Jacques brel le moribond – une vidéo Musique (et maintenant avec le traduction anglais)
// February 20th, 2010 // No Comments » // Music
the organic brew: london, pakistan, photography, travel, poetry & a general acerbic sentiment. (a carbon neutral blog)
// February 20th, 2010 // No Comments » // Music
// February 10th, 2010 // No Comments » // Music, Pakistan, Poetry, Qawwali
Guftam Ke Raushan Az Qamar Amir Khusrau Qawwali
I’m sure this wouldnt sound so cool in any other language (i can pickup the general gist of conversation, but my farsi is far from good). In any case, here is a somewhat more unusual qawwali attributed to Amir Khusro
// February 7th, 2010 // No Comments » // Music
So here is a song from the boss – evocative and pictorial as ever, but sung by the national who have a decidedly nice, diverse musicality to their songs, and a potent lead singer i think. i’m starting to like them.
// February 4th, 2010 // No Comments » // Music
have you heard the ben e king orig?
Here is what wikipedia says:
Origin
The project started in 2004 with the organization’s self described goal to “inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music”. The creators of the project, Mark Johnson and Enzo Buono, traveled around the world to places such as New Orleans, Barcelona, South Africa, India, Nepal, the Middle East and Ireland, and, using a mobile recording studio, had local musicians perform the same song, interpreted into their own style. The project’s first single “Stand by Me”, began with a Santa Monica street performer named Roger Ridley (now deceased). They then traveled around the world and had more musicians add their versions, which were mixed together for the final version.[1] Among the artists participating, or openly involved in the project, include Vusi Mahlasela, Louis Mhlanga, Clarence Bekker, Tal Ben Ari (Tula), Bono, Keb’ Mo’, Grandpa Elliott.
Roger Ridley: vocals, acoustic guitar
Clarence Bekker: vocals
Grandpa Elliott: vocals, harmonica
Vusi Mahlasela: vocals
Sinamuva: choir vocals
Bhekani Memela: choir arrangement
Washboard Chas: washboard
Twin Eagle Drum Group: drum
Junior Kissangwa Mbouta: drums
Django “Bambolino” Degen: congas
François Viguié: pandeiro
Cesar Pope: cavaquinho
Dimitri Dolgonov: cello
Roberto Luti: National guitar
Geraldo Osal “el Poeta”: tres
Dionisio Lopez: electric bass
Pokei Klaas: upright bass
Reggie McBride: upright bass
Stefano Tomaselli: alto sax
// February 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Music
Sure, i’ve been listening to vampire weekend again of late – and i even like to sometimes convince myself that their lyrics make sense. newspaper reviewers have to say the vamp weekend boys have a deft touch with the pen. undoubtedly because no one can make sense to of their lyrics. oh, who am i kidding, of course they are nonsense, but hey, they sure have a deft touch with the production, nice sounds..
I had a feeling once
That you and I
Could tell each other anything
For two months
But even without hope
With truth on our side
When you turn away from me
It’s not right
I think you’re a contra
(more…)
// January 17th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Music
Master Madan (1927-1942), a child prodigy (not to be confused with music composer Madan Mohan), died at the young age of 14 years, sang only a few songs which are everlasting and embedded in perfection. During his lifetime he recorded only 8 songs. Of these, only two Ghazals are available publicly. These are the famous,‘Yun Naa Rah Rah Ke Hame Tarsaiye’* and, ‘Hairat Se Tak Raha Hai’*. The other six songs are very rarely found, and of great archival value. In this post I present to you, all the 8 songs ever recorded by him.
Master Madan was born on December 28, 1927, in Khanna, a village in Jalandhar district of Punjab. He sang in public for the first time when he was three and a half years old, in a rally arranged by Dharampur Sanatorium. The audience was understandably spell bound. He was given many gold medals right there and then. After that he and his elder brother toured all over India and collected many prizes from the rulers of many princely states. They sang in the famous Harvallabh Mela of Jalandhar city and later in Shimla. Reportedly, in the Shimla Sammelan, many notable singers had also come, but thousands were eager to listen to Master Madan only.
Check out the songs on offer on this page. Amazing. Amazing.
// January 13th, 2010 // No Comments » // Music, Pakistan
Found a wonderful little rendition my mehdi hassan, which i just had to post. a lot of fantastic desi music blogs somehow wither away, and i thought this little song absolutely must be preserved for posterity.
so here it is, archived, originally from the very excellent blog at : http://indianraga.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/four-droplets-of-excellence/
// January 12th, 2010 // No Comments » // Music
I found a very interesting blog: Indian Raga.
// December 26th, 2009 // No Comments » // Music, Poetry
I have a lot to write about this, hopefully ill have the time to, soon.
// December 25th, 2009 // No Comments » // Music, Pakistan, Poetry, Qawwali
Rozey ke zarra zarra shawad ustuqhan e man
Bashad hunooz dar dile resham hawaye toAt time when when my bones turned to dust
Your longing still permeated in my heart
I can guess at the words, but i knew more farsi to be able to really get to the bottom of this qawwali. the recording quality is pretty bad, but rendition still comes through glimmering..
// December 22nd, 2009 // No Comments » // Music
i think, however, we both saw a kindred soul in the story
a hidden, unpolished gem
deep in the bowels of a big bank
secretly, silently keeping the lamp of counter culture alive
VB:
you’re making it sound like some alternative Clark Kent
// December 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Music
I’ve never heard of this guy before, but this is sublime.
via Main Nai Jana Kheriyan de Naal – Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan on Vimeo.
The lyrics (most of them anyways) of course from the famous Punjabi love ballad, Heer Ranjah – and this particular bit is where Heer is refusing her mother’s appeals to get married to the suitor her family has chosen for her (who was of the Kherian clan)
// November 15th, 2009 // 8 Comments » // Music
YouTube - bashi to bajish na re.
Update: I orginally claimed this was rajisthani music – thank you to Layli and VB for pointing out the error. (see below).
(serves you right for believing anything you find here)
// November 15th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Music, Pakistan
One of my fondest memories is of khalid somehow appearing at a small dinner party I was was once at, and singing these haunting, hypnotic folk songs on his guitar, and and how you could just see him moved by the songs he’d no doubt sung and heard so many times before.
YouTube – No Reservations Episode 57 Part 3.
In case you havent hear peera ho:
Its just struck me how atypical the video for peera ho is for its time. This was back in the early 90’s when pakistani pop music was very much in its infancy and whatever little music videos that go produced ran along the cheesy formula of boy meets girl in college. this must have had particular resonance with the guys writing/producing these songs and videos, because back then most of them were in college and the videos must have been the manifestations of the most ardently held desires.
Not only is this Khalid anum video pretty unsual in that context (note how, unlike most pakistani singers – he isnt the main protagonist) it pairs off very well with the feel of the song, and the strange seperation that the song tries to depict.
Speaking of depictions – i found a particularly moving (and perhaps melancholy) bit of Khalid’s interview stuck in my head days after I watched it. Somewhere in the clip (see the youtube video) he talks about how he remembers, as a young kid sitting outside the bar in the sindh club (probably the most prestigious colonial era gentlemen’s club left over from the raj) –children werent allowed in the bar (this presumably, was before the prohibition)– watching his mother rest her hand on the ancient piano and she sang along to its tunes. I can just see in the minds eye the cool, timeless raj era building which grows old through this odd tattering at the edges, which only somehow makes it homlier and prettier, and comfortable – just like an old t shirt and the young boy watching his mother play this piano – in pakistan’s heydey when a new nation had stepped up blinking into the tropical sun, and there was optimism and the scent of promise in the air. i mention this because the piano, the club, the setting was all largely out of bound to locals before independence, and i cant help but imagine that there was just this slight, imperceptible spring in their step for having over-come that.
whats happened since, is of course public knowlege (ie. pakistan seemingly endless vortex of suffering), but khaled also lost his dad (as he goes on to say) when he was 12, and his mum when he was 17.
Translation:
Mere haath kee reteyan, Tootian
The shackles of my hands, broken
Mere haath kee reteyan, Tootian
The shackles of my hands, broken (more…)
// October 4th, 2009 // No Comments » // Music
I have no idea what he’s saying, but this is currently on repeat!