Arrival of the beloved

Abbas Ali Khan’s ‘Ae Ri Sakhi’ is minimalistic yet enchanting

KARACHI: If there is one artiste in the country who pays as much attention to the visual representation of his music as he does to his compositions, it has to be Abbas Ali Khan. Although his second studio album, Tamaam Alam Mast, came almost eight years after his debut record, Sun Re, that had announced his arrival in 2006, as of late he has been unveiling music videos of its tracks piece by piece.

Tamaam Alam Mast is an ode to traditional and classical hymns that Khan has reworked with inspiring finesse. Be it the work of Amir Khusrow or Baba Zaheen Shah Taji, Khan has curated Sufiana kalams with great care. Although almost all of the tracks have been making waves ever since they were out, Khan recently released the music video of his song from Tamaam Alam Mast, Ae Ri Sakhi. On its own, the track stands as a soothing rendition of Khusrowian lyrics woven into the tranquil raag Tilak Kamod. The music is minimalistic and Khan remains in control throughout. However, the accompanying video is arguably not amongst some of his finest works. From the vantage point of videos like Malal, Sun Re and even the recent Mehfil, Ae Ri Sakhi is a rather hurried effort with a track that had immense room to let Khan’s creativity float free.

Guitar virtuoso Faraz Anwar and bassist Mubbashir are perched up on stools with Khan, playing in sync with the track. The visuals run alongside a dance sequence of Amna Mawaz whose facial expressions and graceful moves are quite indulging. Ae Ri Sakhi is not a concept video by any means and hence relies only on cuts between the two sequences. Having said that, it is pertinent to note the track yet comes across as the dominant feature and is one of those that help with sleepless nights and restless days. In a time when bastadised versions of classics carry the day, Khan’s rather puritanical take is worth every penny.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6^th, 2016.

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