A night of folk music and mysticism

Arieb Azhar and his band of musicians entranced audiences with their soulful melodies and revamped mash-ups.

ISLAMABAD: Playing to a full house at the Serena Hotel on Thursday evening, Arieb Azhar and his band of musicians doled out some of their trademark tunes along with a few refreshing additions to the revamped playlist.

Presenting an unassuming mash-up of folk and ghazal genres, it was a novel resonance-exhibit to the eager listeners. Contrary to their high-pitched and electrifying concerts, their reverberation this time around was more composed and rather toned down.

An acoustic-guitar slinging Azhar took centre stage, accompanied by Zeeshan Mansoor on electric guitar, Zain Ali on bass and guitar, Raees Khan on violin and Fazal Abbas on the tabla.

They started off with the mystic poet Khwaja Ghulam Farid’s, Aaj tou kehday and Bulleh Shah’s Sham-e-qalandar, besides renditions based on the verses of contemporary poet Amarjeet Chandan. They also rendered Reshma’s Hayo rabba nayeo lagda dil mera to much applause.



PHOTO: HUMA CHOUDHARY

The musicians revisited the Scottish song, Black is the colour of my true love’s hair, which Nina Simone covered several times in her musical career. Their rendition of the Bosnian folk song, Ameena was romantic, subtle and subdued. Then came the wildly popular Hum charsi bhangi hain — replete with mischief and soft rhythms complemented by Azhar’s baritone vocals.

Some of their recent compositions comprised the timeless Kee janaan mein kaun and Asaan ishaq namaaz which made for an interesting mix of malang mystic expression — all coupled with a fun, experimental vibe.

Azhar got in his element with his claim to fame, Husn-e-haqiqi which saw him transitioning through an underground artist to a mainstream musician. The ensemble surprised the audience with Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s Bol ke lab azaad hain tere, which was laced with sophistication, poise and free-spiritedness.

Picking momentum slowly, they hit a crescendo off with the powerful qalandari dhamaal which endorsed some gentle swaying, dancing and singing, along with a bout of clapping with the lively chorus.

The event, that was organised by the Asian Study Group, and attracted a sizable crowd of both diplomats and locals.

Sana, who was attending Azhar’s live concert for the first time, said she enjoyed the music more than the recordings that she had been listening to. “I had a lovely time. The genres and the timing of the concert were perfect for an old soul like me,” she joked. On the other hand, another audience member Nauman said the music set was a bit too long, but he liked the way the band rekindled Reshma’s music in their diverse playlist.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th,  2015.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.