Visa issues: London concert by Pakistani Sachal Jazz Ensemble cancelled

Kings Place forced to cancel event despite sell out of tickets because two leading musicians were not given visas.

LONDON: The Kings Place in London were forced to cancel a concert by the Sachal Jazz Ensemble scheduled for Friday November 29, owing  to visa issues.

The Lahore-based group of musicians, known for marrying the western genre of jazz into the eastern family of classical music and instruments, could not make it to England after two of the band members failed to acquire visas to the United Kingdom in time.

We are sorry to announce that the second Sachal Jazz Ensemble performance tomorrow night has also been cancelled due to visa issues.

— Kings Place (@KingsPlace) November 28, 2013

Kings Place, a hub for cultural and corporate activity at Kings Cross, was due to host another musical event on November 30 featuring Pakistani artist Humera Channa and Sachal Studio musicians among other artistes, which was also cancelled 'owing to unforeseen circumstances'.

The group had only last week performed in New York city at the Lincoln Centre.

The studio first stole spotlight with the release of its album "Sachal Jazz" in July 2011, especially a rendition of Dave Burbeck's "Take Five", which topped the jazz album charts on iTunes in Britain and the US.

Dave Brubeck, who died in 2012, had said after listening to Sachal Studio's take on his single: "This is the most interesting and different recording of Take-Five that I have ever heard."

"Listening to this exotic version of 'Take Five' bring back wonderful memories of Pakistan where my Quartet played in 1958. East is East, is West is West, but through music the twain meet."

The group was developed by Izzat Majeed, a London-based businessperson and Mushtaq Soofi, a poet and long-time PTV executive who then assumed the mantle of the studio director.

The duo realised that studios in Pakistan did not have the ability to compete internationally and so they thought to bring global quality studios to the country.

The end result was a state-of-the-art studio in Lahore, designed by Christoph Bracher, a renowned sound engineer.

With scores of albums in various genres to its name in a short period of time, the troupe has garnered worldwide attention and critical acclaim.

Earlier this year, Wynton Marsalis played with Sachal musicians at the Marciac Festival in France.

A few days ago, the ensemble was at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center for a full-scale collaboration: seven Pakistani musicians with the 15-piece Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

British daily The Guardian said:

"An ensemble of veteran Pakistani musicians has pulled off an unlikely coup-storming western charts with an innovative jazz album and prompting comparisons with Buena Vista Social Club's rediscovery of a lost generation of Cuban Musicians."

The following musicians was intended to perform at Friday's concert:

Sachal musicians:
Nijat Ali - Conductor / co-arranger
Nafees Ahmad - Sitar
Baqar Abbas - Flute
Ballu Khan - Tabla
Rafiq Ahmed - Mardang ( side drum)
Najaf Ali - Dholak
Asad Ali - Guitar

UK musicians:
Steve Lodder - Piano
Chris Wells - Drums /percussions
Philip Achille - Harmonica/ double bass

Plus a 10 member string section