Ari Roland Jazz Quartet: Anthems of friendship

The Ari Roland Jazz Quartet performs alongside Fuzon as part of a cultural exchange programme.

KARACHI:

The Ari Roland Jazz Quartet and Fuzon concert was one of those rare, immaculately- constructed glistening moments, when your arid soul is reawakened from its barren depths, sings and takes flight along with the musical notes as they hit the air.

In an evening dedicated to peace, as part of a cultural exchange programme, Ari Roland, the jazz band from New York, took centre stage along with the Pakistani band Fuzon in a show where a gentle blending of instruments, song and symphony shook not only the confines of the Marriott hotel, but also its eclectic audience of young adults, media personalities and embassy officials. It was a travesty to hold a jazz concert inside a hotel instead of an open verdant venue, but what can one do when the  American Consulate involvement and security threats are abound?

The evening began with funny man Saad Haroon’s songs of satire that are a common feature at his shows: “I Got The Blues” and “Salaam” served as the perfect icebreaker and had the audience doubling over.

When Ari Roland took to the stage and began stirring their magic, they transported the audience from the hotel’s cushioned chairs to the city walks of a bustling cafe in a New York street, reverberating with sounds of the saxophone gently coaxing the soul in for a sublime musical treat.

Inspired by the pioneers of jazz music like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, the Ari Roland Jazz Quartet had Ari Roland on double bass, Chris Byars on tenor saxophone, Zaid Nasser on alto saxophone and the extremely talented Keith Balla on the drums. With Nasser’s magic on the alto saxophone, Balla’s soulful yet controlled drumming, Byars’ command on tenor and Roland’s romance with the double bass, the quartet is one of the finest modern day jazz acts and arguably the best foreign performers to have visited the country.

Bent over their instruments in a deeply passionate act of love, the band produces music that is truly soul-stirring and innovative. Every note was a tribute to the great music genre itself because jazz is not only about covering the legends with perfection, it’s also about being honest with each note and adding to what the greats have done. Above all, it takes more than just knowing music to bring a Pakistani crowd to its feet by playing jazz instrumental pieces which were previously unheard of.

Among the many soulful instrumentals that the quarter performed, the cover of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” was one of the highlights, but what came next truly took the crowd by a storm — this was the band’s rendition of “Dil Dil Pakistan”.  Playing covers of national songs is the best way in for any foreign band, and Ari Roland picked up this ingenious technique to perfection as they later performed a rendition of “Jazba-e-Junoon” as well. Taking cue from this performance that had the crowd in raptures, the band attempted the same with the famous lullaby “Summer Time”.

A cursory glance at Fuzon’s key band members, Emu and Shallum Xavier, one could gauge how their enervating spirits were keenly awaiting a live performance to unleash their prowess. The band is known for its live acts and an improvised rock version of “Suna Suna” was the perfect start for them. Xavier’s dexterity with the guitar was the highlight of Fuzon’s performance while Rameez Mukhtar proved his critics wrong with a poignant cover of “Tere Bina”.

Finally, the Quartet and Fuzon got together for a touching rendition of the evergreen “Khamaj” where Naseer added a new life to the song with his alto saxophone. After a number of collaborative performances of Fuzon’a songs, we finally heard the much-awaited “Friendship” song that the artists had been working on. Though all the artists tried their level best to increase the grandeur of the final performance, a poor sound system ruined the finale, even though the song’s composition is good and has the capability to go places if properly produced. 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th,  2011.