhar, Raga Neki Kannara and Raga Maru Sarang]
7. Mai Bhaggi [Thar Folk Songs]
8. Ustad Amanat Ali Khan [Urdu Ghazals]
9. Ustad Nathoo Khan [Classical Sarangi]
10. Hamid Ali Bela [Punjabi Sufi Kalam]
11. Alam Lohar [Punjabi Folk Songs]
12. Ustad Nazakhat Ali Khan and Ustad Salamat Ali Khan [Raga Abhogi Kanhra and Raga Kamod]
13. Ustad Bundoo Khan [Classical Sarangi]
14. Musarrat Nazir [Punjabi Folk and Pop]
15. Noor Jehan [Film Hits Vol. 1] and [Vol. 2]
16. Saeen Ditta Qadri [Classical Flute/Bansuri]
17. Ijaz Hussain Hazarvi [Punjabi Ghazals]
18. Farida Khanum [Urdu Ghazals Vol. 1]
19. Farida Khanum [Urdu Ghazals Vol. 2]
20. Mukhtar Begum [Ghazals, Dadra and Thumri]
21. Saeen Marna and Munir Sarhady [Iktara and Sarinda]
22. Mohammad Jumman and Allan Faqir [Punjabi Folk]
23. Reshma [Thar Folk Songs]
24. Ustad Munawar Ali Khan [Classical Vocal]
25. Iqbal Bano [Thumris]
26. Ustad Amanat Ali Khan and Ustad Fateh Ali Khan [Raga Bageshri, Raga Multani, Raga Gujri Todi and Raga Pooria]
27. Ustad Amanat Ali Khan and Ustad Fateh Ali Khan [Raga Des, Raga Barbari, Raga Megh, Raga Malkauns and Raga Kedara]
28. Iqbal Bano [Urdu Ghazals Vol.1]
29. Iqbal Bano [Urdu Ghazals Vol.2]
30. Abida Parveen [Sufi Kalam]
31. Pathane Khan [Punjabi Sufi Kalam]
32. Ustad Mohammad Sharif Khan Poonchwaley [Classical Sitar Vol. 2]
33. Faiz Mohammad Baloch [Balochi Folk Songs]
34. Mehnaz and Kajjan Begum [Folk Songs]
35. Suriaya Multanikar [Punjabi Folk Songs]
36. Kheyal Mohammad [Pashto Folk Songs]
37. Ustad Misri Khan Jamali [Alghoza Folk]
38. Hamid Ali Khan [Urdu Ghazals]
39. Ghulam Ali [Urdu Ghazals Vol. 1]
40. Ghulam Ali [Urdu Ghazals Vol.2]
41. Mehnaz Begum [Urdu Ghazals]
42. Mehdi Hassan [Urdu Ghazals Vol. 1]
43. Mehdi Hassan [Urdu Ghazals Vol.2]
44. Ustad Habib Ali Khan [Classical Been]
45. Various Artists [Folk Sampler]
46. Zahida Parveen [Sufi Kalam]
47. Miscellany [Ustad Amanat Ali Khan Kasuri; Roshan Ara Begum; Bashir Ali Mahi]
48. Ustad Barkat Ali Khan [Urdu Ghazals]
49. Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan [Classical Tabla]
50. Various Artists [Classical & Light Classical Vocal]
51. Bashir Ali Mahi [Light Classical Vocal/ thumri]
52. Various Artists [Rare Classical Recordings]
53. Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan [Classical Vocal]
54. Ustad Nazakhat Ali Khan and Ustad Salamat Ali Khan [Classical Vocal]
55. Roshanara Begum [Classical Vocal]
56. Various Artists [Classical Vocal]

NOTE: AS AND WHEN THE 10 MISSING DISCS ARE DISCOVERED THEY WILL BE ADDED TO THIS LIST. IF ANYONE IS ABLE TO TRACE ANY OF THEM PLEASE LET ME KNOW.