Bringing ‘desi Blues’ to Pakistan

Lahore-based band BlueSax mixes eastern and western elements to create unique sound

KARACHI: Pakistan is a melting pot of cultures, to say the least. With a number of musicians playing different styles, from eastern classical and folk to rock and pop, one can easily find local versions of virtually any genre of music within the country.

In the midst of this, there exists a small clique of Blues enthusiasts and BlueSax, a Lahore-based band, caters to this niche market. Founded in 2011 by Talha Ali Kushvaha, the band has ‘localised’ the sound of the blues and incorporated local themes in order to appeal to a larger local audience. With Steve George on guitars, Salman Majeed on bass, Nadeem Hassan Tafu on drums and Kushvaha on the saxophone and vocals, BlueSax has been climbing up slowly, performing at one corporate event or social gathering after another.

“It is just the sound of saxophone… the instrument is what got me into blues and jazz music,” Kushvaha told The Express Tribune. The musician said his love for the genre made him get his friends on board and so, BlueSax was formed.

However, Kushvaha agrees that there is not a large market for this style of music in Pakistan. “Jazz and blues have always been a niche market, even abroad, and it’s the same in Pakistan. But we try to localise it with socially relevant lyrics as we talk about our culture,” he said. As a result, some fans have even refer to BlueSax’s music as ‘desi blues.’

As with all things new to local audiences, the reaction received by the band has been interesting. According to Kushvaha, the band has gotten a positive response so far. “People have told us that while our lyrics are for the poor, our music caters to the rich. But it’s interesting because wherever we perform, they always call us back.”

Kushvaha added the band incorporates eastern style in its music as well. “We incorporate elements of both eastern and western tradition. Blues is similar to our thumri in terms of structure so what we produce is eastern blues,” he stated.

When asked whether he thinks blues could become popular in Pakistan, Kushvaha replied saying that people need to be given more options and then it’s up to them. “The thing here is that this genre is not common,” he explained. “But we need to put our music out there so that more people listen to it and have the option to decide what they want. The idea is to keep repeating until it reaches out.”

Kushvaha has been playing music since the 1980s and has played in New York for years before returning to Pakistan. Besides music, he also works as a history teacher and a consultant. Talking about his influences, Kushvaha mentions a mix of eastern and western names. “Sonny Rollins, Eddie Vinson and Muddy Waters influenced me a lot. Also, I would say Ustad Bare Ghulam Ali Khan was a major influence too.”

While BlueSax has been releasing singles for the past five years, it is currently working on their first proper album ever. “We are working on it and it’s called Babu Blues, where Babu is a character from our cultural history.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2016.

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