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<\/figure>\nPhoto credit: Sachal Studios.<\/p>\n
There is something special about the studio. But this is not apparent while driving to it. Weaving through a slender, meandering, busy commercial street in Lahore, Pakistan, lined with greasy car workshops by the dozen, offices and old residences full of character, the studio looks like any old commercial building\u2026but once you\u2019re inside, the energy shifts.<\/p>\n
It is here that some of Pakistan\u2019s most skilled, veteran classical musicians spend their time, jamming and recording in a space that was set up by London\u2019s legendary Abbey Road Studio. It\u2019s a state-of-the-art, custom-designed studio that has produced some of the most unique fusion music by way of the Sachal Studios Orchestra; marrying the genres of traditional eastern classical and jazz\u2026a disarming and exciting amalgamation of melodies.<\/p>\n
Sachal Studios performing at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, UK, in 2012. Photo credit: Sachal Studios.<\/p>\n Breaking out into the music scene in 2011 with a cover of Dave Brubeck\u2019s 1959 hit single, Take 5, the ensemble was thrust into the spotlight.<\/p>\n And while Sachal\u2019s cover garnered a million hits on Youtube , their first album, Sachal Jazz: Interpretations of Jazz Standards & Bossa Nova, was a best-selling jazz album on iTunes as it shimmied its way all the way up to number one on the charts.<\/p>\n The late Brubeck heard the cover too. Infact , so moved was Brubeck that he wrote to Majeed in 2011, stating; \u201cThis is the most interesting and different recording of Take 5 that I\u2019ve ever heard.\u201d The quote is framed in Majeed\u2019s office along with another snippet from Brubeck\u2019s correspondence; \u201cListening to this exotic version of Take 5 brings back wonderful memories of Pakistan where my Quartet played in 1958. East is East, and West is West, but through music the twain meet. Congratulations!\u201d<\/p>\n Interestingly, Majeed was in attendance at Brubeck\u2019s concert in 1958 which was held at the then trendy hotel in Lahore, Nido\u2019s, on the quaint Mall Road.<\/p>\n T he jazz virtuoso\u2019s performance made a lifelong impact on Majeed and it was there, at the age of eight, seated in the packed concert hall, that Majeed fell in love with jazz.<\/p>\n Today, the Sachal Studios Orchestra stands as the only orchestra in Pakistan that plays live, and that too, both jazz and classical music genres. Till date, the Sachal ensemble has collaborated thrice with Marsalis and has performed to an international audience in the United Kingdom (at the Royal Albert Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Barbican Centre, in London), France (at the Marciac Jazz Festival in Marciac ), the United States (at the Lincoln Centre, in New York), Japan (at the 15 th Tokyo Jazz Festival) and India, apart from several performances on home turf (at TEDxLahore , the Lahore Music Meet, at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts, and more).<\/p>\n From covers of R.E.M (Everybody Hurts), to Dave Grusin (Mountain Dance), Antonio Carlos Jobim (The Girl From Ipanema and Desafinado ), Burt Bacharach (This Guy\u2019s In Love With You), the Pink Panther theme, The Beatles (Eleanor Rigby) and more, it\u2019s hard not to be wowed by the \u2018Sachal touch\u2019 \u2013 run a quick search on Youtube and you\u2019re hooked. (Pro-tip: Wynton Marsalis and Sachal\u2019s collaboration on John Coltrane\u2019s My Favourite Things at the Marciac Jazz Festival in 2013 is downright magical.)<\/p>\n From the deluge of foreign press coverage (the BBC, the Guardian and NPR to name a few), to a documentary (Song of Lahore) on Sachal\u2019s musicians \u2013 directed by the Pakistani filmmaker and Oscar-winner, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival (following screenings in Paris, Germany, Dubai, Montreal, Sydney and more) \u2013 the orchestra from Lahore has quickly made a name for itself on the jazz map of the world.<\/p>\n An Economist by profession, Majeed started out his career in the 80s, in the Middle East, in Riyadh, as an advisor to the Minister of Petroleum & Mineral Resource at the time. Later on, Majeed began working with a Saudi partner as an investor. But his love of music remained unfailing throughout his prolific career. However, it needed to be taken a step further. Hence, years later, Majeed decided to put his money to good use. Thus, Sachal Studios was born in 2008.<\/p>\n But Majeed\u2019s affiliation with music wasn\u2019t a random, newfound hobby. Infact , his first introduction to music (well before seeing Brubeck on stage) began when Majeed was only five-years-old . His earliest recollection? Sitting on his father\u2019s lap while his father composed the music score for a film. Back then, Majeed\u2019s father, Mian Abdul Majeed, was the Chairman of the Film Producer\u2019s Association of Pakistan and whose home would be frequented by a number of musicians, particularly the eminent Ali Akbar Khan, an Indian classical musician.<\/p>\n Consequently, music and lyrics were an unending thread throughout Majeed\u2019s early years growing up amidst music and film in the company of some of the greats.<\/p>\n His mother, Seeta Majeed, on the other hand, hailed from a prominent family in India. His parents met in Ludhiana College (in Delhi, India) as students, fell in love and quickly eloped. For that time period, the marriage between a Muslim (Majeed\u2019s father) and a Sikh (Majeed\u2019s mother) would\u2019ve been nothing short of scandalous; it would never have been allowed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe story of music in Majeed\u2019s life starts with both his parents,\u201d states Nur Fatima, the CEO of Sachal Studios and also Majeed\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you know he was temporarily thrown out of Oxford for three months for blaring What\u2019s Going On? from his dorm window,\u201d Fatima reveals, speaking about her husband\u2019s obsession with music, while chuckling and looking over at him teasingly as he grins.<\/p>\n Izzat Majeed (far left) with some of Sachal\u2019s musicians. Photo credit: Sachal Studios.<\/p>\n The song that Fatima mentions is the 1971 classic from Marvin Gaye\u2019s album (of the same name). Thankfully, Majeed was allowed to return to Oxford where he completed his Masters in Politics , Philosophy and Economics in 1972.<\/p>\n \u201cInitially when he launched Sachal Studios, it was with the intention of bringing organic music back to Pakistan,\u201d Fatima says, \u201cThis is because he found the current electronic \u2018noise\u2019 too monotonous; it\u2019s like stuffing on processed food as opposed to home cooked food that\u2019s made from scratch. When you\u2019re playing an instrument, part of your heart and soul is in it, so the sounds you produce are human.\u201d<\/p>\n Having been silent so far, Majeed asks; \u201cDo you know what jazz is? You have to understand that jazz is exactly the same as our classical music, the structure and foundation is very similar. In our culture, in classical music, you\u2019re stuck to a particular road regarding ragas [scales in classical music], and in jazz, it\u2019s the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n But is there a demand for classical music in Pakistan? \u201cI don\u2019t care,\u201d Majeed states briskly, elaborating that he\u2019s in it for the love of music and nothing more.<\/p>\n Izzat Majeed with some of his musicians from Sachal Studios in Tokyo, Japan. Photo credit: Sachal Studios.<\/p>\n Revealing that the orchestra is far from financially viable, Fatima says that the orchestra was, and is, by no means a \u201cbusiness.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was never envisioned like that,\u201d she clarifies.<\/p>\n While the orchestra has made its presence felt in the jazz circuit overseas, Sachal\u2019s music isn\u2019t mainstream in Pakistan yet, primarily because it hasn\u2019t taken the commercial route. And judging by the kind of people Majeed and Fatima are; it\u2019s unlikely the music will ever take the conventional path.<\/p>\n Photo credit: Sachal Studios.<\/p>\n Speaking about the recent spike in religiosity in Pakistan over the past few years, has the orchestra faced any issues from hardliners during their gigs in the country?<\/p>\n \u201cNo, the fundos are curiously quiet,\u201d Fatima jokes, chuckling, \u201cOn a serious note, there\u2019s never been any such threat or incident in Pakistan, the only threat we did however face from fundos were from the Shiva Sena who barred us from performing in Bombay in the winter of 2014; imagine being in a sold-out auditorium (with over 900-plus people in attendance) and being told we couldn\u2019t perform! We were on stage and the curtains never opened, it was terrible. [Majeed] was so upset that he cancelled the rest of our India tour and we promptly returned to Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n Interestingly, Majeed is in the works to host the country\u2019s first-ever jazz festival in Lahore, this year, which is set to feature a number of jazz artistes from around the world.<\/p>\n But more than the music itself, the story of Sachal and the man behind it is this: some of Pakistan\u2019s most established classical musicians were given a second chance at their once flourishing careers thanks to Majeed.<\/p>\n In the 70s, the Islamisation of Pakistan (driven by the then military dictator and President of the country, Zia-ul-Haq) resulted in the rapid obliteration of art, culture and tourism.<\/p>\n Once known as the travel destination for foreign tourists and celebrities such as Ava Gardner, Marlon Brando, Quincy Jones (and Dave Brubeck), among others, and where the local film industry (Lollywood) was at its peak, Zia\u2019s concoction of heavy censorship laws and new tax rates swiftly changed the face of a young, promising nation on a roll.<\/p>\n Ava Gardner and Stewart Granger arrive at the Lahore airport in 1954. Photo credit: The Nation.<\/p>\n Suddenly, artistes who once thrived in their fields of music, film and performance, found themselves unemployed and redundant. The outlets for creativity were barricaded, and those who kept their kitchens running on their art alone, quietly recoiled into obscurity and poverty.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the film industry finished, the music stopped,\u201d Fatima says, mentioning that a number of musicians had little choice but to give up on their dreams and resort to menial jobs such as selling knick knacks, vegetables and working at roadside tea-stalls.<\/p>\n \u201cCan you imagine a violinist working as a security guard?\u201d she says with disgust. \u201cSachal was created with the sole intention of bringing the masters back.\u201d<\/p>\n Further elaborating about the dismal state of affairs of some of the musicians, Fatima states that once, when Majeed handed a brand new cello to the group\u2019s cello player he broke down into tears and asked Majeed if he could take the instrument home to practice playing again.<\/p>\n Photo credit: Sachal Studios.<\/p>\n During Sachal\u2019s conceptualization stage, one of the first musicians that he brought on board was the late composer and violinist, Riaz Hussain, who Majeed states was his \u201cmentor.\u201d<\/p>\n It was Hussain who developed the Sachal group, by bringing together a diverse bunch of musicians, all virtuosos with decades of experience of working in the Pakistani film industry. Sadly, Hussain lost his life to cancer in 2014. His death, Majeed states, came as a huge blow.<\/p>\n But it was Hussain\u2019s passing which encouraged Fatima and her husband to instigate a foundation (the Alif Foundation) that would provide health coverage to the musicians (and their families) of traditional music in Pakistan, given that the government has failed to provide any assistance to its artistes since time immemorial.<\/p>\n Having worked in the Pakistani film industry in its heyday and working with the likes of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (the legendary Qawwali singer), Noor Jehan (another Pakistani singing legend) and others, Najaf Ali, one of Sachal\u2019s percussionists who plays the dholak (a two-headed hand drum) and the mridangam (a percussion instrument) states that while he\u2019s been playing music for over three decades, his career hasn\u2019t made him complacent, nor pompous.<\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to study our art for hours at a stretch so that our performances never get affected,\u201d he says, \u201cWe do this work with immense responsibility. In this day and age, music has no depth, no proper study. Musicians come and go, singing and playing whatever they feel like. There are very few people in Pakistan who are playing pure classical music; but no matter where we travel in the world as our country\u2019s ambassadors \u2013 the world must know that Pakistan is home to immense talent.\u201d<\/p>\n Reminiscing about Pakistan\u2019s bygone, golden era of film and music, Ali states; \u201cDo you know what [Noor Jehan] used to say? She used to say that her musicians were her wings and that she\u2019d fly because of them. But that period of Pakistani music, what it once was\u2026it has gone.\u201d<\/p>\n Noor Jehan. Photo credit: The Nation.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no industry anymore,\u201d elaborates Ijaz Hussain (commonly known in the local music circle as Baloo Khan) who plays the tabla (a South Asian percussion instrument). Hussain\u2019s father, Tafu Khan, has often been touted as Pakistan\u2019s master tabla player. \u201cNow our industry is Sachal Studios.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier, Majeed had mentioned that having visited the Royal Albert Hall for the very first time, the Sachal musicians were moved to tears while watching the symphonies being played live on stage.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been playing music for fifty years,\u201d Hussain says while lightly beating a pleasant rhythm across his tabla , \u201cI\u2019ve traveled the world, but the respect that I\u2019ve received overseas is predominantly due to [Majeed]. The mix of classical music \u2013 a genre we\u2019ve been so used to playing in the film industry \u2013 and jazz has created an epic atomic bomb!\u201d<\/p>\n Izzat Majeed address a crowd in New York during a collaborative concert between Sachal Studios musicians and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Photo credit: Hiroyuki Ito, Getty Images.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re here and performing on the world stage because of Sachal,\u201d emphasizes Rafiq Ahmed who plays the naal (a wooden, two-headed drum). Ahmed was only 17-years-old when he began playing solo performances for Lollywood films back in the day. \u201cBut all of this didn\u2019t start instantly \u2013 it took a good 2-3 years for us to understand jazz music. During that time [Majeed] made us hear and become familiar with the genre. When I first heard jazz it felt so different \u2013 it was a big change for us. But when that change began within us, it became something very unique and we were able to translate it into our performances.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d only heard of George Michael and Michael Jackson\u2026jazz was a completely new genre for us,\u201d Hussain interjects, while continuing to play a few notes on his tabla . His thick fingers work quickly and expertly across the instrument\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n However, when the musicians finally got around to understanding and becoming comfortable with the genre, performances were a breeze, usually extending up to 20-30 minutes after the last number because the audiences didn\u2019t want the music to stop.<\/p>\n Photo credit: Sachal Studios.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most exhilarating routine for us was at Lincoln Centre [New York], we played to a packed audience for two days, back to back ,\u201d Ahmed states enthusiastically. \u201cI remember once when we were rehearsing with Marsalis, he told [Majeed], these people aren\u2019t musicians\u2026they\u2019re magicians!\u201d Ahmed laughs, his words not carrying a trace of conceit, rather, amusement.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, we never thought Pakistani audiences would like Sachal\u2019s music,\u201d Ali says, speaking about how well-received their music has been overseas, \u201cBut we were shocked by the appreciation we began getting after performing in Pakistan \u2013 it was very surprising. It made us realize that the audiences in the east and the west are identical in their appreciation of classical-jazz fusion music.<\/p>\n Photo credit: Sachal Studios .<\/p>\n Given Sachal\u2019s secure bubble surviving in the midst of a now defunct music industry, Hussain states that the local music scene could only be resuscitated if the youth had teachers to learn the craft of music from. And while Pakistan is home to some of the best classical musicians, the skills are not being passed down due to a lack of music academies in the country.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this field, you\u2019re a student for life; look at us, we\u2019ve gotten so old in this field \u2013 today\u2019s youth don\u2019t have the patience anymore, they think they\u2019ve made it just by growing out their hair and playing the guitar.\u201d<\/p>\n As the conversation peters out over the next few minutes, the musicians begin dispersing \u2013 they\u2019ve been in the studio all day rehearsing non-stop and now they must return home for some rest. Tomorrow after all, is another hectic day of recordings and rehearsals as they gear up for their next routine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":85601,"template":"","language":[5],"class_list":["post-85600","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/apnaorg.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/85600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/apnaorg.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/apnaorg.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apnaorg.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/apnaorg.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apnaorg.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/language?post=85600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/apnaorg.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/apna-articles\/85600\/docx-image-2-image2.jpeg\")
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